Jesus Calms The Storm | Week 30

Good morning, church. It’s great to be back here on another Sunday. And before we get started, happy NFL Sunday. I see some people, I see someone with a Dolphins jersey on. How are we feeling about the Dolphins this year? Okay. I’m rooting for the Dolphins. Though I’m not a Dolphins fan. I’m a Bucks fan.

I’m for Tampa. So I’m excited about the NFL season this season. For those that don’t know me, my name is Mike, and I serve here on staff, helping with small groups. And if you’re visiting here at the building or you’re visiting online, we’re so happy that you decided to spend your Sunday morning with us. If you haven’t been with us, we’ve been in a sermon series called The Ministry of Jesus.

So we’ve been inching our way through this series. It’s a two plus year service series, so we’re excited. In this series, we’ve been saying that our goal is to walk through every engagement that Jesus has, every interaction, every conversation that Jesus is a part of, so that we can find ourselves on the receiving end of his teachings, his instructions, his healings, his warnings. And today I’m super excited because we are going to continue with the series, but we’re going to be picking up in Mark chapter four. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to get right into the text.

If you need a title just because that’s helpful for some people, the title of today’s talk is Quiet. Quiet. Quiet. Yes, you heard me right. Quiet is the title.

Now, if you have a Bible, you can go ahead and turn to Mark, chapter four, verse 31. Otherwise the passage will be up on the screen. Mark, chapter four, verse 31 says, okay, clicker is giving me issues today. Click.

Is that working? Can you advance the slide?

Okay. Awesome. Perfect. Mark, chapter four, verse 35. It says, that day when evening came, he said to his disciples, let us go over to the other side.

Okay, circle. Two words. If you’re taking notes, circle that day and then circle other side. A quick word on each. First off, why does this story start with that day?

Well, early on in this chapter, which was earlier that day, Jesus, the well known rabbi, had begun teaching huge crowds of people for hours around a lake. His ministry was known all over Israel, as some of you know. So thousands of people would come from up and down Palestine to listen to him teach. So much so that by Mark 4, there’s no room in the synagogue, much less the house. There’s no room in town. He has to go out to a desert, up to the mountain on the side of a lake. There’s no room for him even on the beach, as we learned in Mark chapter four, early on in Mark 4, the crowds, they ended up pressing him all the way to the water’s edge on the beach. And the only way he can get some space between himself and the crowd was by getting into a boat. And once he got into that boat off the crowded shore, he could freely speak to the crowds from the boat out on the water. And the good thing about speaking out on the water is that the water would act as a bit of a reflection for his voice, and the hillside surrounding it would act as an amphitheater, and will create a little bit of amphitheater that people be able to see Him clearly and hear Him clearly. Now, with people from all over in attendance, they would just sit in his presence for hours, and they would just hang on his every word.

And so after Jesus had been teaching all day long that day, the story picks up by him saying, let’s go somewhere else. Let’s go to the other side. I would imagine after he spent all day long right in one place, he would want to leave. Not because he doesn’t like crowds or because he’s an introvert or whatever. He wanted to get some rest.

He wanted to recharge. So they decided that they’re going to make their way to the other side. Now, before we talk about the other side of the lake, let’s talk a little bit more about the side that they’re currently on. The lake that they had spent all day long on was the Sea of Galilee. And the Sea of Galilee is actually a lake on the north side of Israel.

It’s 7 miles wide and 13 miles long. It’s located in a basin about 700ft below sea level with mountains on both sides. But the mountains on the east in particular, skyrocket up. Mount Herman, for example, is 9200ft above sea level. And the interchange between the warm lower air rising up from the Sea of Galilee and the cold upper air falling down from Mount Herman would cause, believe it or not, disturbances with the weather patterns. Any meteorologists would tell you a ferocious, violent storm at this lake could come up out of nowhere.

