LIB,MR BEARS said:
'47, what do you make of the following verses?
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.(B) There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"(C)
41 They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
I believe I just answered this question but this Biblical perspective that you bring up is from the
New Testament and Jesus is in the actor and mover over the physical world -- that is a raging Sea.
This passage is in the Gospel of Mark. I will teach on it next Sunday on a ZOOM presentation and can email you the link for the class at 10:00 am.
Mark's perspective on the the storm at sea is different from Matthew and Luke.
In Mark's passage the disciples say, ""Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" We are 4 chapters into Mark and the disciples ask, "Whether Jesus cares or not?" The answer is "Of course, Jesus cares. He acts in caring ways throughout the first 3 chapters of Mark." To the reader it is an incredulous question.
Jesus stills the storm and then says, "."Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?""
It is a question for the disciples to answer. They witness a miracle and their response is what?
"Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" This is not a statement of faith.
Their response is the feeling of awe not faith.
So the miracle produces nothing.
So maybe Mark is talking about faith and the questions that are asked in the text.
Maybe the questions are directed at the reader of the Bible.1) The first question -- "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" For we, present day disciples, we are hit with tough times like Covid and a Polar Freeze and people suffer and die. We put aside in our fear all the caring acts of Jesus in our lives and ask "Jesus, do you not care?"
2) Jesus addresses our fear and our faith "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" In our Covid and Freeze crises --- are we afraid? Do we have faith?
I, certainly, questioned Jesus caring as I heard of people without water or electricity. Why are we being hit so hard again?" But then I saw the miracles of people caring in the name of Jesus and seeking to help in countless ways.
My point is that text does not emphasis the miracle, but Jesus' caring, our fear, and our faith. In fact the miracle has no impact the disciples' faith but simply a feeling of awe.
So my approach to scripture is the underlying
faith event of the story (Jesus cares, we are afraid, our faith is questioned by Jesus) I preach the faith events of the Bible.
And the invitation to Sunday School still stands.