Are We All Maladjusted People?

Mark 6:47-50

When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified.

Even in terrible times, God can still play a joke on us. Huh? Why should anyone claiming to be godly say such a thing?

But it’s true. If testing our faith or merely our perception of reality could be considered a joke.

Look at that phrase in Verse 48 in this short event in the life of Jesus and the Apostles: He was about to pass by them…. Seeing how they struggled against the storm and walking (probably strolling confidently) ON the water, Jesus was even intending to pass by them. Why?

He certainly did not want to insult them by waving or shouting at them. Neither did He try to come up suddenly on the boat and shock them witless. That would have probably caused some of them to suffer a heart attack. Jesus did the best and most decent thing under the situation: try to walk ahead of them. That is, to see if they would notice Him.

They did.

But they thought He was a ghost! Who else would walk on water (during a storm) but a ghost? Belief in ghosts or superstitions beats faith. Almost everytime. Historically and culturally.

Wait, they recognized Jesus finally. And they were even more scared; they screamed in terror! God must have been laughing at this scene. (Those who understand may now laugh at themselves, too.) His Son toying around with the inconsistencies of untrained disciples. It’s like watching your 10-year-old child having fun with a tiny, bumbling puppy.

Who can adjust to the reality of Jesus without going crazy? Or rejecting Him? By that, I mean the reality of His unreality. That He can walk on water or that He can stop the wind. And, need I mention, raise the dead?

We all are well adjusted to nature and its seemingly fixed laws but not to God and His creative ways – some still call it mysterious after centuries of revelation.

Oh, when will we ever adjust our eyes and our minds to the reality of God?

(Photo on top: Fresh footprint on the sand -- ordinary fisherfolk have no need to wear shoes while they work; Photo above: Fishermen of San Juan, La Union pulling a net from the shore. Safe method for humans but perhaps not so for sea life being crushed and dragged along.