(Audio)
About the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
He meant to pass by them.
He meant to pass them by. If they had been more mature they would have recognized him. His presence itself would have given them peace even if continued on his way, even if the wind kept blowing. But they did not yet recognize him. Perhaps the storm was so intense that they weren't seeing clearly. Since they did not recognize them Jesus went out of his way to reveal himself to them. His plans for them required that they be able to recognize him and trust him. They needed this in order to experience peace in times of storm.
They had all seen him and were terrified.
But at once he spoke with them,
“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”
He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.
They were completely astounded.
Jesus revealed God's love to the disciples. He wants to reveal it to us as well. He is the one who makes known the Father. He wants us to know and believe in the love God has for us.
This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
It is this same Spirit that told Peter the true identity of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God (see Matthew 16:16). It is the same Spirit that cries 'Abba! Father!' from our own hearts as well (see Galatians 4:6). Knowing and believing in this love allows us to love with the same love we ourselves first receive.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.
Jesus came to cast out the fear that the disciples felt during the storm. He wants to love us so deeply that fear can no longer dominate our lives either, no matter the circumstances.
There is no fear in love,
but perfect love drives out fear
because fear has to do with punishment,
and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.
No comments:
Post a Comment