Jesus Calms The Storm

It seemed an easy thing at the time. They hadn’t understood the significance of what they were to witness; that only came years later as they looked back on their time with Jesus. A handful of them were experienced fishermen so when the master had come and asked to sail to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, the only ones hesitant were those who had yet to be on the sea. As the last of the crowd dwindled, Jesus could be seen walking back toward their campsite with Thaddeus by His side, and the rest of them were finishing loading the boat with their belongings. Two by two, the disciples of Jesus of Nazareth entered the vessel, Simon passing up last-minute baggage while Judas went over the time frame for the journey. They took special care watching Jesus make His way in the boat, He had been up well before dawn and spent the entire day on His feet teaching and healing the masses without once taking a break despite their pleas. Simon motioned for Andrew, James, and John to get to their familiar places around the boat as he leaped aboard and together the four of them pushed out into the deep.

Silence hovered over the voyage, save the whispers to one’s neighbor, all of them were drained from their day of aiding Jesus in His work. Matthew and Thaddeus were huddled together, the former making wide gestures with his hands as he talked. Thomas and Philip were in deep conversation; as were Simon the Zealot and James ben Alpheus.

After the boat began its gentle steady rocking as it sliced through the water, Jesus stood to His feet and stretched.

“Master? What are you doing?” James ben Alpheus called as Jesus removed His cloak.

Jesus carefully balanced a few steps to a larger sitting area and laid down, covering His body with His cloak. With His eyes closed, Jesus responded matter-of-factly, “I’m going to rest, James.”

Minutes passed and Philip moved to check on the master but Simon pinned him to his seat with a look and a shake of his head. “Shh! He needs to sleep for a while. We’ve all been asking Him to rest this whole time.”

“He didn’t want to take any breaks. The people just kept coming and He wouldn’t turn anyone away.” Thaddeus said. With a glance toward their rabbi, the disciples went back to minding their own business and like Simon said, letting Him sleep for a while.

“Do you suppose He had planned to leave today? That would explain why He turned no one away.” Matthew prompted the group as a whole.

Everyone looked up from their conversations or tasks to glance at Matthew. “Perhaps,” Nathaniel began, “I wouldn’t put it past Him.”

A solemn and weighty silence filled the air as they reflected on the past few days until James’ oar fell into the water with a splash and he scrambled to catch it. Teasing comments were thrown his way and James smiled and laughed and continued to row. The tension began to ease as the weight of the days fell off – without a crowd of people always present, always seeking their rabbi – and they could relax.

At first, no one noticed the smattering of dark clouds gathering in the sky, nor did they recognize the signs forewarning churning waters, high waves, and pelting rains. They all dosed and stretched out across the boat as much as they could, drowsy from work and feeling themselves more than deserving of a rest. By the time the fishermen among them realized, the raindrops from the clouds were falling faster and faster until it was like arrows being fired at their exposed skin. The rocking of the boat went swiftly from gentle to violent, the rhythmic sway now an unpredictable sloshing from side to side.

Andrew immediately began securing what was within reach, James and John mere seconds behind him.

“Quick! Get down!” Simon screamed over the wind while he wrestled with his oar.

James had only just gotten his oar in submission when he saw it happen. “Nathaniel! The food is going to fall overboard,”

Nathaniel leapt on top of the sacks of bread. Everyone held on for dear life as the waves grew, sloshing them back and forth. Simon kept the horizon in sight for as long as he could but the rain fell as a cloak over the air, making it impossible to see more than four cubits in front of him.

“I’ve lost the horizon!” Simon called, hoping for Andrew, James, or John to reassure him that they still could see it but no one answered.

Panic began to take root. Facing their doom, it was all Simon could do to keep himself in the boat. All Simon could think about was his impending death, he had never gotten to tell his wife goodbye, and could no longer see her again. A scream pierced his ears and Simon turned to see Matthew halfway over the edge, Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot pulling him back in. Not a moment after Matthew was on the boat again did he hear another yell and Simon watched as Judas was swept away with a wave that had crashed into them, John and Philip dropping everything to haul him in by the back of his robe. This was the end.

A wave like a mountain tipped the boat until it was almost sideways and Simon’s frantic eyes landed on the most astounding sight.

It was Jesus still sleeping.

Red hot anger boiled in his heart, fueled by his fear. Though he was rooted in his spot, Simon wanted nothing more than to shake his teacher awake and demand . . . He didn’t know what but if Jesus could do anything why didn’t He?

Thomas saved him the trouble.

Shaking Jesus, Thomas did not wait for the teacher’s eyes to open before he was shouting over the storm. “Lord! Why are you sleeping? Don’t you care that we’re going to die?”

The fearful cry was answered by a look that stilled Simon’s heart though the storm raged against them. Standing to His feet, Jesus stretched His arms wide and said in a loud voice, “Peace!”

The rain slowed and the wailing of the wind died to a whisper. His arms still in the air, Jesus said gently, “Be still.”

And the sea was still, ripples filled the water where waves higher than Goliath had threatened their very lives. They were silent, shocked at the scene before them. Jesus had stopped the storm. He had stopped the storm with only His words. Jesus had command over nature itself!

