Jesus: Lord of the Storm

Mark 4:35–41 KJV 1900

35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Introduction

Mark does not try to veil his intentions when writing his Gospel account. In fact, he states from the outset exactly what he intends to say in Mark 1:1 “1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

Mark, if he intends for you as the reader to understand anything at all, wants you to understand this: Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God.

That seems simple enough, but the fact is, it completely changes the entire world.

In this story, Jesus, yet again, displays His omnipotent power over a seemingly impossible situation: a storm upon the sea.

I. The Calamity of the Storm

Mark 4:35–36 “35 And on that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him.”

In the preceding verses of our text, we see that Jesus had spent His entire day teaching and exhorting the multitudes.

It says here, “on that day”, what day? The same day He had been teaching and told them of the parable of the soils, explained the deeper meaning of parables to His disciples, taught on the mustard seed, and the lamps by the seaside.

This is the end of that day, an exhausting and certainly taxing day for our Lord, who, if you’ll remember is still a man, and susceptible to growing tired and weary.

So, He calls His disciples together to get into the boat and launch forth from the shore and go to the other side of the sea.

Going to the other side of the sea was Jesus’s goal because it forwarded His mission, the adjacent side of the where they were in Capernaum was the next place on His roster of ministry.

However, when they began to set out that evening, a storm rose up. (Mark 4:37 “37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was already filling up.” )

Now, to understand where we are talking about geographically, we are looking at the Sea of Galilee. Sometimes it is called the Sea of Genesaret (Lk. 5:1), the Sea of Chineroth (Josh. 12:3), the Sea of Chinnereth (Num. 34:11), and even the Sea of Tiberius (John 6:1) named after Tiberius Caesar Augustus .

The sea, in reality is a freshwater lake, the lowest freshwater body of water in the world at 690 ft below sea level (the Dead Sea is further down, but is saltwater, not freshwater.)

Galilee is a peculiar and source of water, it is fed by the Jordan River and is situated in the middle of mountains ranges on all sides.

Because of its lowness, it attracts a deep level of algae, which is extremely conducive to fishing. This makes it one of the greatest fishing spots in the entire world… another proof of God’s blessing in giving this to the Israelites.

However, because of the mountain ranges surrounding the lake, it forms this bowl that makes it incredibly vulnerable to extreme winds and storms. In the hot months, the cool winds from the water mix with the hot winds from the air and create storms. But, the winter months are even worse when the frigid wind gusts come off the mountains hitting the hot air beneath, it forms a boiling cauldron of water in the Sea of Galilee.

This is the type of storm that we see the disciples running into while they are making their journey.

At this, the disciples begin panicking. Chaos completely ensues and takes over from the fear filling their hearts as they are facing down the storm.

II. The Calm of the Savior

Mark 4:38 “38 And Jesus Himself was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion; and they got Him up and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?””

In verse 38, we see the disciples level their frustration at Jesus, who is sleeping in the boat.

What we notice about the disciples:

They are completely freaking out. They are frazzled and panicking in the midst of this storm. In fact, they had such a fear of the circumstance they were in, that they start accusing Jesus of not even caring about them.

HOWEVER, this is what they failed to realize: Jesus is the one who led them into the storm. See, they think they have ran into some big insurmountable obstacle that they cannot get out of. They consider themselves victims of fate or misfortune. They think, “boy, we are sure unlucky today.”

But what they fail to realize, is luck doesn’t have anything to do with it. Jesus is the one who led them right into the storm.

Look back at v. 35, Jesus is the one inviting them to go. He knows exactly what’s around the corner, and He’s leading them into it.

What they can’t realize yet is that this storm is not there to harm them, this storm is meant to help them. How? Let’s keep reading.

What we notice about Jesus:

Jesus is asleep in the stern, and they cannot believe that He would be asleep in such a time as this. What they fail to realize again is that while the man Jesus may be sleeping… He has never stopped being God the Son in the midst of this storm.

Jesus, even as He slumbers, is in complete control of the situation.

Even though the winds are blowing, the storm is raging, and even the Master seems to be sleeping… He is still the One in control.

Now, isn’t this so emblematic of the storms in our life? We, like the disciples, when the storm creeps up, begin to look around and panic.

We automatically assume that this can’t be part of the plan. “Lord, there’s no way You intend this to happen… are you just going to let me perish??”

We, in our faithlessness, can be guilty of accusing The Lord of not caring for us. OR forgetting us.

