The aspect I wish to address here regards fear. We noticed at the end of chapter four that after Jesus calms the storm the disciples are terrified. Their worst fears were probably confirmed at the beginning of chapter 5 when after they cross over to the other side they are immediately confronted by a possessed, wild, crazy, strong, naked guy who is shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High G-d?! (Welcome to the other side, disciples.)
After Jesus drives out the legion of demons, people come from the town and countryside. And suddenly, the fear transfers to them. So much so, that they PLEAD with Jesus to leave! They beg the Son of G-D to leave their homeland.
It actually reminds me of another story we find in the Tanakh (Old Testament): Exodus 20:18-19. This one regards the Israelites who stand at Mt. Sinai and are consumed with dread. They are so terrified that they ask Moses to stand as mediator and speak with G-D on their behalf.
And thus, we have two peoples who, when they encounter the L-RD, plead in some way to have Him remove Himself from their presence. First the Israelites; now the foreigners.
That same fear plagues us today. We don't want an encounter with G-D - our comfort zones stretched, our assumptions about life challenged, our lives changed. We like things the way they are. We have our freedom, our things, our friends. What more do we need?
Yet G-D continues to come. Jesus shows up where we least expect Him, and we get scared. But we cannot allow our fear to consume us. We must give room for G-D to come in and change us.
So, how has fear kept you from encountering G-D? What have you done to combat those fears?
No comments:
Post a Comment