The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt (1633)
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) is one of the greatest painters in history. And The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, depicting the biblical story (Matthew 8:23–27, Mark 4:35–41, and Luke 8:22–25) is one of his most familiar masterpieces. It has become a devotional treasure to many of us who, like Rembrandt, find ourselves in storms. I've studied the biblical account and also the details of Rembrandt's painting for many years and find in both the hope that there is a path to peace in my own ministry storms as you can see in the analysis below. Though Rembrandt did not picture the calm Jesus gave, it is the most important part of the story.
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Ministry Burnout |
Ministry Secrets |
Ministry Doubt |
Ministry Stress |
Ministry Conflicts |
The journey across Galilee began for the disciples as many others had. Most were veteran sailors and had grown up on Galilee. But in the middle of the night, an infamous storm called a "lailaps" arose threatening to sink the boat and drown them all. Rembrandt captures the chaos and confusion of the Galilee storm but also our own experience of ministry burnout.
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If you look closely at the figures in Rembrandt's painting you see this disciple, in the shadow above Jesus' head. He is terrified. He reminds us of the peril of secret pain. Ministry involves personal pain and sacrifice but ministers are often so busy helping others they fail to properly manage their own pain. Some resort to self-medication strategies and then hide them from others.
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Peter not only felt the fear but lashed out with doubt and confusion. He accused Jesus of not caring that they were going to drown! Ministry doubt is rooted in distorted beliefs about ourselves, ministries, and ultimately God himself. We will never find peace in the storm without addressing those underlying doubts.
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Art historians have noted that there is an extra man in Rembrandt's boat! It is highlighted above and thought to be Rembrandt himself. He displays the stress of the storm along with the others but he looks directly at us to remind us that the danger, pain and failure that comes in the storm is something we must all learn to manage.
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Looking carefully at each of the disciples reveals the long term consequence of ministry storms: conflict. Though some dutifully stick to their business, some are taking it out on one another. As I discuss in my resources, relational conflicts are always a consequence of a storm. For ministers, it can produce a dangerous tendency toward isolation and loneliness.
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