Mark 4:35-41 "The Calm in the Storm"

Introduction

Jesus had been teaching through parables by the Sea of Galilee and when evening came it was Jesus who said to His disciples in verse 35, Let us go across to the other side.

Now this was no short trip. It would have been about an 8 mile trip by boat. And there would have been no engine but only a small sail and some paddles.

We are also told in verse 36 that it was more than just one boat. There were other boats that were with them making the journey, others were following along.

Also keep in mind it was evening, the sun had already started going down. This was not a day-time journey.

But it is on this journey that an intense challenge arises for the disciples of Jesus. They are faced with an intense storm on the Sea of Galilee that challenges their faith to the point that they fear their lives to be in jeopardy.

This sets up the basis for the principle of living with faith over fear for the Christian disciple. First look at the Intensity of the Storm in verses 37-38:

I. The Intensity (37-38)

It was a severe storm. So severe that the boat began to fill up with water due to the waves breaking into the boat (37).

And during all of this commotion related to the storm, Jesus was sleeping on a cushion in the stern, which would be in the back of the boat (38).

The disciples are terrified that they are going to drown and Jesus is asleep. This prompts them to ask a question at the end of verse 38: “Teacher do you not care that we are perishing?”

Now remember that some of these men were seasoned fishermen. So we know that this storm must have been exceptionally severe as to create such a reaction from them.

This raises a question as to how could Jesus sleep in the midst of such turmoil? It would appear that Jesus doesn’t wake up until the disciples woke Him up and alerted Him to the potential danger.

Christian when you live through the storms of life has it ever seemed to you that God is sleeping or that He is unaware of the turmoil you are in. And maybe in that moment fear took control of your perception to the point that you question if God really cared about your well-being?

Personally I like smooth seas because they give me a sense of security and produce comfort in my life.

I like it but due to my sin nature, smooth seas can breed complacency and self-reliance in my life.

This is a problem because in such times we are being pointed inward to the self instead of being pointed outward towards God in Christ. But the Lord Jesus challenges His disciples right in the appropriate area of their Christology as He displays His authority over the storm. Look back at verses 39-40.

II. The Authority (39-40).

Jesus actually speaks to the storm the words, “Peace, Be still!” in verse 39. And Scripture tells us that the wind ceased and there was a great calm. In other words the elements obeyed their Master.

Then Jesus speaks to His disciples in verse 40. He ask them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

The two questions put faith and fear in juxtaposition to each other. It is the idea that they are opposites when it comes to living as disciples of Jesus Christ in this fallen world.

It is important to note that Jesus says, “Have you still no faith”. The word “still” is tied back to the past where Jesus had worked miracles before. The disciples had seen displays of Jesus power to heal and to cast out evil spirits. So Jesus question is connecting the dots between what they had experienced in the past being translated into faith for the moment in the current storm.

Christian there is something to this. Has Jesus ever brought you through storms before? Has Jesus ever done something miraculous for you? Have you seen His Kingdom power at work in your life? Have you experienced His presence and peace with you in the turmoil on the Seas of life?

If you are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are being progressively sanctified by the Spirit you would have to answer yes to all these questions.

The truth is Christian if you have Jesus in your boat you may be in a storm but the one who has the ultimate authority over the storm you are in is with you right in the midst of the storm.

He has shown Himself faithful to His covenant word over and over again and He will not forsake you now. The Kingdom of God is displaying the sovereign reign of King Jesus and our King doesn’t run from the storm He has the supreme authority over it and He stands with us in the midst of it.

The faith of the disciple of Jesus Christ is rooted in this truth as a non-negotiable in our battle with fear. None of us would have made it this far if it wasn’t for Christ. Both from a physical perspective and a spiritual one we are reminded that we are not sufficient in ourselves.

The encounters with storms expose our inability and call us away from the sufficiency of the self into the sufficiency of Christ.

It has been said that a Christian is like a tea bag, it isn’t worth much unless it has been through some hot water.

But when Jesus calms our storm it doesn’t primarily tell us about our great security and hope that we have in Him. That is secondary, it tells us something greater that informs our faith and our Christology. It informs us regarding the identity of Christ. Look back to verse 41:

III. The Identity (41).

After witnessing the calm that Jesus brought to the Sea His disciple were filled with great fear. The fear of verse 40 and the fear of verse 41 are two different words in the original language. Verse 40 is denoting the idea of being cowardly (deilos). Verse 41 is denoting the idea of overwhelming reverence (phobos).

This is why they ask the rhetorical question among themselves, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

You see they knew the Old Testament truths about God speaking creation into existence and they knew the truth of text like Psalm 65:5–8 “5 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; 6 the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; 7 who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, 8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.”

This event was expanding their perception of Jesus identity to a whole other level. This was causing them to embrace the idea of Jesus full divinity. He wasn’t just sent by God but He was God in the flesh. The Messiah King is divine in His nature and He has the power that Scripture says only God has.

When you realize this then you know that there is not enough water on earth to drown Jesus Christ. There is no storm that can shake Him. There is no turmoil on earth that can cause Him to tremble in fear.

Hard to drown someone when they can walk on water and it is hard for you to drown when He has you by the hand. He will see that His Kingdom purposes come to pass even though we may at times walk through the shadow of death itself. Not even death has authority over King Jesus. He has authority over it too.

His death burial and resurrection prove it. And it was something that He willingly yielded Himself to on our behalf. The Calm in the Storm is not primarily a state of being but it is a person embodied in our Sovereign King.

Conclusion

Sinners under the storm of the just wrath of God is what we were. King Jesus didn’t run away but He came into the storm and took our sin upon Himself and paid the penalty for it suffering the punishment of the wrath of God for us on the Cross. He is the means God’s wrath being satisfied and He is the basis of our peace with God.

Is He holding to your hand?

Unbeliever

Believer- Let’s pray!