{"id":966,"date":"2018-06-24T21:37:24","date_gmt":"2018-06-24T21:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2018\/06\/24\/calm-seas-based-on-1-samuel-1732-49-and-mark\/"},"modified":"2020-02-15T18:34:28","modified_gmt":"2020-02-15T18:34:28","slug":"calm-seas-based-on-1-samuel-1732-49-and-mark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2018\/06\/24\/calm-seas-based-on-1-samuel-1732-49-and-mark\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cCalm Seas\u201d based on\u00a01 Samuel 17:32-49 and Mark 4:35-41"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

In
\nseminary, I learned that the calming of the sea narrative was one of
\nmany that was meant to one-up a story about the Greco-Roman gods and
\ngoddesses. Specifically, in Aeneid<\/i>,
\nthe god Neptune calms the waters that had been raised in a wind
\nstorm. \u00a0I thought
\nthat was really interesting. \u00a0I also thought it was sort of
\nirrelevant to faith.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nAs
\nthe years have gone on, I’ve revised my opinion. \u00a0I still think a
\ncompetition of \u201cmy God is better than your god\u201d is silly, but I
\nhave come to suspect that significantly more is going on. \u00a0There were
\na whole lot of Greco-Roman gods and goddess, and they were said to do
\na lot of things. \u00a0Thus, I suspect there was intentionality in the
\nchoices of which stories of Greco-Roman gods and goddesses were
\none-upped. \u00a0It is similar to when stories in the Hebrew Bible are
\nadaptations of stories told by their Ancient Near East neighbors.
\nBoth the choice of the which stories to adapt AND the adaptions made
\ntell a lot about how our ancestors in faith understood God!<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nIn
\nAeneid, as the protagonists ships sail from Troy to Italy, the
\ngoddess queen tells the god of wind to send a storm to capsize their
\nships and prevent them from their task. \u00a0The god Neptune feels
\ninfringed upon, as he is the god of the sea, and decides to calm the
\nstorm. \u00a0The story in Aeneid \u00a0sounds like this:<\/p>\n

\n

\n[Neptune]
\nspoke, and swiftlier than his word subdued
the
\nswelling of the floods; dispersed afar
th’
\nassembled clouds, and brought back light to heaven.
Cymothoe
\nthen and Triton, with huge toil,
thrust
\ndown the vessels from the sharp-edged reef;
while,
\nwith the trident, the great god’s own hand
assists
\nthe task; then, from the sand-strewn shore
out-ebbing
\nfar, he calms the whole wide sea,
and
\nglides light-wheeled along the crested foam.
As
\nwhen, with not unwonted tumult, roars
in
\nsome vast city a rebellious mob,
and
\nbase-born passions in its bosom burn,
till
\nrocks and blazing torches fill the air
(rage
\nnever lacks for arms)\u2014if haply then
some
\nwise man comes, whose reverend looks attest
a
\nlife to duty given, swift silence falls;
all
\nears are turned attentive; and he sways
with
\nclear and soothing speech the people’s will.
So
\nceased the sea’s uproar, when its grave Sire
looked
\no’er th’ expanse, and, riding on in light,
flung
\nfree rein to his winged obedient car. \u00a0(Aeneid
\nbook 1:142-156)<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nSo
\nwhat does it mean that the early Christian community chose to adapt
\nstories about gods calming storms into a story about Jesus calming
\nthe storm? \u00a0And what else does our particular story seem to be
\ncommunicating to us?<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nThere
\nare some similarities \u2013 Neptune spoke and the result was immediate.
\n The wind started the storm. \u00a0There were multiple boats involved.
\nOverall, it is a similar enough story to be clear that there is a
\nconnection. \u00a0There are some differences too, there are helpers for
\nNeptune, and Neptune’s own life wasn’t threatened by the storm. \u00a0I
\nfind it potentially notable that Neptune’s actions were motivated by
\na sense of being infringed upon. \u00a0The ancient Greek and Roman gods
\nand goddesses had their own spheres of influence. \u00a0Perhaps part of
\nthe point is that YHWH, and thus Jesus, had no need for such jealousy
\nabout spheres of influence because there is no competition and there
\nis no end to their spheres. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nThis
\nalso fits with the many ways that stories are adaptations of the
\nstories of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses- the point is not that
\nJesus was better than ONE of them, but rather that he was better than
\nALL of them. \u00a0In the Gospel narrative, the storm was simply a part of
\nnature (not the work of another deity). \u00a0Furthermore, in this story
\nJesus is leaving Galilee and thus leaving the lands of the people who
\nknew YHWH, and yet his influence remains. \u00a0Jesus is not just powerful
\nin one small region of the world \u2013 his sphere of influence is not
\nlimited. \u00a0Thus, in adapting this story the Gospel writer is able to
\nclaim that Jesus is more powerful than the forces of nature itself.
\nThus, a theological turn on an older and well known story. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\nIt
\nturns out this story is especially interesting because it seems to
\nboth adapt and retell Hebrew Bible stories and Greco-Roman ones. \u00a0We
\nremember the story of Moses leading the people out of Egypt, and
\ncontrolling the waters. \u00a0One scholar explains the similarities:<\/p>\n