You know what I love about this, Jesus does not even give their question enough dignity to answer it.

Rather, v. 39 tell us this: Mark 4:39 “39 And He woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.”

Jesus fulfilled the words that were spoken about God in Psalm 107:23–31

“23 Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on many waters; 24 They have seen the works of Yahweh, And His wondrous deeds in the deep. 25 He spoke and set up a stormy wind, Which raised up the waves of the sea. 26 They went up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in the calamity. 27 They staggered and swayed like a drunken man, And all their wisdom was swallowed up. 28 Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. 29 He caused the storm to stand still, So that its waves were hushed. 30 Then they were glad because they were quiet, So He led them to their desired haven. 31 Let them give thanks to Yahweh for His lovingkindness, And for His wondrous deeds to the sons of men!”

Jesus showed His almighty power and strength against the winds and waves.

He showed it in such a way that everything calmed… this is especially miraculous, because even if the winds ceased, the waves would still ripple and be boisterous for hours to come. Yet, everything stood still. Jesus, as God, manipulated the very fabric of reality.

How? Because this is who He is, and He was proving it. He was showing, beyond any doubt, that He was God. He was the Creator, this is HIS sea and HIS wave and HIS wind.

Paul tells us in Colossians 1:16–17 “16 For in Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, And in Him all things hold together.”

Christ is the Creator and the sustainer of all things. He is the One in control of it all.

That means the winds and waves of Galilee, and that means the winds and waves of your life.

Just like christ has not created any physical matter that He will not sustain, Christ has not created any situation for you, that He will not also sustain.

III. The Correction of the Saints

Finally, let us see the reaction of The Lord toward His disciples: Mark 4:40 “40 And He said to them, “Why are you so cowardly? Do you still have no faith?””

They were speechless, dumbfounded at His wondrous power on display.

Now, having completely controlled the seas and storm… Jesus turns His attention to the storm going on in the hearts of His disciples.

They had a storm of faithlessness raging in their heart, and He very pointedly brings that out. His first question leads to the second one. The reason they were so afraid is because they had no faith.

Here’s the reason they had no faith: They had not been through a storm yet.

Let me clarify, the disciples had seen Him: heal the sick, cast out devils, and perform miracles

There was just one problem, all of these example they had seen had been them looking at Jesus stepping into someone else’s storm and fixing everything.

Yet, this was the first time they were the ones caught in the storm. You can talk about faith all you want when it’s someone else’s storm.

But it’s a different story when you are the one facing the winds and the waves.

Here it is: The only way to truly know that He can be trusted, is to be put in situations where we have no choice but to trust Him.

Sometimes, that means we have to be placed into storms, like these disciples.

Now, fast forward to years later, when Peter is in a prison cell. He‘s facing certain death, and he falls asleep. Sound familiar? I cant help but think his mind went back to that night on the sea. Winds raging, storm beating down, and realizing that they were never really in danger… because of the One who was on board with them.

As long as you’re in the boat with Jesus, you are safe and secure, no matter how hard the storm rages.

Finally , notice the last verse of the chapter: Mark 4:41 “41 And they became very afraid and were saying to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?””

Suddenly, they are thrust into the realization that they are standing in front of the very presence of Almighty God - only God can control the seas and winds.

There is really only one appropriate response to being exposed to the glory of God: fear.

Job 42:5–6 “5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; 6 Therefore I reject myself, And I repent in dust and ashes.””

Genesis 18:27 “27 And Abraham answered and said, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but dust and ashes.”

Isaiah 6:5 “5 Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of hosts.””

Daniel 10:9 “9 But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.”

Revelation 1:17 “17 And when I (John) saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not fear; I am the first and the last,”

Yet, this is what all of this truly reveals: I don’t need to fear the storms, I only need to fear The Lord.

And this Lord, whom I should fear, has actually drawn me to Himself and pulled me close to Him, and told me “Fear not.” (Revelation 1:17 “17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not fear; I am the first and the last,” )

Yes, we will face trials. Yes, we will have troubles. James 1:2–3 “2 Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith brings about perseverance.”

Also Romans 8:27–28 “27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

Philippians 4:6–7 “6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Paul finished his ministry with one of the very last things he penned down being, 2 Timothy 4:18 “18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will save me unto His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

May we, with the hymnodist sing these words,

“Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more, Till the clouds roll forever from the sky; Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand, Keep me safe till the storm passes by.””