Who is this?

Matthew 8:27 - And the men marveled saying, "What kind of man is this that even the winds and the sea/lake obey him?"

I find this question interesting considering that in the story that precedes it, they clearly trusted him to do something or they would not have requested his help. In fact, they cried, "Save us!" What did they think he would be able to do? And how did his actions change their thinking?

How did his actions change our thinking? This is one of those stories where the truth of the action is not as important as what the story is trying to say. Last time I wrote about Jesus calming the storms of our lives. IF he ever did calm actual storms, it doesn't seem that he does so any longer. Possibly, the things we think of as "storms" are really just a few raindrops? Although, the disciples were experienced fishermen - at least some of them - and they would have known what to do in the event of a storm. So, the storm in the story was clearly life-threatening.

What kind of man is Jesus? This is not just a question for our intellect. It is also a question for our hearts. Our answer should affect the way we live our lives. If we think Jesus is God, then following him means following his actions and God's commandments. Again, it means going beyond the negativity of the commandments into the positivity of life-affirming actions. That was the kind of man Jesus was: someone whose actions were consistently life-affirming and healing.

Go thou and do likewise.
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Shaking

Matthew 8:23-26 - When Jesus got into the boat his disciples followed him. But look! a great shaking began in the lake so that the boat was being covered/swamped by the waves. And he was asleep. The disciples woke him saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" But he said to them, "Why; are you afraid? You of little faith." And he rose and rebuked the winds and the lake. And there followed a great calm.

I find it interesting that the word "seismos" means shaking - not only of the earth but of other things. So there was a great shaking of the water - a storm. It is very descriptive! And I am thinking about the shakings in our own lives. Do we react like the disciples? Do we give up? Or do we trust? These are strange questions because the disciples do trust - they know Jesus will fix the problem. So why does he say they have only a little faith? There is clearly something I'm missing here.

Is he saying that trust in God means praying? Had they tried praying? The text doesn't tell us. Who were they not trusting? Maybe he is saying that God in heaven - not Jesus is who they lack faith in. That is difficult for me, living in the 21st century, to get. Because we talk so much about faith in Jesus. We forget that his own faith was in "his father in heaven." So, they went to a person - a creation if you will - rather than the one who could help, God. Did they already see Jesus as God? I would judge from his reaction that they did not.

So, what do I do when the shaking begins? Do I pray? Not usually. Unfortunately, I tend to do that last. I do pray in the morning and sit in silence, listening for God. It just does not carry throughout the day yet. That, and the shaking has to be fairly major - like Eric's manipulation - to impact me enough to pray first.

I think Paul's advice to pray without ceasing is germane here. Help me to remember to pray without ceasing.
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Burying the Dead

Matthew 8:21-22 - Another of his disciples said to him, "Permit me first to go and bury my father." And Jesus said to him, "Follow me and send/leave the dead to bury their own dead."

This is, to me, a weird thing for Jesus to say for several reasons. First, why the urgency? Jesus is advocating foregoing societal norms. Maybe it's not urgency so much as asking the person to choose; God's way or the human way. Possibly he suspects the young man (probably) of wanting to have it both ways? He wants to follow but is not yet ready. The "world" still has a hold on his thinking. He is not yet free of the Law. I remember someone somewhere saying something like once you go beyond the Law to Love, everything you do is for the good of all. That ties it into the idea of going beyond. In fact, what he might be saying is we need to go beyond the Law to the Spirit of the Law. Calvin would agree. One must first obey the prohibitions but one must also perform the opposite tasks. Not only must we not murder, we must also perform life-giving/growing acts toward others. Going beyond the original prohibition. Because that is where God lives.

Another question I have is about "the dead." I imagine Jesus must mean spiritually dead. Those who are dead to the Spirit due to their focus on adhering to the letter of the law and ignoring the Spirit. Their bodies are living but their spirits are dead. They are lost. I think this happened to me as a result of my dad's alcoholism and my mother's attempts to deal with it. No disrespect to either of them. They were lost too. Yeah. Spiritually dead. I see many people on the right that way. Their focus is money over people. It breaks my heart that so many are caught in their web.
Beyond the Law.
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Following Jesus

Matthew 8:18-20 - Seeing a great crowd around him, Jesus ordered them to go to the other side. And a scribe came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have their dens and birds of the air their nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."