\n

\nParalleling
\nMark 4:35-41, with darkness looming on the horizon Jesus and his
\ndisciples set sail.\u00a0 Later that night, they encounter a furious
\nstorm on the Sea of Galilee.
\n At this critical moment Jesus is
\nfound sleeping on a cushion and his disciples are in a state of
\nterror as the waves begin to break over their boats.\u00a0 They
\nawaken Jesus and cry out, \u201cTeacher, don\u2019t you care if we perish?\u201d
\n(Mk 4:36).\u00a0 There is harmony here in all the Synoptic
\nnarratives, but the next detail sets Mark apart from the others when
\nhe tells us specifically what Jesus said to the wind and waves,
\n\u201cPeace! Be still!\u201d (Mk 4:39).<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nReturning
\nto Exodus 14, Moses is pressed for answers as the tension mounts and
\nthe future of the children of Israel hangs in the balance. \u00a0With the
\ncrowds pressing him, he exclaims, \u201cDo not be afraid. Stand firm and
\nyou will see the deliverance the Lord will bring
\nyou today.\u00a0 The Egyptians you see today you will never see
\nagain.\u00a0 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still\u201d
\n(Ex 14:13-14).<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nWith
\nboth Jesus calming the storm and Moses calming the Israelites, we
\nhave two nearly identical moments involving imminent doom that is
\ntranquilized by the words \u201cQuiet, be still\u201d or \u201cPeace be
\nstill.\u201d1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n<\/p>\n

We
\nstart in this story on the <\/b>seashore,
\nand the crowds have gathered to hear Jesus teach. \u00a0Crowds were a
\nlittle bit dangerous to Jesus. \u00a0They put a target on his back in the
\nRoman Empire, and yet they seemed to emerge anywhere he went. \u00a0Jesus
\nwas always trying to satisfy the people AND get away from the crowds.
\n So, in characteristic style, he decided to leave the crowd that had
\ngathered. \u00a0To me it sounds a bit desperate, especially when getting
\nin the boats and going to the other side meant leaving Galilee and
\nthus leaving the Jewish homeland. \u00a0Perhaps that’s part of the
\nmetaphor. \u00a0Maybe the disciples were stormy about where they were
\nheaded, but Jesus was calm. \u00a0Perhaps they were all stormy, because of
\nJesus being worried about the crowds.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nNow,
\nI’m not sure what to make of the idea that Jesus can sleep through a
\nranging windstorm, of the sort that would sink boats with crashing
\nwaves, but then again he had taught all day, and after just once
\nworship service I take a nap I call the pastor’s-coma. \u00a0So maybe it
\nwas just that? \u00a0Or maybe it is just that Jesus can keep calm and
\nfocused when no one else can? \u00a0Or perhaps their panic was not his, as
\nhe trusted all would be well? \u00a0I’m not sure.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nThey
\nwake him up saying, \u201cTeacher, do you not care that we are
\nperishing?\u201d \u00a0Do you hear how human this is? \u00a0It doesn’t sound like
\nNeptune, it doesn’t even sound like Moses. \u00a0Jesus, the human, was
\nsleeping, and had to be roused. \u00a0His followers were terrified and he
\nhadn’t even noticed! \u00a0They were horrified he wasn’t helping \u2013 I
\nsuspect they might have expected him to participate in bailing!<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

Now,
\nwhen you hear this story, do you imagine it like a movie in your
\nmind? \u00a0If so, how does it sound when Jesus \u201crebukes the wind\u201d?
\nDoes he actually yell at the wind? \u00a0Does he just motion? \u00a0Is he
\nannoyed? \u00a0Or parental? Is the wind touching him until he rebukes it,
\nor is he excluded from it the whole time? \u00a0Is he standing, sitting,
\nor still reclined on that cushion? \u00a0Are the words \u201cPeace! Be
\nstill!\u201d repeated for the wind and the sea, or just the sea, or are
\nhis words for the wind not recorded? \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nI
\ndon’t know what it means to rebuke the wind. \u00a0But the wind and the
\nsea are said to go from roiling and threatening death to a \u201cdead
\ncalm.\u201d \u00a0Similarly though, both the storm and the people are settled
\nby the action! \u00a0The storm isn’t just raging on the waters, the storm
\nhas entered the hearts of the people and they are terrified.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nThe
\npeople are not calmed as easily as the storm though. \u00a0While the fear
\nof death from drowning has passed, their shock at what had happened
\nseemed to replace it. \u00a0In this story at least, calming the sea with
\nwords is not considered normal, and the supernatural isn’t considered
\nthe way of the world. \u00a0They were awed, which has a tinge of \u201cscared\u201d
\nto it. \u00a0They were attentive to him and terrified by him. \u00a0Jesus,
\nmeanwhile seems not to understand why they were scared in the first
\nplace, nor afterward. \u00a0It is not the most empathetic story told about
\nJesus.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

So
\nwhy did they choose to tell a story about Jesus calming the storm?
\nOne option is because he did so, but even if he did it raises the
\nquestion of why this story made the cut to be in the gospels while
\nothers did not. \u00a0As always with the Bible, my suspicion is that the
\nstories that kept being told and retold were the ones with great
\nmetaphorical value and insight. \u00a0In this case, the story tells us
\nthat the storms of life will come, but God is more powerful than they
\nare. \u00a0It is a story that encourages us to trust God, and trust in
\nJesus’s power as well. \u00a0Since human life comes with a lot of
\nmetaphorical storms, there is a lot of value in a narrative that
\ntells us they won’t overcome us. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nThis
\nexplanation also makes sense of the story of David and Goliath that
\nis presented to us in the Hebrew Bible lesson offered us today. \u00a0In
\nmany ways, it is a very similar story. \u00a0Death, which was the
\nreasonably assumed outcome from facing a gigantic and successful
\nwarrior, was avoided and even overcome with God on David’s side.
\nBoth stories are told to remind us that God can overcome adversity,
\nand what looks doomed to humans may not be to God.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nWith
\nJesus, with God, calm seas are possible. \u00a0We aren’t doomed to live in
\nfear. \u00a0We can even be freed from fear, to live in trust. \u00a0Its pretty
\ngood news, this adaption of an ancient story. \u00a0Thanks be to God.
\nAmen\n<\/p>\n

1<\/a>Exodus
\n\tMuses: Jesus as a Type of Moses\u00a0<\/i>Calming
\n\tStorms & Drowning Legions \u00a0<\/b>First
\n\tPublished JCF Newsletter April 2012 \u00a0 By Jon \u201cYoni\u201d Gerrish
\n\t<\/i>http:\/\/www.jerusalemcornerstone.org\/resources\/articles_main-page\/calming-storms-drowning-legions<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Rev. Sara E. Baron<\/p>\n

First United Methodist Church of Schenectady<\/p>\n

603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305<\/p>\n

Pronouns: she\/her\/hers<\/p>\n

http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FUMCSchenectady<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In seminary, I learned that the calming of the sea narrative was one of many that was meant to one-up … Continue reading \u201cCalm Seas\u201d based on\u00a01 Samuel 17:32-49 and Mark 4:35-41<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[34,28,39,33,361,360,359,358,56],"class_list":["post-966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons","tag-fumc-schenectady","tag-rev-sara-e-baron","tag-thinking-church","tag-umc","tag-greco-roman-gods-and-goddesses","tag-jesus-and-moses","tag-neptune-and-jesus","tag-progressive-chrisitianity","tag-schenectady"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=966"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1182,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/966\/revisions\/1182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}