The Wind and Waves Still Know

Craig Lanning—Fourth Sunday After Pentecost—June 20, 2021

Introduction

Do you believe that God still is working miracles in the world today?

Some people will say, well yes, but they happen through science and technology, or through education, and the advancement our our human progress.

I think we are so immersed in our own cultures trust it its own knowledge and its own technological advancements that that idea of miracle is sort of shoved aside, even for Christians who claim trust and faith in God.

Some of that is due to the way we try to shield ourselves from what might be called strong language.

One of my pet peeves as a interpreter of the Old and New Testaments is when Bible Translators, and for that matter pastors, preachers, and teachers, take such a genteel and timid approach to translating Holy Scripture that they obscure the meaning of the original Hebrew or original Greek texts.

I not sure why this happens, but I think it’s because they’re afraid of offending anyone with any kind of strong language—even though that’s exactly the way God breathed that language into the prophets and writers of the OT and NT.

We have such a case in our Gospel reading today.

There are a couple places here where we truly miss the import of what God is trying to tell us about Himself.

The Real Gospel Reading

“And He said to them, when evening cam on that same day, “Let us go to the other side”. And after he dismissed the crowd, they took Him along as they were going in the boat, and other boats were with Him.

And there came a great furious Wind, and the waves were beating into the boat, so that the boat was already becoming full.

And He was in the stern of the boat sleeping on the cushion . And they woke Him up and said to Him, ‘Teacher, is it not of concern to you that we are perishing?’

And when he had woken up completely, He sternly warned (commanded) the wind and said to the lake, ‘Be quiet, Shut up!' (put a muzzle on it and keep it on!). And the wind ceased and it became greatly calm.

And He said to them, ‘How is it that you are such cowards? Where is your faith?’

And they feared great fear, and they said to each other, ‘Who is this, that even the wind and waves obey him?’

Now I don’t know about you, but I was rather taken aback by this language, because my momma told me never to tell someone to shut up., and here Jesus is saying it—to the wind and waves.... which we’ll get to shortly,

And then he tells his disciples, who were with him every day. “Why are you such cowards?”

What was that he said? Cowards? Did He really say that?

Here is the rub: If we do not have true faith and trust in Who Jesus is and What Jesus is and What He is capable of doing, then we don’t truly have the kind of faith that can stay strong against the storms of life.

Faith is the practical confidence in the supernatural power of God Himself to do miracles, signs and wonders, and if we don’t really have that, we have alack of faith.

And lack of faith, this kind of faith, makes disciples cowards unable to respond to a crisis with confidence in God and specifically in Jesus.

That He is the Lord of history and the Lord of nature.

He is the living, personal God who acts, not some kind of pathetic abstraction of modern theology.

Modern History

So I’m going to ask you again… Do you think God is still working miracles?

Tell you a story about a lot of prayers I heard during the pandemic from Lutherans....

“O Lord, just get us through this” “Just help me hang on long enough so that the vaccines become available” OLord, just help those doctors and nurses come up with a way to heal my sister, or brother.”etc.

all forms of Lord, is it of no concern to you that we are perishing?

Why not , “Lord drive this pestilence out of this land and smite those who inflicted it on us.’ or

Lord, bring powerful healing and restoration to these people we pray for

Or the proclamation of confidence in God in Psalm 91 : “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you!”

Or Lord raise up for us righteous leaders that will be true servants and speak truth and lead well”

If you look in the scriptures, I don’t see prayers like that except from people who really don’t trust that His the Lord of History and the Lord of Nature.... these are the prayers of , well cowards.

Because if you question whether God can keep HIs word or not, that’s a faith issue.

When God says to Joshua and other leaders in the Bible, Be strong and be courageous, those are commands, not gentle suggestions.

And if we don’t have that kind of faith that says, “ OK God—do your signs and wonders! Show us your miraculous power over history and over nature”

If we just lean back and say to Jesus, “lord, just get us through this” , IF we don’t have that kind of faith, then all we’re left with is … being cowards.

The Waves and Winds Still Know

Did you notice Jesus in this story? where is he? In the stern of the boat sleeping

The point is not that he was sleeping, but that whether Jesus was in the boat or not, they were always under the Father’s care.

In addition, the disciples had no right to be fearful even if they perished in the waves.

Jesus is still the Lord of History and the Lord of Nature.

Jesus is Has conquered death and hell