Who is this?

The gospel of Mark records the disciples' reaction after Jesus calmed the storm "Who is this that even the wind and the waves obey him?"

I have often wondered whether or not Jesus' timing was good (a perfect forecast) or if he made the weather there and then. The landbreeze and katabatic (downslope) winds get quite strong on the Sea of Galilee. It is no small feat to stop the wind, and the resulting choppy waters in their tracks, unless of course you are God.

Currently trying to produce weather briefings for an international experiment at Darwin, I have found that the wind doesn't obey me, or our weather models. Computers have come a long way, as have the models of the weather. However, the deep tropics continue to present problems. When we try to forecast there or anywhere, it is a reminder that the mind of mortals is finite, that of God infinite. The wind and the waves don't obey us, and for the sake of creation I hope they never do, but at least that we continue to understand them so that we might look after them and ourselves.