Simon could not tell who started it first, but the euphoria of life restored left even the most stoic of men giddy and soon all the disciples were laughing for joy.

Jesus turned back to them and Simon’s mouth turned to ash. Thunder streaked His face and after months of traveling together, Simon could recognize the beginnings of a rebuke when he saw one. What had they done wrong?

The laughter died little by little as the others noticed what Simon had. When silence once again covered the boat Jesus opened His mouth.

“You of little faith. Why did you doubt?” 

He had not spoken in a raised voice or harshly. But His face was clouded with disappointment that cut Simon’s soul in two and His words ripped Simon’s heart to pieces. Jesus had wanted their belief and instead, they had given Him their accusations. Why did you doubt? Why had they? Why had he? Why did he doubt the power that Adonai had given his lord? He had seen Jesus’ command over so much, why was the storm something out of Jesus’ control?

It was a solemn twelve that reached the shore. Amid the hoards of people who gathered to ask about the sudden storm they had seen, the disciples could do nothing but contemplate who was He that even the wind and waves obeyed?

~~~~~~~~~~~

Weeks passed and they saw incredible miracles after miracles. Multiplying a portion of food that could only feed three people to feed five thousand. They had seen Jesus cast a legion of demons from a Gentile. Jesus had sent them out; He had bestowed a portion of His power on them and they had come back amazed because even the demons obeyed them.

“Some people are starting to talk …”

“About …?” Simon prompted when Matthew trailed off. “About what? Jesus?”

“They think He’s a prophet-”

“Obviously,”

“-a prophet like Elijah. I mean actually, Elijah come back.”

“Like in the prophecy of Elijah making the way for the Messiah?” James queried. “Or Elijah as in the dead Elijah?” Matthew merely shrugged, it seemed it was no clearer to him either.

“Elijah didn’t die though,” Judas corrected. “Remember? The chariot of fire took him up to heaven.”

“I heard someone say He was John the Baptist.” Simon the Zealot offered.

“That makes no sense. They were together at the Jordan. They spoke to each other.” John – a former disciple of the Baptizer himself – broke in.

Simon the Zealot held his hands aloft, “I’m not saying it’s true. But Elijah …?” He slipped his hands down into his lap and stared off at nothing. “Do you think so?”

“I don’t know,” John said after a thoughtful pause. “Did Elijah ever calm a storm like we saw that night? I know He called for the drought but that was him speaking for the LORD.”

Philip poked at the fire with his stick, “And anyway, Jesus is the Messiah; why would He proclaim His own coming?”

Simon finally opened his mouth, “Now wait a moment . . .”

They talked long into the night and still were no closer to understanding than when they started their debate. Each man went to bed that night with the question on their mind: Who was Jesus?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Who do people say I am?”

The question caught them all off guard. Jesus had never seemed like He cared about what people thought of Him, at times it felt like their master thrived off the criticisms of the religious leaders. A million comments made about his master ran through Simon’s mind. A prophet of immense power. The son of the devil. A man of God come back to his people.

“Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

Jesus merely nodded at the information Nathaneal gave Him; it was almost like that wasn’t the point of His question but a bridge to the heart of the matter. Jesus seemed to be doing that a lot, tying things into each other so they could follow His trail.

“Who do you say I am?”

Simon’s mind went blank. Everything that had filled his thoughts before fled and he was left with nothing to say for once. Who did he think Jesus was? His teacher, his master, the Messiah Israel had been waiting for. But that couldn’t be what He meant. It almost felt like a trick question, designed to trip them up but Jesus didn’t do that; He preferred deep questions that made them all think before answering. That was not something Simon was used to, he had the grace to admit that much to himself. Simon ran through any response he could make that wouldn’t make him sound like a fool and in the middle of his frantic scrambling, a still small voice pierced the chaos.

“The Son of God,” He hadn’t said that; he couldn’t have. Simon could see everyone staring at him like he was a lunatic. But Jesus … Jesus was smiling. Like a pearl found amidst a net of floundering fish, Simon had found his answer. “You’re the Messiah, the Son of God.”

When he said it again, memories pushed themselves to the forefront of Simon’s mind. Jesus performing healing after healing, calming the sea, walking on water, feeding five thousand men, casting out demons that trembled when He approached and imparting that power to Simon and the others. Who among the prophets of old could boast such power? Power over the body, nature, and the unseen spirits. Who among the men of God was like Jesus? Even he, a simple fisherman from Galilee, knew the answer. None. The religious leaders could reason all they wanted but Simon knew in his heart that no one could do what Jesus had done without being of God.

Jesus leaned forward and clasped Simon’s shoulders, still smiling softly. “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. You will have the keys to the gates of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Silence followed this proclamation. A silence so thick with tension, confusion, wonder, and amazement that Peter felt he might suffocate under the weight of it all. He walked with God’s own Son, he was being taught by the Holy One of Israel’s Son; God had spoken to him! Jesus had blessed him and given him a new name. Peter: the rock, a firm solid steady foundation. It was too great a blessing, too great a name for someone like him who was infamous in their circle for his rashness. But if Jesus said it, Peter could believe without a doubt that in time, he would be the steady foundation he was called to be.