Job 38:1, 8-11 / 2 Cor 5:14-17 / Mark 4:35-41
One of the main worries and concerns in life is over our safety and security.
No matter how confident or how strong we think we are, we also know this:
That accidents can happen anytime and that danger and trouble can flare up unexpectedly.
It is tiring and draining to be always on the alert and to keep looking out for danger or what might go wrong.
So, we will protect ourselves by getting whatever means of safety and security.
We will get good locks for the doors of our homes and offices.
We will get good antivirus software for our mobile phones and computers.
We will buy insurance on what we think is valuable to us, so that when something drastic happens, at least there can be some financial recovery.
We want to have all these safety measures because life is so fragile, and we need to have some security.
The reality is that trouble and danger can happen anytime, and it can happen when we least expect it.
In the gospel, when Jesus and His disciples went by boat to the other side, the weather was initially calm.
It seemed that all was well and good and calm, such that Jesus can even sleep in the boat.
And then, without much of a warning, it began to blow a gale, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that it was almost swamped.
Obviously, the disciples were more than frightened, as they know that they were in big trouble, and they were in danger of losing their lives.
And in the midst of all the chaos, there was Jesus soundly asleep, with His head on a cushion.
That was just too much for the disciples, and they woke Him up and said to Him: Master, do you not care? We are going down!
Well, those words were certainly not said calmly or gently. In fact, the disciples were scolding Jesus.
Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the sea to be calm and to be quiet.
After which, it was His turn to ask the disciples: Why are you so frightened? How is it you have no faith?
And we might be thinking, the disciples had Jesus in the boat, and they were still frightened.
As for us, yes, we have faith, but we certainly won't be sleeping when we are faced with trouble or mortal danger.
Like the disciples, we will be frightened, worried and anxious.
That boat-in-the-storm experience revealed who Jesus is to the disciples, and that also made them want to discover more about Jesus.
As for us, the image of Jesus sleeping while it was storming, is teaching us something.
In the book of Genesis, God put Adam into a deep sleep as He took one of Adam's ribs to create the woman Eve.
So, there is a spiritual meaning in the act of sleeping - something is being created, something is being revealed.
To sleep is also to be still, and God says in Psalm 41: Be still and know that I am God, supreme among the nations, supreme on the Earth.
And Jesus tells us this: Come to Me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.
The spiritual meaning of sleeping is to rest in the Lord.
It is in resting in the Lord that He will reveal something to us.
It is in resting in the Lord, that He will save us from our troubles and the dangers of life.
Let us rest prayerfully in the Lord, and He will keep us safe and secure.