And these conditions, they could torment the lake. In fact, to this day just did some research here. Stick with me. To this day, there are warning signs all over the parking lot because you can, true story, park your car on a bright, sunny, galilean day, walk into a restaurant for lunch, and come out an hour later and watch your car float off into the surf. It’s dangerous, and it’s really unexpected.

Now, the other side was a region called the Decapolis. And what’s happening in this story is that Jesus wants to cross over from Jewish territory into Gentile territory. And just think like a Jew here, in Jewish imagination the land of the Gentiles is the land of demons. It’s the land of sinners. It’s the land of spirits. It’s the land of the Roman army. Basically, in a Jews mind, Jesus wants to cross over from a place that they’re proud of into a place that they wish they had know nothing about. So that’s the background, right? So we pick them in verse 36.

Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, Jesus, just as he was in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. The phrase furious squall in Greek can be translated hurricane. And so here’s the visual what’s happening in the story.

The waves are crashing over the side of the boat, right? Water is filling up to the brim and the boat is actually about to capsize. And keep in mind they are in a boat, not a ship. In 1986, a boat from around the time of Jesus was found in the mud in the north part of Galilee, about 5 miles from Capernaum in Jesus hometown. Here’s a picture. Well, it was supposed to be a picture. Oh, here it is. Perfect. So here’s a picture from the internet that I found. This is the remains of the boat that they found from the time of Jesus.

So this boat is about like 26ft long and 7ft wide and it’s 4ft deep. It was powered by one sail and typically about four people would be on the paddles on the oars and it would seat about 15 people at most.

So I’m saying all this to say you do not want to face a hurricane in this, am I right? That’s basically what it looked like. In the front part of the boat there was a sandbag used for stability and Jesus just found himself a comfortable spot in the back of the boat and he was just back there napping, napping on a cushion.

Now this verse, it says so much to me about Jesus. Verse 38, Jesus in the stern sleeping on a cushion, so I’m going to stop there.

It says so much to me about Jesus. For starters, it says that Jesus was wiped out. He was wiped out, exhausted from a long day of teaching. I could only imagine teaching all day long right out in the Palestinian sun, no microphone on a moving platform and a small boat. I can only imagine he’s dead tired.

This verse paints a beautiful picture of the humanity of Jesus. He gets tired like you and I get tired, right? But even more than that, I believe this verse demonstrates Jesus trust in God. This is a sign of the fact that Jesus was at peace, he was at rest, he was calm, he was relaxed, he was not stressed out. This verse is about Jesus trust that God will take care of him even in the midst of a hurricane. While the disciples on the other end are freaking out, right?

Verse 38 the disciples woke him and said to him, teacher, don’t you care if we drown? They are scared, they are rude as people often are in a crisis. And I can’t judge these guys too harshly because if I were in their shoes I would probably be freaking out just like them. I can’t guarantee you that I would have manners in a time like this. Manners wouldn’t be at the top of my list.

I’m just going to be honest with you guys, right? Now for us, we can only imagine what they’re going through. The boat is probably rocking back and forth, right? It’s filled with water. And the disciples are just sitting there trembling, afraid, intimidated out of their minds because of this horrifying storm.

And even more than that, as the scripture says, it’s evening time so it’s getting dark, right? They probably can’t see where they are. They can’t tell how close they are to the shore. They don’t even know if any other boats are around them to help them. They for sure are in terrible danger and they are scared for their lives.

And so in their panic they yell out to Jesus, teacher, don’t you care if we drown? In other words, we’re about to die. Where are you? You’re asleep? What is wrong with you? Don’t you care?

You see it would have been one thing if Jesus had said fellas, a storm is coming. Peter, one of his disciples. Peter, you stay on the helm. John, another disciple. Make sure that sail is secure. John, get that gear tied down. If Jesus had been actively involved, giving orders, telling them hang in there guys, we’re going to make it. I’m sure the storm would have still been difficult but it probably would have been a bit more bearable for them. The disciples probably felt like what they needed most in a time like this was Jesus’s calm leadership, his assurance.

