He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
– Mark 4:40 (NIV)

With a storm raging around their boat, the disciples of Jesus became terrified and roused him from sleep. Prior to boarding the boat, the disciples had seen Jesus heal several people, exorcise unclean spirits from others, and cleanse a leaper. Considering those events, his questions “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” are not out-of-order. But, in spite of everything they had seen him do, they still felt fear in their hearts when faced with the possibility of death.

What comforts me about this passage in the Gospel of Mark is that even in their moment of fear and no faith, Jesus still responded to his friends. He calmed the storm around them and saved their lives. Even when they forgot everything about the miracles he had already performed before their eyes, he still loved them and protected them. It wasn’t until after he calmed the storm that Jesus wondered about their fear and their faith. It was in that calming of the storm and that questioning of his friends that he very simply reminded them who they already knew he was through his actions and his words.

The next time I am living in a space of no faith, I need to remember the way Jesus responded to his friends in this passage. Not only because I need to be reminded of Jesus’s unconditional love for me, as one of his disciples; but also because of my intention to be a follower of Jesus. If Jesus responded to others who lacked faith in him with love and compassion, perhaps I need to rethink how I respond to those who lack faith in me. Sure, I can easily go to Jesus and ask his forgiveness for the way I live in fear when things aren’t going my way, or when I have lost faith in his plan for me. That is a wonderful part of knowing in my heart that he loves me and accepts me as I am. But, it is when I respond with compassion and courtesy to those around me who don’t treat me with the respect I have earned that I am truly living as a follower of Christ.