Sleeping
Our snapshot today comes from the moment when Jesus is sleeping in the boat while a storm raged...What did it mean that Jesus was asleep?
- Was it because He was completely and utterly exhausted after a day's ministry? Are we seeing the reality of the incarnation - that Jesus shared our humanity and got tired like we do? Are we seeing the extent to which Christ poured Himself out for us and what it cost Him?
- Did His ability to catnap even in a storm show His complete trust in His heavenly Father? Did it show that He was completely comfortable with His mission and purpose and that He knew that God was with Him? Was it that He was confident in His ability to still the storm?
- Did He "withdraw" from the situation to see what the disciples would do? Was He just testing them?
Ps 29 describes a thunderstorm crashing in over Palestine. It talks about the ground shaking with the thunder and the cedars being split by the lightning. The earth shakes and all of creation cries "Glory!"
The psalm concludes as follows:
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace.
The psalmist indicated that the storm was a song of praise. I think that Jesus demonstrated and embodied the psalm in the disciple's midst - He was sleeping in the midst of some nice praise music.
FLASHBULB Jesus is asleep and each thunder crash seems to soothe Him and not disturb Him. He's in charge and when the storm surrounds us, and it seems as though God is asleep - it is not because He doesn't care, but because ending the storm is not hard for Him...And... He calms the storm...
... sometimes the one on the outside
... but very often the one on the inside....
| A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" (Mark4:37-38) |
