Be Not Afraid

A Homily on Mark 4:35-41 and 14:32-42

By K.C. Ptomey, Jr.
Pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church
Nashville, Tennissee

June 25, 2006 - Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mark records that Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side.”1 We would hardly notice these words except for the fact that throughout the Gospel, time and time again, Jesus leads his followers to cross over to the “other side.”2 It is clear that Mark is dealing with something more than simply geography. It seems apparent that Mark, who looks at things from a Jewish point of view, is referring to Gentile territory when he depicts Jesus and his disciples crossing over to the “other side.”3 As one commentator says, “’The other side’ represents the alien and threatening world of social, cultural, and political foreigners.”4 When Jesus says, “Let us go across to the other side,” he is saying, “Let us cross the boundaries that divide human beings from one another.”5

Throughout his Gospel, Mark portrays Jesus as leading his disciples across traditional geographic, ethnic and religious divides. Mark presents Jesus as one who is leading his followers into an understanding that the scope of God’s love is wider than they can imagine. Jesus teaches disciples to welcome as equal members of the body of Christ those who are on the “other side.”6

Mark is aware that to follow Jesus in such a mission – reaching across barriers that divide people – creates a storm of opposition. He pictures the boat assaulted by the wind and waves, and the disciples frightened out of their wits. In the middle of that storm, we find them more concerned about saving their own lives than going with Jesus to the “other side.”

One of the wonderful things about my job is that in the process of preparing sermons, I often learn something new. This past week the new insight for me was that the word “nave,” a liturgical term that refers to the area of the church building in which the pews are located. The word “nave” derives from the very same root word as “navy.” So, maybe it isn’t too big a stretch, when we read this story, to think of ourselves sitting here in the “nave” as sitting right alongside the disciples in the boat. After all, one of the most ancient symbols for the Church is a boat. And it may not be too big a stretch to wonder if the winds of controversy that howl and the waves of opposition that we encounter may tempt us to focus too much attention on our safety and the survival of the boat, and too little attention on the call of Jesus to follow him to the “other side.”

So here’s Mark’s story: When Jesus leads the Church to the “other side,” sometimes storms arise. The disciples, concerned that the boat may split apart, cry out in fear. But Jesus is calm. So calm, that he’s asleep in the back of the boat. He says to his followers when they wake him, “Have you no faith?”7

It’s as if Jesus is telling the disciples, “Don’t fear, for you’re with me. Don’t focus on the storm, but on the mission. The real danger is not that the boat will capsize. The greatest danger is that, in the face of the storm, you lose courage and refuse to press on to the ‘other side.’”

When the storm arises, what is at risk here is their vocation. To be faithful to their calling seems to put the boat in danger. But to save the boat would be to sacrifice their vocation. Jesus says as much: “What does it profit you to gain the whole world and forfeit yourself?”8 What if they do turn back, escape the storm, but in the process abandon the mission? What have they gained?

As you may know, I have just returned from the meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). As you can imagine, many controversial issues arise in these meetings. It is often the case that some conscientious Presbyterian will gain the floor and make a speech that goes something like this: “If we pass this measure, the people in my congregation are really going to be upset. There are going to be serious repercussions. Our denomination is losing members and money every year. We can’t afford any more controversy.” Disciples in the midst of the storm?

Over the years the church has several times responded to Jesus’ call to go over to the “other side,” to cross over the boundaries that divide human beings one from another. Every time the church has done this it has found itself in the middle of a storm. Some of you are old enough to remember when the church answered Jesus’ call and followed him across racial boundaries. The storm that arose was fierce. In the midst of it many were afraid. But Jesus’ voice kept echoing from the pages of Mark, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?”9 And just as he did so long ago, our Lord calmed the sea.

Some of you remember the days when the church answered Jesus’ call and followed him across the gender barrier, voting to ordain women as deacons and elders and ministers. Our denomination is this year celebrating the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women. In 1956 this was a controversial matter. A fierce storm surrounded the church. People even left the denomination over it. But Jesus’ voice kept echoing from the pages of Mark, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” And just as he did so long ago, our Lord calmed the sea.

So often, instead of focusing on Jesus’ call to follow him across boundaries and barriers that divide human beings, so often, deaf to his voice and failing to trust his power to calm the sea, we are preoccupied with preserving the institution, saving the boat, because we fear it will capsize. Can’t we hear his voice? Or do we hear and not believe him? “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?”

Have we no faith?

You have read about our General Assembly’s action this year on the Peace, Unity, and Purity Report. You may not fully understand this action, but in a nutshell this action changes absolutely nothing in our constitution or in our standards and requirements for church officers. It simply clarifies the standards. It clarifies the fact that every time we elect an elder or a minister, we make exceptions to the standards. It says no one meets 100% of the requirements for office in this denomination. Therefore, presbyteries and congregations must exercise discretion in electing officers. We make judgments regarding which exceptions are allowable and which are not. Most churches make exceptions with respect to divorce, for example. Strictly interpreted, the Presbyterian standards prohibit people who are divorced and remarried from serving as elders or deacons or ministers. But we make exceptions. We have been doing this for years.

So the vote of the most recent Assembly does not introduce anything new. It simply says that we have been doing this for years. We will continue to make exceptions, but let us do so thoughtfully and prayerfully and carefully.

It is conceivable that some churches may, after careful and prayerful consideration, decide to make an exception to the standards of the church and elect a person who is gay to the office of deacon or elder or pastor. This is nothing new. Churches have had this prerogative for the three hundred plus years of our history as a denomination, just as we have had the prerogative to make exceptions for those who do not meet other standards, like divorced people. What the denomination has done this year is to make explicit what has been implicit all along.

Some Presbyterians are afraid that this action of the General Assembly could have a devastating effect on the church; that money will dry up, and members will go away. Some fear that this will provoke a storm of protest. Some are afraid the waves of controversy will swamp the boat.

Have they, have we, forgotten who’s in the boat with us? And whose boat it is? And that he has called us to follow him to the “other side,” across borders and boundaries and barriers that divide human beings, stormy as the seas may be? Are we so afraid of the storm that we have lost sight of the mission and the Christ, who calls us?

We’re in the nave this morning, in the boat. Some of those sitting among us this morning may even be asleep on our comfortable new pew cushions. But they, and we, are in good company. Jesus is on a cushion in the back of the nave, asleep, Mark says. I take this to mean that Jesus isn’t afraid of the storm because he has power over it. So the question Jesus asked his disciples is still relevant to the church: Why are we afraid?10

Footnotes

1 Mark 4:35, (NRSV). Subsequent citations are of Mark, unless otherwise indicated. (return)

2 See 5:21; 6:45; 8:13. (return)

3 Ched Myers, Proclamation 6, Series B, Pentecost 1, (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996), p. 47. (return)

4 Op.cit.(return)

5 Brian Blount and Gary Charles, Preaching Mark in Two Voices, (Louisville/London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), p. 61. (return)

6 Bernard Brandon Scott, Matthew L. Skinner, Adele Stiles Resmer, Ronald J. Allen, New Proclamation, Year B, 2006, Easter Through Pentecost, (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006), p. 117. (return)

7 4:40. (return)

8 8:36. (return)

9 4:40. (return)

10 Blount and Charles, p. 75. (return)

Copyright©2006 K.C. Ptomey, Jr.