εὐαγγελίζω (euaggelizo)
"to announce the Good News of victory in battle"
"to announce the Good News of victory in battle"
“During the fourth watch of the night,
He came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea
they were terrified.
“It is a ghost (φάντασμα phantasma),”
they said, and they cried out in fear.”
He came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea
they were terrified.
“It is a ghost (φάντασμα phantasma),”
they said, and they cried out in fear.”
θεωρέω (theoreo)
("to perceive, discover, ponder a deeper meaning")
("to perceive, discover, ponder a deeper meaning")
Scholars note that the “fourth watch of the night” is the period of time between 3 and 6 in the morning. This is a time of paradox. Around 3am, intense darkness engulfs all reality. On the Sea of Galilee, darkness is so intense that when you stretch out your arm, you can barely see your fingertips. Without light, it is easy to loose your bearings and wander off course. The heart pounds faster. Breathing quickens as fear of being lost takes hold of life. Add an unexpected storm that tosses a 30-foot fishing boat mercilessly at the whim of wind and waves and you have a recipe for disaster.
Yet as time drifts closer to the 6am hour, the other pole of the paradox dawns. Not only does light gradually transform darkness, it does so with colors that are rarely seen in the brightness of noonday sun. Color, born of atmospheric refraction, take hold of life where there was once fear. The captivating prism of light transforms fear to calm and brings a touch of ‘the wow’ to both body and soul. Water, darkness and light all combine to signal hope: the gift of a new day with all of its surprises and blessings - even more today - a Sunday, the first day of the week, the day of Resurrection.
For a group of first-century Galilean fishermen, a particular day dawned like no other. In the midst of dealing with the wind and sea (traditional images of chaos in the Old Testament over which God alone has power to cause order [cosmos]), the unexpected sight of Jesus triggered fear. The Evangelist records the sight as a φάντασμα (phantasma), translated in the New American Bible as “ghost.” In the ancient world, a phantasma was a vision, appearance or apparition that sparked an immediate and automatic response in the observer. On this point, the difference between the ancient Eastern worldview and the current Western worldview is an important backdrop. Generally speaking, the Western mind analyzes. Hence, questions such as ‘Is the appearance real? If so, how? How can one walk on water? etc...’ The Eastern worldview approaches the event from a ‘big picture’ perspective. Initially, the whole event, not the specific details or mechanics of how, is received at faced value and challenges one to make a decision based on the event. While it is natural for the Western mind to ask ‘how,’ the Sacred Scriptures emerge in their written form within the context of the ancient Eastern world. This approach is important for another reason. As written Christian texts emerge in the Greco-Roman empire, phantasma also speaks to a “showing of God” - an epiphany or a theophany.
All of this - the “fourth watch of the night,” the paradox of time, the metaphor of water and wind for chaos and antiquity's meaning of phantasma - gives us much to ponder this Sunday as God’s Word is proclaimed. While the western mind may want to figure out and perhaps dismiss “walking on water” because it seems so disconnected from our lives, caution is strongly advised and needed. None of us can dismiss the reality of darkness, uncertainty and fear in our lives. We wish we would not have to experience it yet maturity demands that each acknowledges times of aimlessness, confusion, and perhaps even despair that cast gradually intensifying darkness on and in our lives. The same fear that gripped the fishermen in the boat grips us and we look for a way out to experience perhaps just a glimmer, if not the rich colors of life grounded in faith, hope and charity. Faith memories instinctively move us to call out “God, come to my assistance!” as Elijah and the fishermen did. The difficulty is that we often block the God working because “I” am in charge, “I” and in control and so run the risk of Jesus passing us by. We call out for help - AND - at the same time we want the revealing of God and Divine Help on our terms, not on the Lord's terms. It is the ever-present struggle in our lives to be in control, to hold not only the remote-control but the batteries as well.
Faith in the Person Jesus always requires letting go of the false self. The paradox is that when we put our hand in the hand of the Man from Galilee” life’s darkness is transformed bit by bit into dazzling colors enabling us to see, hear, speak and live as Galilee’s famous Carpenter Who managed to teach fishermen a thing or two about life ... as Jesus continues to do today for us.
For a group of first-century Galilean fishermen, a particular day dawned like no other. In the midst of dealing with the wind and sea (traditional images of chaos in the Old Testament over which God alone has power to cause order [cosmos]), the unexpected sight of Jesus triggered fear. The Evangelist records the sight as a φάντασμα (phantasma), translated in the New American Bible as “ghost.” In the ancient world, a phantasma was a vision, appearance or apparition that sparked an immediate and automatic response in the observer. On this point, the difference between the ancient Eastern worldview and the current Western worldview is an important backdrop. Generally speaking, the Western mind analyzes. Hence, questions such as ‘Is the appearance real? If so, how? How can one walk on water? etc...’ The Eastern worldview approaches the event from a ‘big picture’ perspective. Initially, the whole event, not the specific details or mechanics of how, is received at faced value and challenges one to make a decision based on the event. While it is natural for the Western mind to ask ‘how,’ the Sacred Scriptures emerge in their written form within the context of the ancient Eastern world. This approach is important for another reason. As written Christian texts emerge in the Greco-Roman empire, phantasma also speaks to a “showing of God” - an epiphany or a theophany.
All of this - the “fourth watch of the night,” the paradox of time, the metaphor of water and wind for chaos and antiquity's meaning of phantasma - gives us much to ponder this Sunday as God’s Word is proclaimed. While the western mind may want to figure out and perhaps dismiss “walking on water” because it seems so disconnected from our lives, caution is strongly advised and needed. None of us can dismiss the reality of darkness, uncertainty and fear in our lives. We wish we would not have to experience it yet maturity demands that each acknowledges times of aimlessness, confusion, and perhaps even despair that cast gradually intensifying darkness on and in our lives. The same fear that gripped the fishermen in the boat grips us and we look for a way out to experience perhaps just a glimmer, if not the rich colors of life grounded in faith, hope and charity. Faith memories instinctively move us to call out “God, come to my assistance!” as Elijah and the fishermen did. The difficulty is that we often block the God working because “I” am in charge, “I” and in control and so run the risk of Jesus passing us by. We call out for help - AND - at the same time we want the revealing of God and Divine Help on our terms, not on the Lord's terms. It is the ever-present struggle in our lives to be in control, to hold not only the remote-control but the batteries as well.
Faith in the Person Jesus always requires letting go of the false self. The paradox is that when we put our hand in the hand of the Man from Galilee” life’s darkness is transformed bit by bit into dazzling colors enabling us to see, hear, speak and live as Galilee’s famous Carpenter Who managed to teach fishermen a thing or two about life ... as Jesus continues to do today for us.
