A Storm on the Sea of Galilee
When Rembrandt was only twenty-nine years old, he painted the gospel scene in which Peter’s boat being thrashed about by the wind and the waves. His point was to show us that a storm can be waiting at any moment. But more importantly, it shows us the proper response to the storm. It’s interesting to note how many people are in the boat. Most people, who glance at the painting quickly, answer thirteen—Jesus plus the Twelve Apostles. However, if you count the figures carefully, there are fourteen. Rembrandt painted himself into the scene. This reflects the ancient practice of lectio divina—the practice of putting ourselves in the biblical scene, asking what would it be like if I were there. What would I be doing? What would I see? What would I hear? What would I feel? This practice of putting ourselves in the scene is part of the genius of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the reflections in his Spiritual Exercises.
In the painting, there are three groups of disciples. In the back of the boat, there’s a small group who, in the midst of the storm, are gathered at Jesus’s feet and keep their eyes focused on him. There is a great calm surrounding this group. In fact, the painting shows a light coming from Christ, and those gathered around Christ share in that light. In great contrast to this light, there is darkness on the other end of the boat. And where this darkness reigns, a second group of disciples is hidden in the shadows. There is a tremendous message in the way Rembrandt uses light in this painting. There is the humble light of Christ that shines in the midst of the darkness, and the Apostles who keep their eyes on Christ share in his light and possess a sense of calm. In contrast, those who do not have their eyes fixed on Christ are greatly disturbed by the wind and the waves and are possessed by the fear and darkness.
There is also a third group of disciples, probably seasoned fisherman, who are fighting the storm and desperately trying to keep the boat from being swamped. And in the midst of this group you see Peter fighting the storm with everything he’s got. We often identify with Peter, trying to take control of our lives and all of the problems that arise. We assume that if we just work harder, then we can make this or that happen. This reliance on our own efforts makes us sort of a Pelagian Peter. Pelagianism was a fourth-century heresy that taught that man was not tainted by Original Sin, and that we could choose to do good and, therefore, achieve salvation without the grace of God.
Rembrandt also depicts a light coming through the clouds, which indicates that the storm is about to break. The irony is that Peter has his back to this light. This often happens in the storms that arise in our lives. When we fight the storms on our own, we are oblivious to the light. We see only darkness. We don’t see the hope, only the despair. We’re not focused on the future, but only on the present problem. When we feel this way, I find that it’s good to dwell on the Apostle John. He’s there in the back with Jesus, looking to the light, and relying on Jesus to get the boat through the storm.
In the midst of this great storm, Christ again says to his Apostles, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” (Mt 8:26). And then, after he commanded the storm to subside and a great calm overtook the Sea of Galilee, “The men marvelled, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?’” (Mt 8:27). Something incredible had happened.
