Biblaridion
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Men's hearts failing them for fear
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” (Luke 21:25,26)
Click the button for Jesus and the storm:
The age of reason and the progression of science and technology promised to liberate mankind from superstition and religion and enable him to master his destiny. Instead the ‘false gods’ of the age have heightened his consciousness of utter vulnerability to the vicissitudes of a seemingly indifferent universe. The problems facing humanity are overwhelming and some can even be described as ‘extinction events’; global warming, pandemics, extra-terrestrial impact, natural disasters, wars etc…. [1] From the beginning man has sought self-enlightenment and self-divinisation; to be completely autonomous, but instead has found that he is limited in every aspect of his existence, that he is captive to his environment- that he is in fact dependent and exposed:
“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” (Gen.3: 9)
Globalisation has brought increasing poverty to the third world and employment insecurity to the developed world; as a consequence levels of anxiety and depression have escalated: “Epidemiological studies have shown that more people are suffering from major depression than ever before - at ever-younger ages.” [2] Anxiety, depression and fear are exacerbated by crime [3] and also by war: “War fever tends always to be sporadic and subject to disillusionment. Its underside is death anxiety, in this case related less to combat than to fears of new terrorist attacks at home or against Americans abroad--and later to growing casualties in occupied Iraq.” [4] Terror has a traumatising effect on society: “At its nucleus terrorism is psychological as well as physical. It paralyzes minds and emotions as much as it explodes buildings, buses, or planes.” [5]
The power of nightmares
Fear and anxiety are being used by the political classes to manipulate the public: "It is likewise arguable that the present assault on civil liberties, far from being the 'result' of terrorism, reflects the cynical manipulation of popular anxiety by those already committed to a more authoritarian vision.” [6] New fears are encouraged and “myths” are constructed in order to exercise control over democratic populations; this aspect of the war on terror is examined in the programme “the power of nightmares.” [7]
The Storm
“And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea, and they entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. But he said unto them, It is I; be not afraid. Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went. The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw saw that there was none other boat there save one and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone.."(John 6:16-22)
In the Johannine account the "ship" is a metaphor for the church that struggles to make any headway in the storm until Jesus appears and then it reaches its destination "immediately." The people knew that something unusual had happened for they observed that the disciples had departed without Jesus and yet he arrived together with them. Perhaps he had met them on the lake in another vessel? But there was only one ship - and so it is that there is only one vehicle for redemption and once Jesus joins his church the sovereign reign of God will be inaugurated.
Fear not
"And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God." (Mtt.14:23-33)
Jesus exhorts us not to be fearful but rather to demonstrate faith in his ability to save us. He is able to calm the storm and rescue the ship -truly He is the Son of God.
Notes
[1] The following websites present some of the most challenging (and frightening) events facing humanity:
http://www.globalchange.com/birdflu.htm
http://www1.tpgi.com.au/users/tps-seti/spacegd7.html
http://hsv.com/scitech/earthsci/quake.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/africa/03/aids_debate/html/default.stm
[2] James Mauro and Peter Breggin, “And Prozac for All,” (Psychology Today July-Aug.1994)
[3] "For at least a generation, anxiety about crime has been central to the landscape of U.S. politics. This is emotional, contradictory and bewildering terrain." Bruce Shapiro, How the War on Crime Imprisons America, (The Nation 22 Apr.1996)
[4] Robert Jay Lifton, American Apocalypse, (The Nation 22 Dec.2003: 11)
[5] Roderick Hindery, The Anatomy of Propaganda within Religious Terrorism, (The Humanist Mar.-Apr.2003)
[6] Joel Z. Eigerman, Security vs. Hysteria in U.S, (Washington Report on Middle East Affairs Dec.2003: 40)
[7] Part one, Baby It's Cold Outside, traces the origins of the modern neo-conservative and radical Islamist movements in the post-war period, how they both saw modern liberal freedoms as a threat to society and how the Soviet Union was represented as "the evil empire". The second programme, The Phantom Victory explores how the two groups with seemingly opposing ideologies, the radical Islamists and neo-conservatives, came together to fight and defeat Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Finally, The Shadows In The Cave, looks at how in the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the neo-conservatives reconstructed the radical Islamists in the image of their last evil enemy, the Soviet Union - a sinister web of terror run from the centre by Osama Bin Laden in his lair in Afghanistan. And asks who benefits from this?
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"For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Rev.19:10)
