95. Trust
Luke 8:24-25
The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?”
The disciples were terrified and amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “When he gives a command, even the wind and waves obey him!”
Reflect
Jesus and his disciples were in the middle of a huge lake. A storm descended and the boat looked like it was going to go down. The disciples woke Jesus in a panic and then he took control. He commanded the storm to stop and it did. Completely. And Luke’s story ends with two questions that don’t get answered. The first was asked by Jesus, “Where’s your faith?”
The disciples may have made a mistake in crying out that they were going to die. However, they did the right thing by turning to Jesus. But, why does Jesus ask the disciples, “Where’s your faith?” Is Jesus telling them off for not trusting in him all along? Is it a proof-text for the fact that if the disciples had faith then they would’ve been able to calm the storm themselves? However, here’s a thing. Jesus doesn’t ask his disciples where their faith is before he calms the storm. No, he asks them where their faith is after calming the storm. He doesn’t ask the disciples, “Where was your faith?”, but asks “Where is your faith?” In other words, where’s your faith now I have just performed an incredible miracle?
I always imagined a grumpy Jesus, woken from his sleep, getting up, rebuking the wind and waves, and then snapping at his disciples, “Where’s your faith you bunch of bilge-sucking scallywags?” But this isn’t the case. Imagine Jesus calming the storm, then turning to his disciples with a smile, and asking with a single, Spock-esque raised eyebrow, “Now where’s your faith?”
Jesus rarely seemed to be interested in where people used to be, but where they are now. Jesus called the disciples to a deeper, trusting faith because he had revealed who he was. And the same question can be asked of us today. Where’s your faith?
Do
Today, you’ve heard what Jesus has done. Place your trust in him, for he’ll never let you down.
Pray
Holy God
I trust you with everything;
my possessions, my relationships and my life.
You’re the Lord of all creation
and my trust is in you alone.
Give me the gift of faith
that I may never doubt your love for me.
This day and forever.
Amen.
Think
Even though we’ve heard what Jesus has done, why does it still feel risky to put our faith in him?