Full of Power
As a teenager I learned of a game called Mafia. You may have played this game or a game like it. Everyone in the group (save one) is a member of an imaginary town. The one person who isn’t is called the narrator. Only they see all and know all and tell the story of what happens to the town: who lives, who dies and who wins. Within the town are three special characters: the sheriff, the doctor and the mafia. The sheriff’s job is to find the mafia. The Mafia’s job is to “take out” anyone who isn’t Mafia (often there are two or three Mafia working together), and the doctor’s job is (of course) to prevent people from being “taken out”. The doctor does this by selecting one person each “night” to be miraculously rescued should they be chosen by the Mafia. It can sound confusing, but once you start playing the game it really makes a lot of sense. What I found disappointing was that it didn’t matter who was chosen to be the doctor (and it was always chosen at random); I could guess correctly nine times out of ten who they were going to use their miraculous power to protect: themselves.
In our passage this week Jesus has just finished teaching to a crowd so large he had to stand in a boat off the shore so everyone could see and hear. You would think this would be a great place to stay and build upon, but Jesus says, ” ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. (4:35-36)” This must have been confusing to many, but by Mark’s account they didn’t have too long to consider it because “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 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?’ (4:37-38)”
This is so strange to consider, Jesus sleeping through water spray, “furious” winds rocking the boat and terrified (possibly screaming) passengers. You’d think he would at least sit up and look around; but the disciples had to wake him up. Jesus was unconcerned, unafraid. Once they woke him up, however, he seemed to recognize their need of him, so he acted on his amazing power:
“He got up, rebuked the wind and said tot he waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.”
I’m sure the disciples only expected Jesus to get up and help bail out the water pouring over the edges, maybe see a safe passage through the waves. What we are going to see over the next few weeks are encounters where people have mediocre expectations of Jesus and are left amazed at his power. What’s even more important for us as Christians today to learn and remember is two-fold:
1. Jesus has the power. “The power to do what?” you may ask. Doesn’t matter. He has the power.
2. Jesus doesn’t keep the power all for himself. We see consistently, all the way to the end of Mark’s gospel, that Jesus refuses to use his power for profit or fame; he uses what he has for the benefit of others.
What we further know and believe as children of the Resurrection is that Jesus gives us His power. “Will Jesus heal me, then? Will he make me rich?” Well, maybe…He can…if he chooses to. But most importantly Christ has called us to imitate Him. So when he gives you a gift and a talent, can you find a way to use that incredible power for someone else? Maybe there is someone lost in a storm of their own making today who needs you to remind them to have peace, quiet, and to be still. Don’t just look out for yourself. Pray for an opportunity to use His amazing power…on someone else, for someone else.
Amen.