“Why are you terrified?”
Reading the story of the apostles in the boat during the storm, with Jesus fast asleep (I guess he was really tired!), I found myself wondering – what were they terrified about? (Mk 4:35-41) The obvious answer is the storm. But while I’m sure they would have been, Jesus has already calmed it before he asks the question.
There is another possible answer: they were terrified because of what Jesus had just done. They were in the company of a force, a power, greater than nature. This option ties in directly with what Mark says next: They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” It also links to our first Reading (Job 38:1, 8-11) where God answers Job’s complaints in pretty strong terms – who do you think you are to go complaining about me!
We don’t have to choose between these options. They could both be true. But reflecting on the second, and the connection with Job, is in keeping with the scripture choices we are given today.
The point of the Book of Job is not that it provides an answer to the problem of suffering – why does God let this happen (to Job, or to me, or to anyone)? Scripture doesn’t provide answers to those sorts of questions, and the Book of Job is the clearest example of that refusal. It’s clearly established that there is no reason for Job’s suffering in terms of him having done anything wrong. The first part of his story sets out how Job refuses to accept the arguments of those around him who tell him that it must be his fault. The second part is when Job takes his complaints directly to God himself, and God responds with a very forthright version of “my ways are as high above your ways…” (as Isaiah puts it, Isa 5:9)
Suffering, and fear, is a reality we all face. The only answer is faith. That’s the point Jesus is making, and Mark passes on to us. And faith doesn’t mean that God will fix it – He may or he may not – for reasons that we have no possibility of understanding, as Job eventually came to accept. Faith means that we accept that He has that power, all power (which, incidentally, was then given to Jesus – Mt 28:18).
If we occasionally get a glimpse of that power in action then we might well be terrified. But if we do indeed have faith then we shouldn’t be surprised. And we should hold on to that faith in times when the storm is scaring us.