I will follow you wherever you go. This is so easy to say and so hard to actually do. Jesus goes where love is needed. Where healing is wanted. Where comfort is lacking. To the last, the least, and the lost. Yet, he goes a step beyond - "the other side" can also be translated as "beyond." Clearly it means the other side of the lake in this context, but I want to think about "beyond."

Because Jesus goes beyond being with the marginalized - he identifies with them, in fact, becomes one of them in order to minister to them. Now, I am not saying that we should all be homeless. I am saying that for me, my possessions surround me and form a barrier to love coming in. This is Peter's thing as well. To be in the midst of those we are ministering to and to recognize that they minister to us as well. Perhaps more so depending on the day! This is what the Catholic Worker House was/is about. Living in community and communion with those on the margins. I can feel myself slowly doing this. Slowly. It is so hard to just chuck it all and go. Beyond.

Following Jesus means going beyond again and again. Not knowing where we'll end up! Going beyond. How do I need to go beyond today?
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Weakness

Matthew 8:17 - This was so that the words of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, "He took our weaknesses and bore our diseases."

So weaknesses can be sickness as well. In the context of healing that translation makes more sense. I myself am intrigued by this as I have lupus. Have I ever thought to hand it over? Have I ever thought that Jesus/Christ might take it on somehow? Have I ever thought that because God came down as a person, he understands. His empathy has been strengthened through experiencing our weakness and disease. Understanding seems a big one to me lately.

All of this is good, yet I want to look at it in the sense of weakness rather than illness. Paul claims that when we are weak (which in relation to God is always) he/they are strong. God is always strong. God's hands are always outstretched toward us - ready to receive us and to be in relationship with us. None of us can be perfect, yet God gives us grace anyway. Grace to get through one more day. Grace to let go of all that does not build up. Grace to expose our weak spots. Trusting that they will not be trampled on. Trusting that if they are trampled on, it will not be the end of the world.

No longer needing things to be just so, but being able to adapt more smoothly. Where do I need to admit weakness and let God act?
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Bringing our Brokenness to him

Matthew 8:15 - In the evening, they brought to him many who had demons; he cast the spirits out with a word and healed all those who were sick.

As I thought about this, I realize (again) that Jesus did not heal everyone. They had to reveal their brokenness to him for healing. This goes exactly against what we are taught to do - at least I was taught to do - which is to hide our imperfections and put our best foot forward. Yes, that is appropriate in many ways and places. Yet it is not appropriate in our relationship with Jesus.

Jesus wants to heal us and for that to happen we must acknowledge that we need healing. This is so difficult for many of us. It is difficult for me. I want to imagine that I have it all together! The pastor on Sunday spoke about the unfortunate man who tried to stabilize the ark and was killed for trying to control the outcome, trying to control God. They were not carrying it correctly in the first place and his touching it got him killed. In much the same way I want to control how others see me.

I want to control my call; where I'll go, what I'll do, when I'll do it. It is so hard to let this all be right now and take the next right step - which is getting another CPE unit under my belt. There is so much in the air and I have been learning to be comfortable with having things in the air. And yet, I have way too many moments of trying to control things over which I have no power to control. This is my major brokenness.

So, just for today, I choose to go with God's flow and pace for my life and my calling. God is with me. All is well.
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Service

Matthew 8:14-15 - Then Jesus went to the home of Peter and saw that his mother-in-law was laid down and was feverish. He stretched out his hand and the fever left her and she got up and served him.

Not them - him. So did she serve him a meal? Or was there another way to serve him? If a meal, why just him and not them. Clearly he didn't go by himself to Peter's house. There was probably a crowd along with him. And where was Peter's wife?

Was she living with her parents while Peter roamed the countryside? Was she perhaps dead? Why go to the mother-in-law's house (possibly husband dead?) rather than his parent's home. Did they not have one? Were they estranged because he and his brother took off and left their father to work alone? So many questions packed into this one short scene.

At any rate, Jesus heals her and in her gratitude she serves him. Perhaps we should follow that example as best we can. Looking for ways to serve - a meal, washing, hospitality, generosity, speaking up for the least of these. Maybe she not only served a meal, but followed that up with other types of support.
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