As I write, essentially the whole world is in the midst of a storm- a storm over which we feel we- or indeed anybody else- has any control. We have just entered the second week of “lockdown” in the UK as a result of the coronavirus (or Covid-19, to give it its proper scientific name) pandemic.
For many of us, this is a deeply unsettling time. As well as being unclear what the future might hold, most of us are out of our normal routines, spending the majority of our day in our own homes, along with the rest of our family. Much as we love them dearly, many of us are discovering that you really can get too much of a good thing…
While most of us haven’t experienced a pandemic (they come along with merciful rarity), we will all be familiar with storms. Whether we have experienced them at their fiercest, with a sense of our own insignificance as we bob about on a boat in the vastness of the ocean, or have only witnessed them on TV or from the safety of sturdy houses, we have some sense of the unruly and unexpected nature of a storm.
The synoptic Gospels all record the experience of Jesus and his disciples in a storm- see for example Mark 4: 35- 41. There are many lessons we can learn from this incident- not least that Jesus is in the midst of the storm with us (indeed, they were all in the boat- and therefore endangered by the storm- on Jesus’ instruction), and that, however frustrated and impotent we may feel in the face of a storm, Christ is in control, and is all powerful.
All the Gospels juxtapose this story with that of a particular healing- the healing of the demon possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes (see Mark 5). This incident is the only mention of this geographical location in Scripture (there is some debate, as is the way of biblical scholarship, about where the specific site is located!). Evidently, one of the consequences of having been in the storm was to bring Jesus and his soaking, shaken, terrified disciples to unfamiliar territory- and into contact with a fellow human being whose appearance and demeanour would elicit at the very least fear and uncertainty, and probably revulsion. (The presence of large numbers of unclean pigs would also have made the disciples- observant Jews, let’s not forget- even more uncomfortable)
The story relates how Jesus, having just spoken authoritatively to calm the physical storm, now speaks compassionately- but with no less authority- to bring calm in the face of a spiritual and emotional storm. In doing so, he brings healing and wholeness to this poor man, where all previous human attempts to alleviate his suffering had failed.
And the reaction of those who witnessed this? Rather than rejoicing with the man who was healed, or giving praise and glory to the one who had healed, we are told that the locals pleaded with Jesus to leave (Mk 5: 17). As the disciples had been terrified by the demonstration of Jesus’ power in calming the storm (Mk 4: 41), there is fear and terror in the community of the Gerasenes at this demonstration of his power in healing.
When we follow Christ’s instruction, as the disciples did, we won’t always be shielded from storms- indeed, sometimes when we follow his lead will we sail right into storms in our lives. We will often find ourselves in unfamiliar and unexpected territory- not necessarily new physical locations, but certainly situations which make us uncomfortable and which may leave us terrified, stretching our faith close to breaking point.
In following Christ’s instruction, we will encounter people in need of all kinds of healing and restoration- which we won’t necessarily feel equipped to provide. The healing, wholeness and holiness which are provided in Christ’s name won’t always be welcomed with open arms- indeed it will sometimes provoke the opposite response. But there will be times when we, and those whom we encounter, will be amazed at what the Lord has done (Mk 5: 20).
