Why are you afraid?
Why are you afraid? This is Jesus’s question. Was this a serious question? Have you seen the news lately? The disciples and Jesus are on a boat, a great storm arises on the lake. Jesus is asleep on the boat. Thunder roars, but Jesus snores! Could you snooze in a storm on a boat? The disciples begin to panic and be afraid “Save us”. Fear can erode our confidence in God’s goodness, does God even care? Fear also numbs our memories. We forget the miracles of our lives. Fear is not a sin. The inappropriate response to fear can be a sin. Jesus wages war on pervasive fear. The most common command in the gospels is “fear not”, (21 times Jesus urges not to be afraid, take heart or be of good cheer) only 8 times does Jesus command us to love. Our lives can be too marked by fear. Back to the lake after saying Why are you afraid calms the storm. Is Jesus just saying you can put some fears in your rear view mirror because even the winds and waves obey him? Invite someone to take a closer look at Christ (who says fear not) and his church
