RLC Proper 7, Year B

St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia

The Rev. Haywood Spangler, Ph.D.

Job 38:1-11; Mark 4:35-41

Although the bulletin insert presents the story of David and Goliath as today’s Old Testament Lesson, the Lectionary also offers a passage from the book of Job as an appropriate Old Testament passage for this Sunday. I chose the Job passage as our reading this morning because I think it has important parallels with the gospel passage. Both passages are stories about conversations with God. I think together the stories convey the theological conclusion that God is always engaging the world and us, whether or not we are faithfully asking for God’s engagement. I think the stories also convey an ethical point, or a point about our behavior: they encourage us to be ready to accept to new understandings of God and the ways God may be manifest in our lives.

The most obvious similarity between the two passages may be God’s role in controlling the sea. Although God speaks to Job from a storm, God asserts that he prescribes bounds for the sea, telling the sea “here your proud waves shall be stopped.” Jesus does not cause a storm; rather he stops a storm. But paralleling God in Job, Mark tells us that Jesus “rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’” And this act of stopping the waves gives the disciples an inkling that Jesus must be more than a wise teacher, or even a prophet.

That both stories show the divine having dominion over the created indicates a perhaps more subtle parallel: both of these are stories about divine/human encounters. They are stories about humans in conversation, in fact, debating with God.

God speaks to Job from the whirlwind because Job has called on God for explanations. The basic plot-line of Job is that God subjects Job to immense suffering to see if Job will be faithful even when his life is in disarray. And, Job is faithful. He continues to believe in God and God’s goodness. But he expresses his faith by challenging God. This morning, we hear God’s response to Job. Back in chapter 9, we can find Job’s challenge to God: “Does it please you to oppress one, while you smile on the schemes of the wicked?”

Job’s question to God sounds similar to the apostles’ questions to Jesus. The apostles wake Jesus, demanding to know “Do you not see we are perishing?” Does it please you to oppress one? Don’t you see we are perishing? They are similar questions. And, God and Jesus respond in similar ways. They both respond to their challengers with questions of their own. God responds to Job, asking “Who darkens my council with words without knowledge? Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?”

Similarly, Jesus, after he calms the storm, asks, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” In other words, the divine response is not to answer the human questions directly. The divine response is to instruct the humans to reflect on their own qualifications for asking what they ask.

The human response to the divine questions seems to be an evolving understanding of God. The apostles begin to see Jesus differently, “Who then is this, that even the wind and sea obey him?” They begin to see that there is more of God in Jesus than they had first thought. For Job’s response to God, we have to look at the end of the book, in chapter 41. After two discourses from God, Job finally answers “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours is thwarted. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you – therefore I repent in dust and ashes.” Job rescinds his initial question – do you like to oppress me. The theophany has so changed his view of God that he repents for what he asked.

I have highlighted the parallels between the two stories, but they are not duplicates of each other. Job knows he is facing God; the apostles are not yet sure who Jesus is. God does not solve Job’s material problems, whereas Jesus does address the apostles’ implicit cry for help. By speaking to Job, God is acknowledging Job’s faith. Jesus addresses the apostles need, apparently disregarding their lack faith. I think a theological point lies in the differences between the two stories, and an ethical point lies in their parallels. I want to close by outlining each.

The contrast between the stories suggests a theological point, or something about the way we understand who God is. Job’s desire to engage God in a debate is actually an expression of faith. And, God responds to Job’s faith by making an appearance. Mark’s Jesus indicates that the apostles’ fear of the storm reflects a lack of faith on their part. And yet, Jesus calms the storm any way. What the apostles are doing or not doing does not seem to effect what Jesus will or won’t do. I believe this contrast in the stories suggests that God is at work in the world, and in our lives, whether or not we invite God to be there. Inviting God, or actively participating with God may certainly help us – Mark’s Jesus tells several people “your faith has made you well.” But, God’s involvement with us and the universe generally does not seem to wait on our recognition. And Job surely indicates that God will responds to our faith, but not necessarily in the terms we set. God sets the terms for the relationships.

While the differences between the stories make a theological point, I think the parallels make and ethical one. Job and the apostles, once they go through an encounter with God’s power, have a new understanding of who God is. They seem to see that the questions they started with were somewhat misplaced because the categories they had were somewhat inaccurate. The ethical point of this is that we should be open to God changing our perceptions about God. This very openness may be a change in behavior on our parts.