When We Need Rebuking

Saturday of the Third Week in Course 2023

Today we have heard the tale of two rebukes, rebukes of power and harm against human beings. All this week the liturgy has shared with us the story of David as King of Israel. Earlier this month he and his trusted followers were running from Saul, but treating the mad ruler with the respect due his office. Then the Philistines killed Saul and his son, Jonathan, and David became King of all Israel in Hebron. But shortly after that, David–probably through subterfuge–took a more important city, Jerusalem, and brought the Ark of the Covenant there to become the nucleus for a Temple. We had a feast day yesterday, but without that celebration we would have heard the story of how David succumbed to the temptations of jealousy and lust to commit adultery with Bathsheba and murder against her loyal husband, Uriah. It’s like David silenced his conscience by telling it, “Hush, I’m the king. I have all the power. I make the rules. Who are you to tell me what not to do?”

So David did not listen to his conscience warn him his actions were evil. But David was supposed to be a man “after the Lord’s own heart.” So if that internal voice of God was silenced, then God stirred up the prophet Nathan to tell the story of the rich, powerful man who stole and slaughtered a poor man’s only lamb to feed a visitor. David, acting in one of his many kingly roles as judge, condemned the man, but may very well have thought to himself, “am I about to be hoist on my own petard?” Nathan sprung the well-placed trap: “Thou art the man.” David had to admit his guilt, and he confessed the whole truth. Yes, he had sinned against Bathsheba. And Uriah. And the baby so conceived. And his nation. But he goes immediately to the root of the sin:" I have sinned against the LORD." Every sin is first of all an offense against the Lord, and deserves to be rebuked. If not by the sinner as soon as the sin is committed, then by someone else who is more attuned to the Lord’s law of Love. Don’t leave here today with an unrebuked, unconfessed sin. Repent and be forgiven.

Jesus, having worn Himself out sharing the word of God, requested His disciples to go across the Lake Tiberias. They took their fishing boat, and others followed. A great wind blew down, probably from the northwest through the surrounding mountain gaps. The boat shipped water and the disciples were terrified. They then rebuked Jesus, asleep in the back: "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?"

Jesus, with whom the disciples had traveled for a year or two already, was the last person on earth who could be accused of not caring. But when we are in trouble, maybe even threatened with death like the apostles felt, don’t we all get tempted to think God doesn’t care? Don’t we want to shake the Lord’s shoulder and tell Him to wake up and help?

In this case, Jesus simply rebuked the wind and waves: “Peace, be still.” There was instantaneous calm in both. Nature, a divine creation sustained in existence by God, obeyed the Source of all power. Then Jesus, whose watchword elsewhere is “Be not afraid,” then quietly rebukes His disciples: "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" This leaves them all in awe and they wonder, “Who is this who even commands nature?”

We know a little bit about Jesus, the God-man, the Incarnate Word. All authority in heaven and on earth is assigned to the Lord Jesus. Let’s pay better attention to His words, especially His rebukes given to us in Scripture, and model ourselves on Him as much as grace permits.