The Empire of Jesus
“The men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him! ’’ — Marz. viii. 27.
HE marvellous thing about Christ’s influence is the nature of the things which
He influenced. The winds and the sea — these are the wayward forces, the types of variableness, the elements which cannot be counted on. If one can rule these he must have the root of empire in him. Our marvel at the sway of Jesus is the same marvel as that of the men on the Lake of Galilee — that “the winds and the sea” should obey Him. It is not the number of His followers that startles us. Buddha had more followers; Mohammed had more followers. It is the quality of the followers of Jesus that wakes our wonder. They are drawn from “the winds and the sea” — from the sphere of wayward forces. Both Buddha and
Mohammed dwelt:in a stagnant atmosphere.
They stood, not by the brink of the sea, but by the side of a dead pool. They heard no sound of waves, they listened to no murmur of the storm; theirs was a rod of empire over minds only half awake. But the mission of Jesus was a mission by the sea. His was a message delivered in front of the winds. He spoke to minds which were already on the wing — instinct with new life and separate life. Europe had come over into Asia, and the pulse of Asia had been quickened. Men had ceased to be uniform; they had begun to think independently. Opposite tastes had risen; opposing schools were rising. And yet this complex world agreed on Jesus. He took representatives from every school. He conquered men amid their varieties. He did not first ask them to give up their varieties. He took them into the ark as they were — of every kind. He did not ask them to be of one nature. He let them keep their separate tastes, their different likings. He allowed the winds to blow as before, the sea to wave as before. He required but one article of agreement — obedience to Himself. No wonder the men of Galilee marvelled!
O Lord Jesus Christ, Thine has been the empire of the West — an empire over the winds and the sea! Other masters have ruled the Eastern mind; they have wielded the sceptre over sleeping souls and passionless hearts. But Thou hast reigned where passion reigns. Thy flag has waved amid the tempests of the spirit. Thou hast been most adored just where the pulses of life beat strongest. Thine is not the Sway over a bruised and broken humanity. Thine is not the dominion over a valley and shadow of death. Thy kingdom has not only the power but the glory. Thy subjects are free souls, living hearts. Thou art king, not where Buddha is king — amid the tombstones, not where Mohammed is king — amid the grave-clothes, but where the streams flow, where the rivers run, where the torrents sweep, where the breezes dance and play. Thy people are willing in the day of Thy power; the winds and the sea obey Thee.