Wednesday after the Epiphany of Jesus. Bible Study: 1st John 4:11-18, Psalm 72 and Mark 6:45-52
“They all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; have no fear.’” (Mark 6:50)
Back then in school, nothing gave us more joy than opening the question paper on the day of examinations only to find that the questions are far easier than we expected. As humans, we like everything made simple but sometimes, God teaches us in a hard way.
How come Jesus did not command the waves to be still when He noticed the winds were against the disciples and they were frightened? Why did Jesus have to walk on that very water that was terribly troubled? Jesus wanted to teach His disciples a lesson; Trust!
When we face real troubles and difficulties in life, when things do not go as we planned; when we are tossed from all sides by the waves of disappointments, falsehood, failures, betrayals, setbacks etc., one gift we can offer to God like the wise men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus is trust.
Long before Jesus sent his disciples to cross the sea ahead of Him, He already knew what was coming their way. You might wonder, wouldn’t it be nice if God takes away any form of trial, difficulty or hardship from our way? After all, this was one of our prayer points at the beginning of a new year. We want things smooth and easy like children who would do anything to avoid an examination.
The truth is that we cannot avoid having to write exams and very difficult exams at that. God often allows us to go through the valley of the shadow of darkness to show us that even in thick darkness, even amid all the commotion and turbulence, He remains Lord and Ruler of the World. By walking on water, Jesus was saying: “no matter how tough your situation may be, it is not difficult for me because I am on top of it.”
In today’s First Reading, St. John says: “In this is love perfected with us, that we may have confidence.” “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love.” (1 John 4:17-18). When our love for God reaches perfection, we no longer relate with God like criminals hiding from the police rather we relate with God as children brimming with confidence before their father.
If we truly love God, we would trust Him completely so much so that even when things do not go as we would have preferred, we still continue to allow those words spoken by Jesus echo in our minds: “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, I cast all my burdens upon you knowing that even on troubled waters, you still walk gallantly. Amen
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.