In the Gospel passage this week we hear one of the great nature miracles of Jesus – the calming of the storm.

Some scripture scholars suggest that this story is a construction by the gospel writer to speak directly to the community for whom this gospel was written. The community of the gospel of Mark were consumed with doubt and surrounded by evidence of the world as they knew it falling apart. They were living the metaphor captured in the story: a boat adrift on the sea in the midst of an almighty storm.

The cry of the disciples was the cry of the Christian community: ‘Master, do you not care?’ We all know of times when chaos storms into our life, when we feel we are being swamped whether from outside or from some part of our own personality. Some part of our life is facing death. We may cry out to Jesus “Don’t you care?”. The gospel writer reassures them that God does care about their struggle, but at the same time chastens them for their lack of faith!