Matthew 8:23-27; Romans 13:8-10; Jonah
1:1-17
In the Name of the Father and of the
+ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
You might be
surprised to learn that the U.S. Navy Hymn, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save,”
is even in our hymnal. In fact, in just a little bit, our choir is going to
sing it during the collection of our offering. It is a most fitting and
appropriate hymn corresponding to today’s Gospel theme concerning Jesus
manifesting His glory as the LORD of heaven and earth and of wind, sky, land,
and sea. Hundreds and thousands of miles out to sea, at the mercy of
tempestuous winds and perilous oceans and seas, truly our sailor soldiers know
and respect the terrible power and the mighty forces that nature can inflict
upon those who travel upon the sea. Indeed, William Whiting, the author of the
hymn’s text, attributes the creation and control of such insurmountable powers
and forces to God our Eternal Father. Just as there are no atheists in
foxholes, apparently there are no atheists “in peril on the sea” either. For,
it is God the Father “whose arm hath bound the restless wave, who bidd’st the
mighty ocean deep its own appointed limits keep.” And, it was God the Son
“whose voice the waters heard and hushed their raging at [His] Word.” And, it was
God the Holy Spirit “who didst brood upon the chaos dark and rude, and bid its
angry tumult cease, and give, for wild confusion, peace.”
Thus, what
our Lord Jesus Christ manifested when He calmed the storm and the raging seas that
threatened and terrified His disciples was that He is the LORD God in human
flesh, in their midst, still defining and limiting, controlling and using the
forces of nature for His own purposes and for the good of His people whom He
loves. Even when it appeared that He was unaware, asleep, and impotent, Jesus
is the God who is present and LORD of heaven and earth and of wind, sky, land,
sea, and all of creation. While the disciples were overcome with fear and
despair, believing that they were perishing, the LORD was in control working
all things, even evil things, for the good of those whom He has called
according to His purpose.
It is all too
easy to become fearful, anxious, and despairing when the storms of life come
crashing upon you and you feel as if you are perishing. In such times when your
health is at risk, when finances are meager, when your children rebel and curse
you, when the news media continually report of terrorism, murder, natural
disasters, and war, it is all too easy to believe that God is not present, that
He cannot help, that He doesn’t care, or that He isn’t even real. However, this
is but the weakness of your flesh and your faith, which your all too real
enemy, Satan, delights to use against you to lead you into unbelief, hopelessness,
and despair. In your fear, he tempts you to trust only in your own strength and
wisdom, to be your own god and savior, or to despair of these and to surrender
to hopelessness and perish. Only consider the rash and foolish decisions that
you have made under fear, anxiety, and despair. What good has come of them in
the past? And, when you have trusted in the LORD, has He not provided, often in
ways you never could have expected? Truly, your LORD is with you even when you
do not see Him. He is awake, aware, in control, and directing all things in
heaven and earth for your benefit and good, even when He appears to be
sleeping. “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Jesus’ disciples were fearful
and despairing even while Jesus Himself was physically with them in their boat.
But, how much more is your Lord Jesus with you all the time? Has He not
promised you that, in your Holy Baptism, He “is with you always, to the end of
the age?”
In contrast, Jonah
was not afraid that the LORD was not with Him, but he, in fact, believed that
the LORD was indeed with him. For, the LORD had commanded Jonah to go to
Nineveh to preach His Word to the wicked and unrepentant people there. But,
Jonah didn’t want to go, not because he feared the Ninevites, but because he
believed that the LORD would indeed convert the people of Nineveh through his
preaching, and he didn’t want such notoriously wicked people to repent and to
be saved. And so, Jonah fled from his calling and from the presence of the
LORD. He bought a ticket on the first ship he could find to Tarshish, fleeing from
the presence of the LORD. Then, the LORD commanded the wind and the sea to
threaten the ship and its sailors so that they each cried out to their own gods
– Indeed, there are no atheists in peril on the seas. As the sailors
desperately threw their cargo overboard in order to stabilize the ship, Jonah
hid himself in the bowels of the ship in fear of the LORD and fell fast asleep.
