The Sin That Surrounds

So much of the what we read in Scripture is metaphor. Consider the verses provided a couple of days ago (Mt 14:22-36, Mk. 4:35, 41; 6:48, 51). Taken literally these passages would be little more than a "Dummy's Guide to Sailor Survival." We would understand it as simply a prescription for prayer should we ever find ourselves in a small boat being overtaken by the winds and waves of a storm. Of course, it is much more than that - it is a metaphor. What if the storm was the sin that surrounds us? Sin infects every aspect of the environment - bringing disorder, decay, and disrepair to everything we encounter. All is not as it should be. In each of these stories we learn that as the storms of sin descend and dissipate our hope is to remain in Christ. He is our "boat" of security - the vessel that prevents our sinking helplessly in the mire. Note in Mark when Jesus enters the boat peace replaces humanistic struggle at the "oars" (what are your "oars"?). We are made safe from the sin that surrounds in the security of the Savior that surrounds.