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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
“I have some good news and I have some bad news. Which would you like to hear first.” This line has been the lead in to countless comedy routines. Jesus didn't ever use this phrase to the best of our knowledge, but He surely experienced times when He could have said it. Today's message centers around a passage that well could have been a “Good news – Bad news” scenario.
“Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We are perishing!' But He said to them, 'Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?' Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, 'Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?'” (Matthew 8.23-27).
The good news is that He was able to get some rest. The bad news is that He wasn't able to sleep long due to the actions of His disciples. The good news is that His disciples believed that he had the power to save them from the storm. The bad news is that they didn't think He knew their needs and was meeting them even while He slept. The good news is that His disciples had faith. The bad news is that they had little faith! The good news is that He rebuked the sea; the bad news (at least from their vantage point) is that He also took this occasion as an opportunity to rebuke them. And finally, the good news is that they recognized that He was someone special by the fact that He had power over nature; the bad news is that in spite of their recognition of his supernatural authority, they still weren't certain of His identity.
Unless they had some idea of His power, why would they bother to wake Him up? Evidently they thought that He had some influence over the dangers that threatened them, or they would simply have let Him sleep. Yet, their thoughts of who He was didn't go far enough. If he really did have the ability to stop the storm, did they not know that he was vigilant even while he was asleep. Their perception of human affairs and abilities was so limited and flawed, that they assigned to Him the same limitations and flaws. These erroneous thoughts and actions by His disciples prompted Jesus to bluntly say, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”
How do we view God? Are we in any way akin to the disciples of Jesus in our limited and somewhat erroneous view of God. I used to hear my dad tell a joke that seems so absurd that it just could be true. It seems that two men were fishing in a tiny boat when a violent storm arose on the lake. Though entirely inebriated, out of desperation Frank started to pray. “Lord this is old Frank and Tom down here and we need your help.” Tom's response was instant and telling. “Now you've done it Frank. You went and told him who we are!”
Jesus stated these truths in the Sermon on the Mount when He said, “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6.7-8). The good news is that God knows who we are and what we need even before we ask. The bad news is that God knows who we are and what we need even before we ask.
Especially in our prayer life, we would do well to remember just who it is we are addressing. But for His grace and mercy, we would have no right to speak to Him at all! Our lips should constantly reflect this thought even as our mind tries to understand it from moment to moment!
Questions:
1. Why do you think Jesus was asleep in the boat? What does this show about His human nature? What does it show about His divine nature?
2. Using a concordance or other tool, on what other occasions did Jesus speak to others and comment on their little faith? Who were these select few?
3. What truth was demonstrated by the fact that He could instantly stop the waves and the wind?
4. Why do we have the right to speak to God in prayer? What did we do and what are we doing that prompts God to continue to show this favor to us?
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