But what did they get from Jesus? Sleep. Sacked out in the back of the boat, seemingly oblivious to their dire need. In their minds I would imagine Jesus is physically there but appears to be mentally absent, taking a nap, unable to help them in their time of need. And so when the disciples are asking, don’t you care? They’re literally asking, do we mean so little to you?

It’s interesting that Jesus does not specifically answer that question about whether he cared or not because what I believe is that they didn’t need a verbal affirmation of his care. What they needed most was a demonstration of his care. That’s what they got. Verse 39. He got up, Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, quiet, be still.

In other words, shut up, be quiet, sit down. No more from you, hurricane. Now the language used right here is the exact same language used in Mark chapter one for Jesus casting out a demon. Remember that story? Right in the beginning with Jesus in the synagogue and there’s a demonized man and this demonized man basically exposes himself as Jesus begins to teach. In the passage, the demon yells out at Jesus and exposes himself. And Jesus said in response to this demonized man, be quiet. Come out of him. Same language here, right? You see, the reason I’m pointing this out is that what Jesus is demonstrating in his ministry is that not only does he have authority over the spiritual realm, but he also has authority over the forces of nature. You see, when you look at Jesus relationship with the weather in this story, notice he doesn’t wish the storm away or complain it away, or suggest it away, or dare I even say, he doesn’t even pray it away. Jesus says quiet. Be still.

Watch what happens. Then the wind died down, and it was completely calm. Jesus commanded the wind and the waves to be quiet, and immediately the storm stopped in his tracks.

You see, it wasn’t that the storm began to let up, and eventually it cleared. It immediately stopped. Now, if the wind dies down, the waves typically would keep on rolling. But here the wind stopped and the waves followed suit, and this story all became calm. And the sea, I would imagine, was as smooth as glass.

The way I pictured what happened was that in the instant the situation changed from a raging hurricane to a serene lake. Just imagine for a second all my Florida people if Hurricane Andrew went from category five to a beautiful sunny day with a simple command. Imagine that. In this passage, Jesus is demonstrating to his disciples that he is more powerful than any storm that could ever come their way. Just as easily as he had healed the sick and casted out demons, he just as easily controlled the storm. Have you ever seen a violent animal be muzzled?

You see, in the Greek, this passage is saying that Jesus is so powerful that he’s able to muzzle a violent storm. Jesus told the weather what to do, and the wind and waves obeyed him completely and instantly.

There’s a lot of people that get paid to talk about the weather, but no one gets paid to change the weather. Am I right? You see, this storm that’s so terrified these men stood no problem for Jesus. And now Jesus turns from speaking to the storm to speaking to the disciples. And here’s what he has to say to them.

He said to his disciples, Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? Here, after Jesus shuts down the hurricane, he shifts the conversation from him being questioned to them having to answer his questions. Jesus asked, Why are you so afraid? The word afraid in Greek means to be cowardly or to be timid to the point of giving up.

And then he goes on to ask, do you still have no faith? It’s like he’s saying, after all we have been through, I mean, you’ve been with me for months now. Miracle after miracle, healing after healing, exorcism after exorcism, resurrection after resurrection. You’ve seen me conquer devils, disease, and depravity. Do you still, after all we have been through, do you still have no faith?

You see, the thing that was most disturbing to Jesus in this story was not the storm. The thing that disturbed him the most was his disciples lack of faith. You see, he did not criticize these men for their sailing skills, nor did he coach them on the art of bailing boats. He didn’t rebuke them for ruining his nap as some of us would. Am I right?

He rebukes them for their lack of faith. Jesus expected them to do one thing in the midst of that storm, and that one thing was to trust Him. So ironically, after Jesus gave them a reason to trust him, verse 41 says they were terrified.

Terrified is an even more graphic and vivid word than they were afraid. You see, first they are afraid of the hurricane. Now they are terrified of the rabbi who has power over the hurricane.

