Richard Davenport
June 23, 2024 – Proper 7
Mark 4:35-41
You may have heard me talk about it here and there, but our house has a slowly growing art gallery centered on the Gospel reading for today. We have 5 different depictions of the scene, all done by different artists. I think it’s very interesting to look them over and see how each pulls different details out of the story and how each depiction gives you a new way of considering what God is doing in this story.
We have one by the great master, Rembrandt van Rijn. I’m no art major, so I couldn’t tell you a whole lot about the history of the great classical artists, how they worked or what made them unique. What I can say is that I like Rembrandt a lot more than many of the others that are usually considered the greats. I like Rembrandt and the way he shows off tiny details. I like how realistic his work is and how he brings his scenes to life.
In this case, he puts us right in the middle of the action. The boat is right in the center of the picture, pitched up at a crazy angle as the waves crash into it. The disciples are crawling all over it, trying to get hold of the sails or avoid the water. Back in the corner, against the side of the boat that’s almost under the waves is a faintly glowing figure resting peacefully. A couple of disciples are making their way toward him. How anyone could sleep in the midst of this rollercoaster ride is anyone’s guess. I certainly couldn’t.
Without knowing exactly what the artist, intended, we can only guess based on how he presents things to us. The violence of the water, the frantic activity of the disciples, and yet in the middle of it all is this resting figure. He would actually be hard to spot at all if it weren’t for some of the disciples rushing toward him.
In our little gallery, Rembrandt’s painting sits next to another painting by French artist Jules Joseph Meynier. Taken together, they are an interesting study in similarities and opposites. Meynier’s piece is very similar to Rembrandt’s. It’s right in the middle of the action. It still places the wooden boat right in the center of the painting. The boat is cresting a wave as water crashes over the side. Some of the disciples are frantically trying wrestle the rigging and the sails where others are making their way toward Jesus. Some of the differences between them are subtle. The boat is smaller than Rembrandt’s and the water is a deep green where Rembrandt’s is a rich blue. Jesus is shown more openly in Meynier’s painting. He’s hard to miss. Meynier also places Jesus at the high point of the boat as it pitches in the waves, so the disciples are climbing up, as it were, toward him.
It’s interesting to consider the similarities and the contrasts between them. In the middle of the action, where is Jesus? Is he up out of the chaos or is he down in the thick of it? I think a Scriptural argument could be made for either, or both, and probably it is good to think of him in both senses. Thus, having these two together helps us see Jesus in a way we might not normally consider.
After that, the paintings we have differ quite a bit. There’s the well-known Japanese Christian artist, Sadao Watanabe, who paints many different scenes from the Bible, sometimes painting the same scene numerous times and capturing different details each time. His art style is very unique. In this instance, he puts the boat right in the action too. The boat is sitting level, but the waves are reaching up, up for the side of the boat. The sail is torn and flapping in the wind under dark storm clouds. The boat is a little cramped and everyone is piled into it like eggs in a basket. What I like about it is the evident uncertainty amongst the disciples. They’re all looking different directions, as if unsure where their doom is coming from. Jesus is there on the side, sleeping with one arm resting on the side of the boat. Two of the disciples are looking at him, one gently nudging him, perhaps in concern, perhaps in disbelief that anyone could sleep like this or that Jesus specifically would sleep when his help was so greatly needed.
We have another painting by Lutheran artist Edward Riojas. He instead shows us the immediate aftermath. Jesus is awake and acting in power. He isn’t flashy or wild. He simply stands in the middle of the boat and pushes the darkness away, creating this little bubble of calm. The disciples are all crammed around the edges of boat watching in wonder. Riojas writes at the bottom, “Even the winds and sea obey him.” The wind is calm as the sail hangs limp. The sea is placid and calm.
Finally, we have a piece done by John Hendrix, a professor at St. Louis University. He takes a somewhat different approach. He also shows us the aftermath, but here the disciples and even the boat are almost entirely absent. Instead, Jesus is set off to the side and the canvas is filled with the words, “The Miracle Man stood and roared, “Be still!” As you look from the left side, where Jesus stands, to the right side, you see the huge waves growing smaller and smaller until the water is finally calm and peaceful. Then we see more description, “And the storm ended in an instant. The Man looked at the trembling fishermen and said, “I am the Son of the Living God who made the water and the winds. Did you forget who was in your boat?”
