Jesus is a nut.  I mean, he’s a wild man.  He won’t be pinned down, and following after him is difficult because he zigzags all over the place.

            This morning inside of six short verses, Jesus tells the twelve disciples that they have a lot to worry about, that they have nothing to fear, that they should be fearful, and then to have no fear again. 

            It’s a rapid fire back and forth, like a sermonic ping pong match.  I imagine the disciples were sitting listening, watching the ball bounce back and forth across the table, their heads moving from side to side as he spoke, and in the end they were spinning and confused, wondering, Are we supposed to be scared or not?

            And surely, at least a couple of them were thinking, Do we really want to get tangled up with this stormy mad man?  

            This scene stands as a significant contrast to something that happened a couple of chapters back while they were sailing on the sea of Galilee.

            You remember the story.  Jesus and the disciples were out on the water in a boat.  After the boat got underway Jesus told the disciples which direction to sail, and then he found a comfortable spot and he laid down for a nap.

            Just as quick as he fell off to sleep, a windstorm whipped up on the sea.  The boat rocked back and forth, like a toy tossed around on the water.  Great waves and swells of water came over the sides, the disciples were soaking wet and scared to death, and all the while Jesus slept.

            The disciples screamed and shouted to wake him up.  Jesus stood up in the boat, which you’re not supposed to do of course, but I told you Jesus is a nut.  He stood up and he raised his hands in the air, and he spoke to the wind, the weather and the waves.

            He called off the storm, and the sea became still and smooth like a great glass table top.

            And he said to the disciples, “Don’t be afraid.  Have faith.”

He calmed the storm, right?  He settled the troubled hearts of the disciples, and as we remember the story we breathe easy and take solace in the fact that attaching ourselves to Jesus Christ can bring calm and comfort in the midst of life’s tumultuous weather.

            This morning’s scene is a bit different.  Where once Jesus stood and calmed the storm, today, it feels more like he is causing the storm.

            In the opening lines he begins the back and forth volley about being afraid.  The scribes, the Pharisees, and the skeptics have said that Jesus is the devil, and “if they call me names,” says Jesus, “then I’m afraid, I’m afraid they’re gonna call you the devil too.”

            He says, “but don’t worry if you get called the devil because the truth will win the day.”

            The truth will win the day?  How much comfort is that?

            Then he says, “Don’t worry about people who say terrible things and even hurt or kill you, because even if you die you are God’s child and you will live.”

            Right.  Again, not very comforting.

            “And speaking of God,” continues Jesus, “you might worry about him, at least keep your eye on him because he holds your whole life in his hands.”

            Now, at this point the disciples, are thinking, I’m not sure this is the church for me.   

Because who knew hooking up with this mad Messiah was going to involve getting called the devil and maybe even killed?  Is this the same guy who calmed the storm, because now he seems to be stirring one up…

            It gets worse.

            Jesus says, “I didn’t come to bring peace to the earth!  I didn’t come to calm the storm!  I came with a sword; I came to mix things up!”      

            And it gets worse still.

            Jesus says, “There’s a pretty good chance if you get involved with me your families will fuss and fight.  Sons and daughters will be set against mothers and fathers.  Daughters- in- law will wrangle with mothers- in- law, actually, says Jesus, your entire household will tumble and turn with adversity.”

            After this bit on sword fighting and divided families, I imagine those among us sitting on the fence, you know, not yet decided if they want to follow    Jesus and chase after our God, well those folks hop right down and head the other way.  That is, they head off to look for some other answer, some alternative Christ…one who’s not such a nut.

            I must admit the storm calming Jesus has a better evangelism pitch than the storm causing Jesus.  But I am intrigued by the storm causing Christ.  Intrigued because he’s so straightforward and difficult; with that sword of his       he trims all the fat and fluff off the message.

I mean, Jesus is saying here, Hey, following after me and God is a tough road!  This thing is not just a basket full of flowers!  Christians are called to be involved in hardship.

 Jesus never says life won’t be hard if you come with me.  He does not say that faith will protect us from bad things happening.  He doesn’t offer an easy recipe for living life without falling down.  In fact, he offers just the opposite. 

            I guess what I like about the storm causing Jesus is that he offers testimony to life experiences that seem real.  Life can be hard, and bad things do happen.

            Trying on Christian actions like loving wastefully, practicing mercy, forgiveness, and suppressing selfishness and putting God first, even before family…. these are hard things to do and they might well cause division and difficulty in our lives.

            Now, I don’t think we’re in any real danger of dying because we’re Christians, like the martyrs who’ve gone before us, but ask our friends who witness for Christian peace on the courthouse steps if people ever say nasty catty things to them - called them the devil, in a manner of speaking.

            If you know anyone who was active in the civil rights movement, ask them if they ever paid a price for their protesting.

            I have a good friend who was heavily involved in protesting the bitter evil of racism in the 60’s.  He tells a horrific story about being pulled off a peaceful picket line, loaded up on a bus, and beaten up in the backroom of a jailhouse by a handful of dirty police officers.

            Now, it is far easier to keep to oneself, look out for oneself, tend to and provide for oneself, than it is to get tossed about in the sea of people who need both loving help and to hear the Good News of the Gospel.

            But Jesus did not come talking about the easy way……he says this Christian life can be difficult.

            He says, “I have not come to bring you assurance of a peaceful easy life.  Rather, I have come with a sword, to cut the status quo to pieces.”  And he pretty well leaves it at that.

So where does that leave us?  Well, for one I think it means that Christianity is not for everyone.  That sounds funny doesn’t it?  but it’s true.

Really, if we’re satisfied with our lives just the way they are, then why would we want to let Jesus in to cut everything apart and refashion us in his image?  If we’re satisfied with staying home, with self gratification and easy living, then getting tangled up with Jesus is the last thing that’s going to be attractive to us.

Christianity is not about satisfaction and safety; it is about risk and resurrection.

Christian risk is doing something like - standing up in the boat with Jesus in the middle of the storm and shouting at the weather, I am not afraid because I belong to a God who loves me beyond reason, loves even every last silly little hair on my head!

            And Resurrection means that -  no matter whether we live or die, get hurt, beat up on, or called the devil - we are alive in Jesus Christ!

It’s a funny way, this Christian game, it’s not for everyone.

What do you say?  Shall we get off the fence?

Amen.