As the storm raged on and continued to threaten the ship, the captain came to
Jonah and demanded that he wake up, arise, and pray to his god that they would
not perish. And, when the captain learned that Jonah was fleeing from the
presence of the LORD, he and his crew threw Jonah overboard as Jonah himself
had directed them, for he knew that it was the LORD who had brought the forces
of wind and wave upon the ship because of his willful disobedience. When they
cast Jonah into the sea, immediately the sea ceased from its raging. Then the
men feared the LORD and they offered sacrifices to the God of Jonah, “and the
LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of
the fish three days and three nights.”
Now, only
consider the number of variables the LORD controlled and manipulated in order
that His will would be accomplished and that unbelievers would be turned in
repentance and believe. The LORD sent the wind and the waves to threaten the
ship and her crew. The LORD caused the lot to fall upon Jonah. The LORD caused
Jonah to be thrown overboard. And the LORD caused a great fish to swallow him
whole and to deliver him to Nineveh, where the LORD had commanded Jonah to go
and preach in the first place. So it is that Jonah is set in direct
contradiction to Jesus. Earlier that same day Jesus had healed a Jewish leper
and the servant of a Roman Centurion, whom we heard about in last Sunday’s
Gospel Lesson. After that, Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law and countless
others who were sick or oppressed by demons. Though He is true God, Jesus is
also true man, and so Jesus was exhausted, according to His humanity, and He
slept in the bow of the boat in the presence of His disciples. However, even
when He appears to be sleeping, the LORD is awake and active upholding heaven
and earth and the laws of nature and all things. When the storm came upon them
and the seas began to threaten, the disciples cried out to Jesus in faith mixed
with fear, despair, and unbelief. Yet, still they cried out to Jesus. They had
faith, even if it was little faith. And, though He was tired and exhausted,
Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea and brought about a great calm both upon the
forces of nature and within the hearts and minds of His disciples. Whereas
Jonah was thrown overboard into the tumultuous and churning sea and spent three
days in the belly of a great fish, so Jesus was thrown into Satan’s jaws and
died for you. Jesus spent three days in the belly of the earth and emerged
victorious over sin, death, and Satan, your victor guaranteeing you life
through and forever after your death. The grave could not hold Him, and neither
cannot it hold you.
Whether the
storms come from the LORD or from Satan doesn’t really matter, for the LORD is
in control. In the case of Jonah, it is clear that the LORD brought the storm
to bear upon the ship and its crew. However, in the case of Jesus and His
disciples, it may well have been Satan who afflicted them by wind and wave. What
you must remember is that the devil is God’s devil. Satan cannot tempt, harm,
afflict, or kill unless the LORD permits Him to do so. In this way, the LORD
works all things, even evil things, even the works of the devil, for the good
of those whom He has called according to His purpose. For the LORD is the LORD
of all His creation: Heaven and earth, wind, sky, and sea, beasts, men, angels,
the devil and his demons. There is no thing and no one that is not under His
power and control.
When you are
tempted to cower in fear, hopelessness, and despair at what is befalling you
and the world, and when you are tempted to flee from the presence of the LORD
and His will, remember that He is awake and active, upholding heaven and earth
and the laws of nature and all things for you, His beloved. “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot
kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
That one, mind you, is not the devil, but it is the LORD alone who made
you and who sustains your life. Truly, not even a sparrow can fall to the
ground apart from the will of the LORD, and you, whose every hair upon your
head He has numbered, are of much greater value to your Eternal Father than are
the sparrows. Your LORD will not reject you because of your weak faith, but He
is gracious and merciful towards you, He will hear and answer your prayer,
sometimes “Yes,” sometimes “No,” and often “Later,” as He strengthens you in
your faith that you may persevere through whatever storms you might face, even
through death, unto life never-ending in Jesus Christ.
God permits
storms and trials to come upon you, but He also rescues you in them so that you
may see clearly His protection. Jesus’ kingdom, His Church, is strengthened and
grows by sorrow and trial as by these the LORD calls you to turn your attention
away from yourself and back towards Him. The LORD uses storms and trials to
perfect your faith and to strengthen your weak and little faith. Your Lord is
present with you always, even if unseen or seemingly inactive and asleep. He is
in this place, this boat, this ship, this ark, His Church, commanding the
natural elements of Word and Water, Bread and Wine to serve you, to absolve
you, to strengthen you, to equip you and to send you. Do not be afraid. Your
LORD, Your God, is present to save you.
In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
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