small ships

The header of this blog is a storm cloud over the Sea of Galilee. I shot it a couple weeks ago from Mount Arbel, where Jesus may have climbed when he went to pray.

Like everyone else, I was surprised by the small size of the Sea of Galilee. It’s the size of one of our lakes, except for Lake Michigan, which is more like a sea. Unless it’s the Sea of Galilee, which is more like a lake.

I wondered how the disciples could become so terrified on such a small body of water. I scoffed at their fear, until I saw the size of their boat. A museum on the Sea of Galilee displays the hull of a first century boat. Here’s a picture of what was found, and a recreation of what it was. With 13 men on board, this shallow boat must have set low in the water.

The disciples’ boat reminds me that you and I are fragile. Our accomplishments might seem impressive to some, but in our heart of hearts, we all know that our boat is shallow and small. It wouldn’t take too large of a storm to swamp us.

Praise God that his Son was not too proud to enter our boat. He shrunk enough to join our frailty. He understands what it’s like to be fragile, and he retains the power to do something about it. It matters that our Savior did not exercise his sovereignty over the storm from on high, but right here. When he said, “Peace, be still,” he was standing with us. He calmed the sea from inside the boat.