All of these are very different. Their focus on the various aspects of the story I think is very helpful for us and gives us new ways to understand what is going on. Looking at the story more closely, we attempt to find what God wants us to learn from this. The disciples obviously have much to learn. They ask the question at the end that they should already know the answer to. Mark’s Gospel gives us the most detail of the story of the three synoptic Gospels. Even just looking at Mark’s Gospel, Jesus has already done a number of things that are beyond the bounds of human ability. He has healed several people, provoking the religious elite to anger. He has declared forgiveness of sins, which enrages them all the more. He has taught in numerous parables. He has redefined the prevailing and flawed notions of the Sabbath and what the Third Commandment is all about. By this point, the disciples should have a decent idea of what Jesus is capable of.
Lack of faith is a major part of this story. Jesus as the Son of God, as the co-Creator of the universe is another. The different visual depictions of the scene highlight another idea that isn’t as apparent when you read the text, yet all of the works we have on display show it in their own way.
When you take the story and the visuals together, another theme becomes apparent. This event is how God redefines our notions of danger and safety. If you’re like most people, that is, if you aren’t a thrill seeker or adrenaline junkie, you probably live much like a radar operator on a Navy ship or at an Air Force base. You watch the screen constantly as it updates. If there’s a new blip, something unexpected that popped up, you’re on high alert. Is it a threat? Is it going to hurt me? Until I know one way or another I’m going to be wary of it. I’m going to give it a wide berth.
I know there are dangers out there. I know troubles will arise. But, as long as they are out there, over the horizon, past where I can see, then I’ll be safe. I need this bubble around me to be consistent. I need it to be there so I won’t have to worry. Any kind of danger puts me on the defensive. Any kind of danger is a reason to panic. Actual physical threats, like a mugger or a stray dog, emotional concerns, like the death of a loved one, strained relationship, more subtle threats, like a serious illness, the loss of a job. Any of those, and many more, all become reasons for panic, worry, anxiety, fear. Any of them can lead us to think we’ve finally met our end.
Jesus isn’t worried. True, Jesus is God and thus not subject to death, but he is also a man, who is. His human body is subject to all of the same problems ours are. Jesus’ notion of safety is very different than that of the disciples. Yes, the winds howl. Yes, the waves crash. Yes, the storm rages. Still, Jesus sleeps peacefully. He, in his divinity, is aware of what is going on, but he isn’t worried for himself and he isn’t worried for the disciples. They will be fine.
Jesus sleeps because they are all safe, despite what is going on around them. Jesus awakes, not to make it safe, but to demonstrate that they have always been safe. Jesus controls the wind and the waves. Jesus controls life and death. No matter where you go, no matter what happens, with Jesus you are safe.
We wave, we shout, we try and get God’s attention to let him know we are in imminent danger, that death is near and he needs to save us, because if he weren’t asleep, he wouldn’t have allowed it to happen. It looks very much like he is uninterested in what’s happening, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” The question is wrong from the start, because they were never perishing to begin with.
Will there be danger in life? Yes. Will there be death? Also yes. These things can and will happen. Can any of it actually hurt us? No. Forgiveness and eternal life have already been given to you. God hasn’t forgiven you and claimed you as his own just to watch you be snatched away. You are his. You remain his, no matter what anything in this world tries to do about it.
God has always talked this way. Psalm 23 gives us the picture of sheep following a shepherd through a valley where death lurks around every corner. The sheep are not worried, though, for the shepherd is there and he will keep them safe. The Israelites wait on the shore of the Red Sea. The Egyptian army is bearing down on them. They worry, but they shouldn’t. God leads them in the pillar of cloud and fire. The waters don’t harm them. The Egyptian army doesn’t harm them. They walk through safe and sound because God is with them and he fights on their behalf. The forces of evil are destroyed and God’s people have nothing to fear.
Here you are, in the presence of God. Here you are, in the kingdom of God. God defends and protects you with his mighty hand and his strong arm. Christ reigns here and he sends his Spirit out among us. Nothing out there can break God’s promise. Nothing out there can take away your eternal life. God is here leading you, guiding you, protecting you, keeping you safe. St. Paul says in Colossians, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Hidden with Christ in God. Anything that wants to hurt you has to get through Jesus first. He has you tucked safely away, away from anything that would seek to destroy you forever. God does care. God always cares. Put your trust in him and let him take your cares and concerns away. Rest easy, knowing he has your life