12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
B cycle
Starting last week and continuing on for this week and the weeks to come, we will be going through the gospel of Mark almost word for word. Last week we saw Jesus as a teacher who used parables as a way to convey his core message even though many of his hearers might have been mystified. Next week, we will see Jesus, not so much as a teacher, but as a healer who can perform marvelous works. This week’s gospel, however, gives us a hint of something more.
Today’s first reading from the book of Job provides an introduction. Job’s problems have caused him to have a crisis of faith. A series of disasters have caused him to question the ability of the Lord to help him. Perhaps Job’s easy familiarity with the Lord has caused him to underestimate just what God can do. In today’s passage the biblical author puts these words into the mouth of the Lord concerning the awesome power of the sea and wind.
When I set limits for it
And fastened the bar of its door,
And said: Thus far shall you come but no farther,
And here shall your proud waves be stilled.
Is it any wonder that the Church used this passage from Job to introduce today’s gospel account of the storm on the Sea of Galilee? After spending a day teaching the crowds about the Kingdom of God, Jesus tells the disciples that he wants to sail to the other side of the large inland sea. It was evening and as they were crossing a violent squall came up. Squall is a mild word since the word Mark uses actually suggests a hurricane. It seems like an eyewitness account. Mark even mentions the cushion that Jesus used to rest his head while sleeping in the stern of the boat.
Commentators tell us that these sudden violent storms are not unusual on the Sea of Galilee. Often, they go as soon as they come. So, I suppose it might be easy for some to consider the calming of the storm as a natural rather than a miraculous event. Nevertheless, the disciples were fishermen with years of experience and there is no doubting that they were terrified by the severity of the storm.
It is hard for many people to accept the miracles recorded in Scripture. Some would rather explain them away as purely natural events. Many prefer to regard Jesus as a wonderful teacher and healer and see no need for miracles. For others, the miracles strain belief and often cause them to lose their faith. They prefer to place their faith in science and reason.
It might help to put miracles like the storm at sea in context. Most of chapter 4 of Mark’s gospel is concerned with parables like the Sower and the Seed, or the one about the mustard seed that we heard last week. People, even the apostles, did not understand the parables. Nevertheless, Jesus said He would only speak in parables. Apparently, words would not be enough. It would take His whole life, death and resurrection before people could really understand Him and His mission.
It is obvious that even the Apostles in the boat did not understand what had happened. After the storm has been quelled, they ask themselves, “Who, then, is this that even the wind and sea obey him?”
Throughout the gospels we will see that even those closest to Jesus found it hard to understand that He was anything more than a teacher or healer. Even after the Resurrection, they did not fully understand.
Today’s second reading from St. Paul indicates that even the early Christian converts at Corinth did not fully understand. He tells them and us that we are no longer in the flesh. By flesh he means our old way of living only for ourselves. Our old life has died with Christ but now we have a new life with Him, now and forever. What a miracle!
If only we could understand.
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Reading 1. Job 38:1, 8-11
Reading II. 2 Corinthians 5: 14-17
Gospel. Mark 4: 35-41 (Why are you terrified?)
