The Storm Breaker

Mark 4:35–41 “On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.” After dismissing the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And a fierce gale of wind developed, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling with water. And yet Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?””

This account of Jesus commanding the storm to cease is a favorite among Christians, and with good reason. It does not take a deep theological dive or intense meditation to draw encouragment & to see it’s practical application in our lives. That is not to suggest that we should not dig deeper, which we will do today, and meditating on God’s Word, no matter how familiar we think we are with the text, is always a beneficial endevour. I am simply pointing out that this account is easiliy accessible, and is loved for that reason (among others).

This account is also found in Matt 8:23-27 & Luke 8:22-25, showing slight differences in the perspectives of those who were present. For example, In verse 25 of his account, Matthew quotes Jesus as saying, “Save us- we are perishing!”, as opposed to Mark’s record saying, “Don’t you care that we are perishing?” Generally speaking, I enjoy Mark’s accounts of the stories which are shared in the other Gospels, because Mark’s focus is typically present Jesus Christ as God- with emphasis on the supernatural as proof. That compound word- “super-natural” literally means, “to supercede or surpass the natural state of things.” The only Person who has the power to truly supercede natural law without violating it is Jesus- because He is God!

This is what we find in this account. Prior to this, Mark presented Jesus as a healer:

He heals the crowds: in the house of Simon & Andrew, Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law; by the evening, people were bring others who were ill to the house and those who were demon possessed. He touches & heals a man with leprosy, a contageous disease. That’s just in chapter 1!

In chapter 2 Jesus heals the paralyzed man in Capernaum. He stirs up some controvery because He doesn’t just heal him, He forgives him of his sins, which only God can do. While it’s not a miracle, Jesus also allows the disciples to pick the heads of grain- an act which was unlawful on the sabbath. Unlawful that is, except for the Lord of the Sabbath, as Jesus declares Himself to be before the end of the chapter! Again, not a miracle…but Jesus supercedes the religous law.

In chapter 3, Jesus heals on the Sabbath to solidify that very point.

This brings us to chapter 4. Jesus teaches through parables:

Parable of the Sower & Soils

Parable of the Seed

Parable of the Mustard Seed

This seems to be a full day’s teaching for Jesus, His request to go to the “other side” (referring to the Decapolis, a group of Gentile cities on the other side of the lake), was likely to give Him an opportunity to rest, a short reprieve from the crowds.

Plan to work AND to rest- In all things, Jesus is our example for godly living. There were multiple times when Jesus planned His rest; not just time to rest physically, but also to rest spiritually in the presence of His Father. He would go off in solitude to pray and be refreshed. If Jesus Himself needed to pull away, what makes you think that you won’t need to do the same?

This is the first "nature miracle" that Mark records, as I alluded to earlier. All of the preceeding parables speak to the nature of the Kingdom- but what follows is the question that matters most: what is the nature and identity of its King? Who is this Jesus? Does He have a King’s authority? Absolutely! Is He a teacher? Of course. A healer? Most definitely! But He’s much more than that. Ladies & gentlemen…let me introduce you to the stormbreaker!

When begin with Jesus getting on the boat with the disciples, and falling fast asleep. They soom find themselves in the middle of a life-threatening storm.

Have you ever finished a difficult job, concluded a challenging season, and just when you think that you’ll finally get some rest…here comes a storm! In that moment, you may not need Jesus the healer…the provider…the wise teacher. But you need to call on Jesus the stormbreaker!

The disciples came to this realization about Jesus:

The Stormbreaker is with you IN the storm! Jesus was not far removed from His disciples. He was not on the far away shore; He was right there with them. Never allow the storms of life to cause you to forget God’s promise: I will never leave you, nor forsake/abandon you (Hebrews 13:5)

The Stormbreaker has authority OVER the storm! Jesus shows unequivocally that He is Lord of all creation- after all, as John 1:3 says, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.” Let this one truth remainin in your heart & mind, rehearse it and comfort yourselves with it in this storm- and the next:When Jesus the Stormbreaker speaks and says, “It’s over!” Then it is over!

The word for “Peace” in the original Greek literally means, “be silent! be muzzled!” Jesus politely tells the storm to shut up! The Bible says that the storm “ceased” or “became perfectly still” Again pointing to the word in original Greek, we find something deeper and more picturesque. One Bible commentary of this word describes the storm’s calming in this way: “The sea sank to rest as if exhausted by its own beating." I want you to know that the Lord built you to outlast your storms! Just hold on- it will tire out before you do, as the Lord strengthens you!

I want to conclude this message by lovingly and politely asking you the same question that Jesus asked His disciples: Why are you afraid? Where is your faith?

Well before the storm, Jesus had proven Himself to His disciples. There’s was a reasonable faith, in a God who had a proven track record. All wins, zero losses. Or as the old folks used to say, “In Him there is no failure”. It’s easy for us to pass judgment on the disciples, looking back over the bibical account centuries later like armchair quarterbacks. But the truth is, most us would react no differently. The waves in front of us make it hard to pray; fear tests our faith. The stress from our jobs and schools…deadlines and task after task…it feels like water is filling the boat....like we’re almost drowning. But God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (). Writer Thomas Sowell famously coined a phrase, “Facts of feelings.” Well I have a new expression for the believer in Christ: “#FaithOverFeelings”.

Let us pray.