Dear Theophilus,
As one on the outside looking in, I
can scarcely tell you how refreshing it is to hear these latest words of Jesus
offering equality for all who follow him.
In every other social circle I’ve encountered in my life, there has
always been a well-defined social structure that could only be climbed through
years of effort. Yet, here Jesus tells
the crowd that anyone who hears him and obeys him is considered as close to him
as his mother or brother. I would never
have expected such intimacy with Jesus if I were one of the masses, someone not
used to being in positions of power.
It’s amazing how Christianity
doesn’t revolve around power. We’ve been
exploring the topic for some time and Jesus has yet to try and raise an army to
defeat the Romans. He isn’t debating the
politicians in order to gain status for himself. He hasn’t tried to elevate this movement in
the hopes of gaining the attention (and perhaps fear) of others. Jesus doesn’t seem to want to use this
momentum for the purpose of worldly material gain, and it is strange to imagine
a man who wouldn’t. I understand that
Jesus is not your typical leader, but his aspirations for his followers are so
different than anyone else I can remember.
He truly brings a radical message to his listeners, and it is obvious
that it meant something to them by the way that they followed him everywhere.
Your struggle with some of the
teachings you included in your letter resonates with me. I certainly have no answer, Theophilus. I am leaving the role of religious scholar on
your shoulders, rather than presumptuously assuming it after having studied the
life of Jesus over the course of these many letters. I don’t know, friend, and I think I
appreciate Jesus teaching in such an ambiguous way at times. I’m sure it would be frustrating if he taught
like this constantly, but every once in a while I appreciate having to chew on
something for days or even weeks before I come to a comfortable place with
it. I will let these teachings of Jesus
marinate and see if some resolution does not arise.
The next story that has been
related to me is no less remarkable than many others, and yet for some reason
it astounds me more than any other.
Unfortunately, this is not an account directly from an eyewitness, for there
were few, as you will learn, but it was overheard soon after the event, and I
have had it confirmed from several other sources. Prepare to be amazed!
So Jesus and some of the disciples
got into a boat and set out across a lake.
Jesus soon fell asleep. (I am
sure he had to be exhausted from all that he did!) At some point, in the midst of their journey,
a storm of violent intensity arose and threatened the life of the boat and its
inhabitants. The boat was filling with
water as the wind howled and the waves tossed the boat to and fro, and the men
with him feared for their lives, which is all the more impressive when you
remember that many of the men were fishermen and doubtless they were accustomed
to a storm in a boat. This must have
been some tempest to strike such fear into these hearts. Jesus, somehow, slept through all of this,
though I don’t understand how.
At a certain point, when death
seemed imminent, the men turned to Jesus and cried out, “Master, we will soon
die!”
Soon Jesus stirred and spoke
directly to the wind and the waves, and their violence ceased, the tumult of
the storm replaced with a peaceful calm.
The seas and the sky were transformed by his words, and the power that
had threatened their lives dissipated, leaving the disciples in awe of another
power.
Jesus turned from addressing the
storm to the disciples, and he asked them where their faith was.
They could muster no reply to him,
for what does a man say to the one who can command the wind and the water by
his voice? Who could such a man be? Despite all of the miracles Jesus had
performed before their eyes, I doubt they expected that he could do something
on this scale, and the fear they felt for their own lives then turned into
amazement at the feat he had just performed.
So many questions must have lingered in their minds, but they dared not
speak a single one to him, only addressing each other in whispers and muted
mutterings. Surely they discussed the
rapidity with which the clouds disappeared and the way the waves retreated at
the sound of his voice. I must believe
they talked about the authority in his voice, the certainty in his words, and
the doubts in their own hearts that were crushed by witnessing this event. Jesus had rebuked them for having little
faith, and yet who expects a man to calm a storm?
Their faith was too small, although
it’s hard for me to believe that such a thing was possible. Jesus is pushing the margins, demanding more,
leading the disciples down a road that is more abundant than they could have
imagined. I, too, would have feared for
my life, thinking that even Jesus could perish in such a storm. Clearly, he is more resilient, more powerful
than I could imagine. And yet, he uses
this power to invite others, even the least of these, to be his mother and
brothers if they do the word of God.
Putting all of these pieces
together produces a very complex picture of a very powerful, yet humble,
man. I would never have expected this,
and am delighted to learn more about him.
Sincerely,
Luke
No comments:
Post a Comment