ONE OF THE OTHER BOATS
Richard B Gillion
2000

TOBIAS	Gosh, Peter, wasn’t that a bad storm last night?

PETER	Worst I’ve ever been in and I’ve been in a few.

TOBIAS	My dad says we haven’t had one like that in 20 years.

PETER	If they happen once in 20 years last night was that once.

TOBIAS	And it was such a steady breeze when we sailed - none of the usual warnings.

PETER	How are the others?

TOBIAS	They’re OK.  How about you?  You looked as if you’d had a fright when you came in.

PETER	I’ve stopped shaking thanks.

TOBIAS	Your boat managed to get the worst of it -- lucky for you you had Jesus on board.

PETER	You didn’t do too badly then?

TOBIAS	No, we were a bit behind you and could see you struggling, but the worst was over before we reached you.  In fact I couldn’t believe how quickly it died down.

PETER	You weren’t scared then?

TOBIAS	Oh no, we reckoned if Jesus chose to sail then it must have been going to turn out all right.

PETER	He’s not indestructible you know.

TOBIAS	No, but he must have known it would be OK.

PETER	Well Jesus sure thought it was going to be OK -- he slept through practically the whole thing.

TOBIAS	There you are then.

PETER	I don’t think you understand.  We were about to go under.  We had everyone working like maniacs and it wasn’t enough.  We had the sails down the moment it struck and then had a fight with them in the wind to get them stowed away.  We used oars to try to get some stability until that got too dangerous.  We had no strength left and it was getting worse.

TOBIAS	And Jesus slept through the lot?

PETER	Until we couldn’t take any more.  Then we woke him up.

TOBIAS	And he gave you a hand with the ropes did he?

PETER	No, he saw the terrified look on our faces and spoke to the storm.

TOBIAS	Sorry, Peter, he spoke to whom?

PETER	To the storm.

TOBIAS	I thought that’s what you said.  What did he say?

PETER	He told the wind to be quiet and the waves to be still.

TOBIAS	Ah, that explains it then.

PETER	You’re taking this all very calmly.  I just told you that Jesus commanded the storm to stop and it did and all you can say is “That explains it then.”

TOBIAS	Well it does.  If he is announcing the Kingdom of God and doing the things he is doing, then he must be God’s chosen one.  He’s obeying God and not just making his own plans.  So God isn’t going to let anything happen to him that isn’t meant to happen.  Even Jonah was saved and he was doing the wrong thing.

PETER	It’s not just that God is protecting him.  Jesus actually took authority over that storm.  It’s as if something of his true nature was revealed for the first time.  We felt like worshipping him.

TOBIAS	 I thought you were all down on your knees.

PETER	Something dawned on us then, and I suppose if we’d known it at the start we would not have been so afraid.  It’s still not an experience I want to repeat.

TOBIAS	Who is this that even the winds and the waves obey him?

PETER	That’s what we’ll be asking ourselves for some time to come.