The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
At the Galilean Sea
- Chapter 103 -
'Let the dead bury the dead!' The Lord and His in the ship, avoiding the crowd. The storm. The Lord sleeping in the small boat, awoken by His. 'Oh ye of little faith'. The storm stilled and the people astonished.
Before we boarded the ship, one of My disciples came to Me asking for My permission to bury, before we left, his father who had died so suddenly the previous night (Matt. 8:21). I, however said to him, 'You better follow Me and let the dead bury their dead.' (Matt. 8:22). And the disciple immediately refrained from his request and followed me into the ship, for he understood that it is better to be concerned with life than with death - a futile concern - indeed, best suited for the dead, for all those who make much of funeral pomp are more or less dead. They pay their respect to death and the honour of death is most important to them.
2
Man's true death is selfishness and its spirit is pride which above all craves for glory. Thus, the pompous funeral of a deceased is nothing else but the last display of pride of a person who has been spiritually dead for a long time.
3
When the disciple had grasped the full depth of the truth I spoke to him, he followed Me into the ship without misgivings, as already remarked and we quickly sailed off with a good wind, escaping the growing onrush of the crowd.
4
Some indeed boarded the small craft, following us for a short distance. But as the wind grew mightier, they quickly turned back and reaching shore safely, before the start of the storm.
5
But we already had reached the high seas when the former favourable wind turned into a mighty storm. Having been somewhat tired already at boarding-time, in that I had been awake all night, I hence said to Peter in the boat, 'Prepare Me a resting-place, as I intend to take a little rest during the voyage, having as you know found no rest during the night.'
6
Peter at once brought Me several mattresses, making Me a good place of rest and adding a pillow under My head, whereupon I soon fell asleep good and proper, physically, although knowing the wind would soon turn into a mighty storm, menacing the ship with waves soaring.
7
When we were some two hours off shore, the rage of the storm was peaking and the swell began to surge over the deck (Matt. 8:24). Even My most tried disciples became faint, as they saw the ship take water with the swelling surf, especially over the middle section - the lowest part in accord with prevalent ship-building style. As the storm showed no sign of abating, but instead only whipping the sea higher, the disciples stepped over to Me, on the most elevated spot where Peter had made My resting place, out of the waves' reach and started shaking Me awake, yelling with trepidation, 'Lord, help us, or we all perish!'
8
Whereupon I rose from My resting place, saying to them, 'O ye of little faith! Why are ye fearful when I am with you? - What is more, the storm, or He Who is Lord also over all storms?!'
9
Nevertheless, since the disciples as well as several others on board became practically speechless from fear and even a Peter could only stammer, I forthwith rebuked the storm and the sea, and all was suddenly becalmed! The storm was as if cut off, whilst the sea became mirror-smooth, save for a small ripple where the oarsmen stirred it (Matt. 8:26). The fairly large number of people however who had not been more closely associated with Me, having only arrived that morning, making this journey for business rather than on My account, began to marvel beyond all measure, saying to the disciples and asking, 'What manner of man is this in Jehovah's name, that even the winds and the sea obey him?' (Matt. 8:27).
10
But I gave a sign to the disciples not to give Me away and Peter said, 'Ask not, but all of ye be about bailing out the exceeding waters from the boat, lest we perish from a follow-up storm, which often follows a quick becalming like the present!' - Whereupon the strangers asked no more but grabbed hold of the buckets and nimbly ladled the water out, being fully occupied therewith until we reached the extensive opposite shore.