Later in the evening he was still there by himself, and the boat was somewhere in the middle of the lake. He could see that the disciples were struggling hard, because they were rowing against the wind. Not long before morning, Jesus came toward them. He was walking on the water and was about to pass the boat. When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought he was a ghost, and they started screaming. All of them saw him and were terrified. But at this same time he said, “Don’t worry! I am Jesus. Don’t be afraid.” He then got into the boat with them, and the wind died down. – Mark 6:47-51a (CEV)
Quite a few people have told me stories of buying houses, and how it was one of the most stressful times in their lives. Last week we closed on our new house, and it certainly lived up to the reputation for stress. This is the second house we have bought, and I’m not sure that I realized how stressful it could be the first time, because everything went fairly smoothly. This time was a bigger challenge. Our closing was delayed because the sellers had not moved out yet. On the day of the closing, we arrived at the walk-through to find that they were only partially moved out. Every room still had piles of stuff in it. They were finally “done” well into the day after the closing. We are still finding left-behind suitcases and bits of food scattered about the house, though. We will get everything worked out soon enough, but for now it is a chaotic mess.
Of course, the chaotic unpredictability of life is hardly new. We find it in our personal lives, in unexpected development like pandemics, and so much more. Life is a continual unfolding of plot twists that often make no sense and leave us worn out and exasperated. This is true now, and was all the more true in previous generations. Upheaval comes suddenly, but it also appears regularly in our lives.
The biblical writers knew this reality of chaos well. Chaos is often symbolized in biblical texts by the image of water. Water is essential to life, but it can also bring death and destruction. It is unpredictable and can have uncontrollable power. Storms, droughts, and floods come, just soft spring showers, gently lapping shores and pleasant oases also fill our experience.
Against this backdrop of the image of water, Jesus’ act of walking on the water takes on another symbolic level. Chaos is the reality of life, and yet Jesus moves across it and beckons us to follow. In keeping our eye on Jesus, we can bear the unexpected shifts of the water flowing chaotically around us. Following Jesus does not eliminate the frantic and stressful moments, but he stands firm in the midst of it and gives us a beacon to focus on so that we may endure what comes our way.