WHAT IS ENOUGH FOR YOU, AND FOR ME?
Today’s Passage Mark 4:35-41
At this point I find myself wondering about you, and me. I am wondering how you process the miracles we are reading about. I am wondering about how you, about how I, about how we, live as men and women of faith.
In life, most of our time is spent on the surface level, the physical level. We do not often think of the spiritual world. Yet it is a mistake to think we live alternatively between two different worlds. The material and the spiritual are truly parts of one world.
Further, we should not be surprised. “If Jesus’ relationship to God is as unique as the New Testament writers suggest, we should expect miracles of every kind, including nature miracles.” Donald English. The Message of Mark (The Bible Speaks Today Series).
I write all of this because I think we can quickly get past any concern regards miracles.
Yet, I think there is something deeper going on in today’s reading, and it is about the issue of faith.
What causes you to believe, to have faith, in Jesus? What is the “it” that will be enough for you, and for me, to believe Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the World?
Only Jesus death and risen life provides the firm foundation we all need for the demands of discipleship.
His death, resurrection, and ascension are key.
It is why Jesus usually does not tell most people directly that he is God come to earth. There are exceptions, but I don’t want to digress.
As I said, Jesus usually does not tell most people directly that he is God come to earth. He does ask us to believe in Him.
And there is a trend, regards belief in Jesus, that is not new.
When Jesus followers, whether on a boat 2,000 years ago, or today, connect faith in Jesus to a life of continual success, excitement and growth, we lead ourselves astray.
When must learn from the disciples and guard ourselves from this falsely promised life. If we do not, we will find ourselves full of frustration and despair. We will be pointed in the wrong direction.
To reiterate, the disciples want to live. It does not seem like the wrong direction. We want to prosper, again, not the wrong direction. However, when we connect Jesus caring about us to our external circumstances, we have made a wrong connection.
The point today from Jesus is quite blunt.
He asks, is it enough that he goes with us on our journey? Or, when the storms of our lives appear, do we, like the disciples cry out to a Jesus whose earthly sleep we confuse for absence?
The crux of discipleship is located in this story. Is Jesus, crucified, risen, and ascended, enough?
Where do you find Jesus presence?