Me? A disciple?
Dan Kunz
What would it have been like to be a disciple? That’s a tough question. We know that, for the most part, they were common people. They were not, by today’s standards, well-educated. Many worked very hard to make a living. They were not aristocrats. They were not the religious leaders of their day. Jesus chose those particular people for reasons known only to him. Just as the boy, David, would not have been chosen by most people to be the future king of God’s people, most people would probably not have chosen the twelve which Jesus did.
Given the events of this past year, especially this past week, we can empathize with the disciples in one instance - their fear drove them to doubt. Matthew 4:35-41 relates one incident in the lives of the disciples which must have remained with them for life. As Jesus slept in the stern of the boat, a furious storm arose on the Sea of Galilee. Given the geography of area, sudden, violent storms weren’t completely uncommon. Since at least some of the disciples were professional fishermen, people who made their living by being on that body of water almost every day, we can be sure that they were used to being tossed about by rough seas. If you’ve ever watched an episode of “Deadliest Catch”, you can see that life at sea can be very scary from time to time. With that in mind, this particular storm must have been especially ferocious if the disciples were fearful enough to awaken Jesus. “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to drown?”
Sound familiar? Although the disciples had seen firsthand many examples of Jesus’ power, when confronted by such fearful circumstances, their fear caused doubt. We are currently confronted by fearful circumstances. Over 360,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus. Extremists on both ends of the political spectrum rage against each other. Violence on American streets has become commonplace. Our nation’s capital was attacked this week. People died. Innocent children are killed by random gunfire on an almost weekly basis. Even nature seems intent on destroying everything in sight! Do you join the disciples in fear? Do you join the disciples in doubt? Do you join the disciples in crying out?
Please, don’t forget the end of the story. We have one other way in which we should feel like a disciple. “They were filled with awe and said to one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!” Although their fear is understandable and their doubt is reasonable, the disciples witnessed an amazing display of not only Jesus’ power, but his amazing display of love. Jesus wasn’t powerless. Jesus wasn’t uncaring. Jesus wasn’t absent. Jesus isn’t powerless, uncaring, or absent now, either! He showed love by dying on a cross. He showed his power by rising from the dead. He shows his presence with every breath we take, with every sunrise we witness, and with every time we hear him say, “Peace! Be still!” Just as Jesus calmed the Sea of Galilee, he will calm the “Sea of Life”!