Jesus Stills the Storm
The reading from Genesis describes the creation of man and woman. It
describes our role to work with God in managing His creation and our place
in the order of creation. The breath that God’s breathes into human nostrils
is used to name and give character to all the living creatures around them
and man is given the instruction not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil.
It’s a picture of man created to be in relationship with God, with His
creation and with each other, the ideal world as God created it.
From the garden in Genesis to the throne room in Revelation all that is done
reflects God’s loving creativity and His sharing of that creativity with the
creatures made in His own image
The reading from Revelation praises God’s glory in creation. Chapter 5 will
go on to praise the lamb as redeemer but here we are focused on God as
creator
Revelation is a complex book and is often taken out of context by many who
want to imbue it with their own meaning
In fact it parallels the same type of writing we find in the book of Daniel,
which was written to oppose the anti-Jewish measures of Antiochus Epiphanes
IV at the time of the Maccabean revolt BC 166 – 164 and this gives a clue as
to its meaning. It was written for a particular people at a particular time.
Similarly, earlier in the book of Revelation we read that it was written to
the 7 churches in Asia Minor, and generally it’s understood that it was
written for them so that they would remain faithful during the persecution
which was to shortly come
As we looked at during one of our last Advent course, it’s impossible to
read Revelation without taking into account what was going on in the Roman
Empire at the time. If we fail to take it into account we’ll read too much
into the text, as many have done over the years
If we do that it’s clear that cosmic collapse for John in Revelation does
not mean the end of the world. It means the last days and ultimate end of an
idolatrous imperial power (Rome). It also has significant implications for
established Judaism, the fall of the Jewish nation and its capital Jerusalem
So Revelation is not primarily about the last days before Christ returns but
about the last days of the current Roman Empire and the Jewish nation in its
then current form
It’s not surprising then that what we read in Revelation is a confrontation
of the dominant culture of the day and an offer to the faithful an
alternative to the world of present experience
The message of Revelation is therefore primarily a message of hope. John is
convinced of the second coming and the ultimate victory of the lamb (which
is often what we focus on in Revelation) but in reality tells us little
about it
So as we read Revelation we should do so, not so much to give us an insight
into the future, but an insight into the hope of the past and the present
Revelation gives a symbolic account of the early church whilst at the same
time containing eternal principles, a promise of hope for an oppressed
people and a timely reminder of the ultimate failure of any human
institution which takes the place of God in the world. Any institution which
tries to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
(This is known as the Theological interpretation which is a blend of the
Preterist (the book of Revelation just concerned with the 1st century church
and its struggle against Rome) and Idealist (just eternal principles)
interpretations).
For the Romans, the control point of the empire was the throne room where
orders were given and decrees issued. But what Revelation gives us is an
insight into the cosmic throne room, the control room of history where
matters of the world really are determined and God’s cosmic creation
worships Him
God is in control of the world; He always has been and always will be, no
matter what it appears like from our human perspective
We see this in the gospel reading. The disciples are in a small flat
bottomed, unstable boat in the middle of a lake when a storm breaks
Disciples didn’t even equate what was going on with a matter of faith
At this stage they are not even asking Jesus to save them, merely pointing
out what to them is obvious, they are going to drown and they are petrified.
They are grasping at straws in their panic
It’s easy for our faith to evaporate like the disciples’ in times of crisis
and yet that’s when we need it more than ever
It’s so easy for us to want to be in control ourselves and forget that it is
God who is in control
Whatever the faith of the disciples, we know the story, Jesus gets up and
rebukes the storm and calm breaks out
With storms being common on the lake it’s surprising in many ways that this
story was included in the gospel
But it’s included because of what it teaches us about Jesus. He had already
demonstrated on many occasions that He had authority over the natural world
when He healed people and forgave their sins but in their panic the
disciples had obviously forgotten the principles and foundation of their
faith
Jesus truly is in control, not just of the elements and creation but our
lives too, because He has ultimate trust in the creator God and because of
this He can work in perfect harmony with Him
As we look at the world around us and the state we have got into with God’s
creation this parable and the message of Genesis and Revelation tell us that
we can only hope to be in harmony with God’s creation and look after it the
way God intended if we are in harmony with the God who created it in the
first place.
History is littered with examples of people and societies who try to go it
alone and fail, try to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Whether we are trying to manage our lives, our societies or our environment
we need to do so in harmony with the creator God who puts all things into
place, call everything into existence at its genesis in the first instance.
Whatever human institutions are built to try to manage our society and our
environment, ultimately they will be sub optimal at best unless and until
they are in harmony with God
The Jews found that out, the Roman Empire found that out, and just perhaps
society is finding that out today