In the first reading today we have the beginning of God’s response to Job:

From the heart of the tempest, the Lord gave Job his answer…’Who put the sea behind closed doors?… come thus far and no further …I marked the bounds it was not to cross.’

In scripture, the stormy sea is often used a as symbol of chaos and the power of evil. We read today’s Gospel in light of this. It is not simply a story about a storm at sea,. It represents Jesus as the one who has conquered the power and the force of evil. This was an important story for the early church struggling against powerful opposition. The image of a small boat battling against a heavy sea and a violent storm fitted the early Church well.

The imagery will always be apt. Job’s questions, the struggle with pain and suffering, the ‘Whys?’ we never answer, the strength of the influences that work against decency and goodness – in all this we need the assurance of God’s presence and God’s pledge that goodness and right will win in the end.

God is With Us
Reflections for Sundays
Michael Morwood MSC