Pentecost 3

3rd Sunday after Pentecost
Why are you afraid?

Fear is one of three major distortions in the human soul that perpetuates separation from God. The other two distortions are self will and pride. In this passage of scripture Jesus addresses fear.

Now, not all fear is a spiritual distortion. Fear in the sense of caution and respect has an important survival value. There is nothing inherently fearful about fire. But, we need to have a healthy respect for fire and approach it with caution.

The Bible teaches that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Once again, that kind of fear is the respect and reverence we are invited to have when we approach God. If we approach God with self will or pride we miss who God is. We miss the blessing. And, when we miss the blessing we blame God. In reality, it is not God who with held the blessing. It is our own attachment to separation that blocks the blessing.

The apostles experienced a different kind of fear. Had Jesus not been who he claimed to be, the fear might have been justified. If you have ever been caught in a windstorm you know the justifiable fear. It is self preservation. It motivates you to seek cover and to protect yourself.
The apostles were in an open boat in the middle of the sea. They were sinking. They were in danger of death. Yet, Jesus was sleeping through the storm. The wind and waves and the water filling the boat failed to wake him.

The apostles wakened Jesus with a rebuke. Don’t you care? They asked. Don’t you care that we are all about to die? They were in a state of panic and despair.
They had already witnessed the amazing miracles Jesus performed. They could have awakened Jesus with the words, save us. Help us. But, their faith was weak. Their fear was strong. Mixed in with that strong fear was frustration, anger and demand.

The apostles were not yet living by faith. They had not yet accepted the reality that the Messiah was, and is, and forever will be the Infinite and Eternal Love of God in human flesh.
They were still living from the place of demand, fear, and anger.

Fear always lives from the place of demand. Fear says: give me what I want and what I need- now. Because, if I don’t get it my life will be painful. Fear based living produces fear based religion. And, fear based religion always produces suffering.

The suffering of fear comes from recycled pain. In our state of separation from God we seek substitutes for God in other people, in our possessions and in our pleasures. We seek to impose our will in all situations at all times. We live in a state of constant agitation, worry and anxiety.
Some times we mask our fears with distractions. We see this modeled in the experience of the apostles. When Jesus performed his miracles they were elated. But, they missed the meaning and the purpose of the miracles. They immediately interpreted the miracles as a display of divine power rather than an outpouring of divine love. They thought in terms of command and control rather than love and compassion.

When Jesus stills the storm he does not impose command and control. When Jesus stills the storm, he manifests peace. He says: Peace. Be still. He is speaking as much to the troubled souls and agitated hearts of the apostles as he is to the wind and the waves.

And then, there was a dead calm. The miracle was instantaneous. From a tempest to calm in less than a second. It was like turning on a light switch in a dark room.
In that calm, Jesus begins to teach. As is often the case with Jesus he teaches by asking questions. Why do you fear?

That is a good question. There is no record of an answer. The apostles were filled with awe. They were amazed. In fact, their amazement reveals the first part of the answer they might have given Jesus. Lack of faith. Lack of trust. Fear based religion.

An expectation that life will in the end only result in suffering and death.
The second part of the answer to Jesus’ question comes in what the apostles did say and to whom. Instead of speaking with Jesus and seeking clarification and wisdom they talked to each other. They shared their bewilderment about Jesus with each other. They could have simply spoken to Jesus. He was right there in the boat with them. They didn’t.

They didn’t speak to Jesus and seek clarification because they were still living from fear. They were still attached to separation. The simple and straightforward reality of God with them was too much for them to accept. They turned away from Jesus and spoke about him, not to him, or with him.

These events are recorded for our benefit. Implicit in all of the Bible stories about humanity’s fear, self will and pride is the question Jesus asked the apostles that day: Why are you afraid?
Where is your faith?

Fear can only transform to faith through love.

Fear based religion cannot produce faith. It can produce submission to a set of laws. It can produce a will to power that seeks to convert and conquer. It can produce a pride that says: I have it all figured out and you don’t. I am righteous and you are not.

Faith based religion is formed by love. It is an invitation, not a command, into a new way of living. It engages the human soul in a life long process of transformation. It reveals to us that God is real, God is personal, God is love, God is Jesus Christ. It is a relationship with the Living Lord. We grow in faith as we cultivate the relationship. We transform our minds, hearts and wills in faith as that relationship builds trust, and confidence and courage.

The experience of a life of faith produces peace. It is the peace that passes understanding. It is the peace that stills the agitation of the soul and fills us with divine grace. It is the growing confidence that Jesus is the good shepherd who walks with us in all the stages of our life and is with us even in the valley of death.

This faith is a gift God gives us in his word, in his sacraments, in the liturgy, in private prayer and in the relationships we have with other believers.

The Bible says; Perfect love casts out fear. That perfect Love is Jesus Christ. Draw close to him. Speak with him, not just about him. Seek the moments of grace as the Holy Spirit makes them available to you.. Experience the faith. Experience the peace.

Jesus says: why do you fear. Receive my peace. Be still and know that I am God with you, God for you, God ever at your side now and forever.