And then we get to the main closing question the author Mark wants us to walk away with. Verse 41. Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him.

That statement can be translated, even the wind and the waves are at his beck and call. Now, if you know the Old Testament, do you know exactly who Mark is saying Jesus is? Mark is saying Jesus is much more than a rabbi. He is the embodiment of the Creator, God. Because in the Hebrew Scriptures, only God the Creator, has power over the seas.

For example, Psalm 89, verse nine you as in God, rule over the surging sea. When its waves mount up, you steal them. Psalm 107, verse 29 he made the storm, God made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Psalm 65 verse 5 through seven, verses five through seven.

You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds. God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas. Who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of the waves, and the turmoil of the nations. One more. Nahem, chapter one, verse four. He rebukes the sea and dries it up. He makes all the rivers run dry, Bashan and Carmel wither, and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. That’s four examples out of a dozen examples all over scriptures. Point being, God is the one and only being in the cosmos with power over the waters and over creation itself. But in Mark’s story, who has the power?

Jesus. Jesus has power over the sea. In other words, Marks goal is to help us see that the God who made the world in the beginning, the guy who brought the Earth, the primordial oceans of chaos, that God is Jesus. Over and over and over again. If you stick around with this series, we’re going to see from the Gospels that Jesus does only what God could do. We’re going to see that the Gospels are saying Jesus is much more than a nice teacher.

Jesus is God. And for us, since Jesus is God, we can trust that. And here’s the application for us today. We can trust that Jesus is with us when our quote unquote boat is about to go under and we are freaking out. Wouldn’t you agree?

Mark was written a few decades after Jesus and as far as we know, mark was written to followers of Jesus in the city of Rome facing persecution, prison, torture and death and all that suffering at the hands of a crazy, sadistic, Hitler type figure named Caesar Nero. And the disciples at Mark’s day, I would imagine, like the disciples on the Sea of Galilee were freaking out. And so Mark was saying to those ancient disciples, just like he’s saying to us here today, that despite what you might feel, Jesus is not far off. He’s not aloof or indifferent or uncaring or numb to your pain or to your fear or to your worry because Jesus is just a few feet away asleep on a cushion. Meaning Mark is telling us that Jesus is with us from beginning to end.

And this story is Mark’s invitation for us to trust that when we’re in a storm or in a threatening situation, I know for some of you, you may not feel like he’s present because you’re out of work, because you’re not married, because your child is sick, because your marriage is, because your loved one passed away. And I get that and I hurt with you. And Mark is saying that despite what your storm is, you don’t have to wonder where Jesus is. You don’t have to accuse him of not caring. You don’t have to freak out and question his heart.

Why? Because he’s present. Why? Because he’s with you. And because he’s with you please don’t mistake his silence for his absence. This is what Mark is trying to help us see. His timing is perfect and his presence is constant. He’s with you even if it feels like he abandoned you. Now because Jesus is with us the posture that Mark is inviting us to have is a posture of faith. And faith, as some of us know, is not dependent on our experiences or our calculations.

Faith is dependent on our obedience to Jesus despite our circumstances, faith says we are more confident in what Jesus says than what we see.

Just to get back to the story, what we saw from the disciples, obviously, as Jesus puts it, is a lack of faith. You may remember from the onset that Jesus told us disciples before the journey started, that we’re headed to the other side of the lake. You guys remember that? That was the plan, that was the mission. Meaning making it to the other side was always Jesus plan.

But the disciples and the unbelief indirectly questioned that plan. Did you catch that? They questioned that plan when they started to question their safety and Jesus concern for them. When they essentially said, we’re going to die. Don’t you care? That question said Jesus can’t get them to the other side because Jesus doesn’t care? That’s essentially what I understand from that passage.

