Jesus – Lord of Nature

by    0 responses

Job 12:15

If he holds back the waters, there is drought; if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.

With global warming seemingly in the news every week, rising sea levels have become a real concern in recent years.  We’re always being told that if things continue as they are at the moment, in just a few decades the centre of London – including the Houses of Parliament – will be underwater.

On the east coast of England, though, encroaching seas have long been a problem, largely due to erosion rather than rising sea levels, but flooding is very much a concern.  Every year, a new section of sea defence is built, whilst just along the coast another is smashed to bits by the forces of nature.  I often find myself thinking that those who design and build sea defences are fighting a losing battle – no one can stop the force of the sea.

That view is precisely what the disciples find themselves questioning in our current Mark Marathon article, after Jesus , with a few words, succeeds in calming the waters of the Sea of Galilee.  Surely no-one can do what they have just seen Jesus do.  It must have been at this point that they must have really been wondering who, precisely, Jesus is.

Throughout the New Testament, the claim is made that Jesus is the Son of God – and indeed, is God himself – one third of the Trinity.  By demonstrating that he has power over nature in this incident, Jesus makes it all the more clear to his disciples who he is.  In this passage from Job, we see the power that God has over the seas – he can cause droughts simply be stopping water, and he can flood the land simply by releasing the water.  Since he, during creation, created land and water, and separated the land from the water, it stands to reason that he can control it.  Since God can do this, and Jesus is in fact God, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be able to simply quell a small storm.

The disciples were left wondering just who Jesus was after this adventure on the water.  Maybe it’s a good time for us to reflect likewise.

Leave a Reply

Allowed tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong> <span style="">

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.

Simon is a teacher, writer and preacher based in Kent in the United Kingdom. Simon enjoys sailing, and is a keen geocacher. Simon is married to Claire.

About Daily Readings

As part of our active lifestyle of prayer and Bible reading, we are currently reading a small section of the Bible together each day and sharing our responses to it with each other. We also publish a short devotional thought on a key verse or two from each day's passage to prompt prayer or reflection.

Current Series

Introducing Daily Readings

Full reading plan

Recent readings

Current Series   

Luke 11:14-36
Luke 11:1-13
Luke 10:25-42
Luke 10:13-24
Luke 9:57-10:12
Genesis 26
Genesis 24:61-25:34

Also on Crossring

Forums

The hub of our online community, where Christians and others from around the world can meet to discuss tricky issues, ask questions, and share fellowship.

Articles

Longer, more in depth articles encompassing Bible studies, testimonies, inspirational pieces of writing and more.