“Why are you so fearful?”: why Christ connects fear with lack of faithtranslated
One day, while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus and His disciples were caught in a strong storm. The boat was flooded with waves, the students got scared and woke up the sleeping Teacher. The Savior pacified the wind and the sea, and then asked them: “Why are you so fearful? How come you don’t have faith?” Why does the Lord associate fear with a lack of faith? Let's try to figure it out.
Priest Evgeny MURZIN
editor of the direction "Faith and Church"
What happens to a person when he is scared?
Fear arises as a reaction to a threat to life, health, safety or any other value that is significant to us. The source of danger may be obvious, as, for example, during a fire or flood, or it may exist mainly in the imagination: a person is afraid of future dismissal, a fatal diagnosis, loneliness, public condemnation, loss of social status, etc. Such deferred fear is more correctly called anxiety.
Our body reacts to any fear before our consciousness has time to analyze the situation in detail: breathing and heartbeat quicken, muscles become ready for action, and all attention is focused on the source of danger. The body redistributes resources so that a person can quickly...