And what does that mean? I believe if they had believed his words, then they probably wouldn’t have questioned his heart. It’s like when the fear started to set in, they forgot all about Jesus heart to get them to the other side. And I’m bringing this up because don’t we often do the same thing? When it looks like Jesus isn’t going to do what he said he would do? How often do we put his instructions to the side? In our fear, in our disappointment, in our uncertainty, how often do we disregard the commands of Christ?

Unfortunately, when our expectations of Jesus aren’t met, we could sometimes attack his character and question his plan.

Come on, church. As the Baptist ministers will say, come on, somebody.

And the reason I’m saying all of this is because you may not find yourselves on a boat that has been swamped by the waves. But you may find yourselves in a counselor’s office. Or at home in front of a mountain of bills. Or in a hospital waiting room.

Or in a gurney going into surgery. Or in court. Or at a funeral home. Whatever it may be. In those times, Jesus is calling you to trust that he’s present and that his way is better than your way even when you don’t understand. He’s calling you to trust that he is good even when life looks bad. He’s calling you to trust that he can intervene in any situation. And even if he doesn’t intervene, he’s calling you to trust his judgment. Brothers and sisters, this is the posture of faith that Jesus is calling us to have.

As I come in for a close here, one of the things that I find ironic is that it’s only the wind and the waves that are obeying Jesus in this passage. Did you catch that? Only nature was obeying Jesus. What does that mean for us? I want to challenge us to not let it be said that we are so afraid that we accuse Jesus of wrongdoing.

I want to challenge us to be willing to live in such a way where we are more convinced and what Jesus says than what we see or experience. As we prepare for communion, I want to share a fun fact from this story that I believe is related to communion. Are you guys ready? Yes. This entire story is a compare and contrast between Jonah and Jesus.

I don’t know if you guys caught that. They are similar and dissimilar. Similar in the fact that they are both prophets on their way to Gentiles, Jonah to Nineveh, Jesus to the Decapolis. They both are in a storm, they both sleep through a storm, they both are woken up by sailors who are scared to death. They both stop the storm. Jonah through attempted suicide, and Jesus through his power over creation itself.

But they are dissimilar in a gigantic way. Jonah is running away from God’s call and Jesus on the other hand, is running towards God’s call.

Mark’s point, I don’t know if you caught it, is that Jesus is a greater than Jonah. Meaning instead of running away from God’s call because his heart was numb and indifferent to the pain. And sending forward to face guys called head on bleeding with love for the world. He’s running to preach against evil, chaos, the demonic powers at the back of the world. He’s running right into the battle with the sea itself. And this defeat on the lake of Galilee in Mark four is just one victory towards the ultimate victory that was to come. When Jesus was on the cross, he faced Satan sin and death head on. And the awesome thing about Jesus, unlike Jonah, is that he didn’t jump overboard. Jesus did not abandon ship. He stayed the course and took the full weight of evil on his shoulders.

And through his death and his resurrection, he broke the grip of evil’s power over the world. And because of that, I hope you take encouragement in this. And because of that, you and I, we have nothing to fear. Despite the challenges that we face, we can trust that Jesus is with us, that he’s for us, that he cares for us, and that he has power to eliminate any storm that comes our way. I hope you find encouragement in that fact and I’ll pray for communion.

Heavenly Father, thank you that we get a chance to just see your power, we get a chance to see just how you are able to move in a way that really is we can’t even fathom how awesome you are and how powerful you are and how you can just shut up the wind and the waves and storms, and yet you desire to be with us, you desire to live inside of us. We’re so humbled that even when we are afraid, you care for us. That our pain, our fear, our anxiety is not something that you’re indifferent towards.

But do you have thankful that Jesus is not like Jonah, that Jesus is willing and he did. He ran towards your call, he got on the cross and died for us. Thank you. That he was willing to jump into the sea and help us to be free. Thank you God that we get a chance to just worship you and sing some more to you.

I pray for the rest of this week that we can just have you in our hearts, that you’re with us even when it’s seems like times are bleak. I love you so much. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.