Part 11 (1/2)

The disciples were going to be good ground for the seed that Jesus sowed.

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8. Jesus Is Strong

That night Jesus said to the disciples, ”Let us go across the lake.”

Simon and Andrew and James and John were fishermen. They knew where to get a boat, and they knew how to sail it too.

All twelve disciples, along with Jesus, climbed into a boat and pushed away from sh.o.r.e.

The Sea of Galilee was a lovely blue lake in the daytime, when the sunlight sparkled on the water. In the evening it was lovely too, when the waves were lapping peacefully against the side of a boat, and the stars came out twinkling overhead.

But the Sea of Galilee was not always so lovely or so peaceful.

Sometimes the wind came roaring down the steep banks around the lake, and the water grew white and angry.

Then again everything might be calm and quiet when a boat left the land. But before it had gone very far a storm might be howling all around. It would toss the boat around like driftwood, and then it would be too late to turn back to sh.o.r.e.

Some of the disciples were fishermen, and they had fished here all their lives. They knew what the sudden storms were like. It was no surprise to them when the stars disappeared as though the rising wind had blown them out. They knew what was coming now. The night would grow black as ink, and the great foaming waves would smash against the s.h.i.+p and fill it up with water. There was nothing anyone could do about it. n.o.body could sail or row or steer the boat any longer. Only G.o.d himself could bring the poor sailors safe to sh.o.r.e.

The sea was rough already, and getting rougher every minute. They were afraid. They were always afraid of the sea when storms began to blow.

It was so big and dangerous and terrible, and men were so small and weak! It was like a frightful monster, tossing them up and down before it swallowed them alive.

If only they had stayed on the good, safe land! They had been so worried and so tired that night; so discouraged about Jesus and his work. And now there was this storm on top of everything! It looked as if none of them would live to see another day. They had left their homes and families behind, to follow Jesus. What was the use of following Jesus if they were all to be drowned?

Now the boat was full of water. They tried to bail it out, but the fishermen knew that nothing they could do would be of any use.

In the dark they could hardly see one another's faces. Where was Jesus? No one had heard a word from him since the storm began to blow.

They found him at the back of the boat, just where he was when they left the sh.o.r.e. He was stretched out on a seat, resting on a pillow.

And he was fast asleep!

The disciples were angry. Any minute now the boat was going to turn over, and there was Jesus sleeping as though nothing in the world were wrong!

One of the men took Jesus by the shoulders, and shook him awake. They shouted at him, ”Master, doesn't it matter to you if we are all drowned?”

Jesus rose to his feet in the tossing boat. The wind blew in his face, and he seemed to be answering it. The sea smashed against the boat again, and Jesus cried out, ”Peace, be still!”

All at once the wind began to die away. The waves tossed for a minute or two longer, but not so strongly now. Everything was growing quiet.

The stars began to s.h.i.+ne again, and soon there was no sound but the water lapping gently against the boat.

Jesus spoke to the disciples: