Fear can be a very powerful force. It can send us scurrying under tables, or out doors and windows. Fear can make us climb trees or stand on chairs. Fear can immobilize us, causing us to sit motionless and detached from the surroundings. This kind of fear can save our lives by keeping us from running into a burning building or into a flurry of gunfire. This kind of fear is part of our design. This kind of fear marks us as creatures made in God’s image who recognize our weakness and inabilities. To put it another way, this kind of fear acknowledges God as the only one who has all the power ever needed to fully protect.
There is another kind of fear that keeps us from doing some important things. This is a cowardly fear, one that is frightened by a small kitten or a day old puppy. It keeps us from stepping outside into fresh air or from touching doorknobs. It keeps us frozen in the past rather than being able to move into our future.
The disciples find themselves in the middle of a life-threatening situation in the boat. They know they could die. They have done everything they know how to do and everything has failed to make them feel safe. They have no control over the storm, and the storm is winning the battle.
Immediately after calming the storm with His commands, Jesus addresses His disciples. Jesus asks them about their fears. He connects their fears to their faith in Him. They were afraid because they didn’t trust Him to care about them. Jesus had demonstrated His care and His power to do what needed to be done on so many occasions, that they should have know He would take care of them at that moment. Their accusing reproach hit at their inner attitude. They still didn’t think Jesus cared about their safety.
This must have stung the disciples. They were following Jesus, having left everything behind. They were willing to get in the boat and travel at night across the lake without the Weather Channel’s updates. And yet this kind of fear indicated a lack of faith in Jesus’ ability to keep them safe. Jesus tells them they need to exercise their faith more. He says this by asking about their fear. This kind of fear and faith in Him don’t mix. The disciples can’t have them both.
When Jesus calms the storm they switch from a fear that immobilizes to a fear that recognizes the power Jesus has over the storm. The disciples are cowardly toward the storm, but now they are terrified by Jesus’ authority over the storm. They know something is very different about Jesus, but they still have not put their fingers on the reason for the difference. They still don’t understand that Jesus is the Messiah, God in the flesh.
We would have the same reaction to Jesus today if we were in that boat with Him. We would know something was different, but not necessarily get all the conclusions correct. Miracles don’t prove Jesus’ identity. Only His death, resurrection and ascension put the final exclamation point on Jesus’ mission and message. Then they belief and their fear disappears. Prison and death don’t stand in their way.
The Arnold Journey 