The Gospel of Mark, Pt. 23

The Lord of the Storm

An old sea captain was quizzing a young naval student. “What steps would you take if a sudden storm came up on the starboard?”

He replied, “I would throw out an anchor, Sir.”

“What would you do if another storm sprang up aft?” asked the captain. “I’d throw out another anchor, Sir.”

“But what if a third storm sprang up forward?”

“I’d throw out another anchor, Captain.”

“Wait a minute, son,” said the Captain. “Where in the world are you getting all those anchors?”

The young man replied, “From the same place you’re getting all those storms.”

Personal storms and crises often arrive unexpectedly, and if you’re caught in one without a proper anchor, you’re bound to succumb to the winds and to the waves. Today we examine a story in Mark’s gospel in which the disciples of Jesus face an unexpected storm within which they quickly realize that no normal anchor will be sufficient to save them. Rather, they will be tested in such a way that they will learn that Jesus is the true anchor in life. But even more than that, we will learn, just as the disciples did through in this story, that Jesus is the sovereign Lord over all creation.

Throughout Mark 4, Jesus had been teaching the masses along with his close friends and disciples about the nature of the kingdom of God. And if you remember, there were so many people that gathered there along the shores of the Galilee in Capernaum to hear Jesus that he had to get into a boat so that he wouldn’t be crowded out by the masses of people while he was preaching. And so as the day drew to an end, Jesus invited his disciples to join him in the boat so that they could leave Capernaum and head to another region on the other side of the Galilee.

(SLIDE) Mark 4:35–41 “On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he 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 awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?””

So remember that the bulk of Jesus’ teaching ministry in the Galilee region took place on the north west side of the sea, as Capernaum served as the home base of operations for Jesus and his disciples. Looking at a map of the region, you can get an idea of the layout of the area. So that evening after teaching and preaching from a boat to the masses on the shoreline, Jesus says to his disciples - “let’s go to the other side of the sea of Galilee.” In order words, they were going to set sail for the south-east coastline to the land of the Gerasenes, which is located within a federation of cities known as the Decapolis.

And this leads us to our first point in which we consider this (SLIDE) Divine request of Jesus. In other words, this was no random desire of our Lord, but as with everything in his life and ministry, Jesus was in lock-step with the will of the Father, and this divine request of Jesus was specifically ordered to take his ministry to a new region and a new people. Thus far, Jesus’ ministry was focused in areas populated primarily with Jews between Jerusalem and Judea, and now for the first time, Jesus is intentionally taking his message and his ministry to the Gentile nations.

Remember, Jesus had spent significant time making the case for his being the Jewish Messiah and the divine Son of God. He casted out demons and healed the sick and the crippled and he gave unique insight in the word of God as one who spoke with authority unlike the scribes and pharisees, and yet, many, especially the scribes and pharisees, chose to reject Jesus and his message. They hardened their hearts towards him, and so as an act of judgment and judicial hardening, Jesus began to speak to them in parables in order to weed out any disingenuous listeners and he is now taking his message to the Gentiles. We’re told that Jesus came primarily for his own people, for the lost sheep of Israel, but many of his own rejected him, and so now he’s going to focus on those who will in many ways be more receptive to his gospel message.

And I just love this statement of divine significance on the part of Jesus - “Let us go to the other side.” How many times do we become comfortable and familiar with where we’re at. We become settled.....we become used to our surroundings.....its home....its safe.....its expected. But if we choose to follow Jesus, and we’re genuinely serious about following him wherever he leads us, are we willing to go into unexpected situations and into unfamiliar territory? The disciples knew exactly what “the other side” meant - they were going to leave the comfort and familiarity of their Jewish heritage, and they were going into “enemy territory” so to speak. These were Jews, and Jews did not associate with gentiles at this point in history. They were considered unclean and less-than-human. The Jews were the chosen people of God, and they couldn’t help but look down on their gentile neighbors.

The question is, do we get stuck in similar places in our own lives? Do we get so comfortable with our Christian, evangelical Protestant, western-American context, that if we were asked, even by our Lord - let’s go to the other side.....would we balk at his request? Would we second-guess a divine command of the Lord? The disciples sure didn’t. There’s nothing in the text that suggested any kind of refusal or hesitancy or rebellion in the minds and hearts of the disciples. Jesus gave the order, and they got in the boat with Jesus, along with many others in other boats, and they set out for the other side......no questions asked! And keep in mind that it was in the evening. It had been a long day of teaching and preaching and it was now getting dark. Likely they were exhausted, and now they were about to get into a boat and travel miles across the Sea of Galilee to what likely would have been unknown and uncharted territory for many of these people. But they went anyway.

Are we that responsive to our Lord’s leading? Will we as quickly and as obediently follow Jesus and go to the other side in life? I want to encourage us all today - let’s not be so quick to become creatures of habit who stay within our own neatly-constructed Christian safety bubbles. Let’s step out of our comfort zones and trust in Jesus, that no matter where he takes us, as long as he’s with us and we’re walking in the will of God, we’re in good hands. And this picture of obedience on the part of the disciples is significant to make note of, because we continue to progress through the story, that unquestioned obedience is going to be quickly contrasted with a very different mindset that will seemingly contradict what we see in this early scene.

And this leads us to the next point in our outlines - (SLIDE) A faithless reaction. Again, verse 36 tells us that they leave the crowds who had gathered to hear Jesus preach, and they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. These would have been your typical fishing boat of the first century, measuring about 26 feet long and about 7 feet wide. Archaeologists actually recovered a boat that had been well-preserved in the sea of Galilee and dates back to the first century. This boat was actually put on display this past year at the Ronald Reagan Museum down in in Simi Valley as part of the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit....and here’s a picture of this boat (SLIDE).

But that phrase “just as he was” is particularly interesting to me. Now in the immediate context, I think Mark is simply referring to the fact that Jesus was already in the boat, and they took him as he was......as he was already in the boat, and they joined him to set sail for the other side. But I just love that thought....they took him just as he was. What another great reminder that we need to take Jesus just as he is. We don’t get to redefine Jesus according to our personal preferences.

This is the danger that we see occur throughout society, both within and outside of the church. We have a tendency to paint Jesus in a particular way in order to fit our likes and preferences. We effectively make Jesus to look like us, rather that the complete opposite - changing and transforming our lives to look more like Jesus. But we see this in the “He Gets Us” TV campaigns, in which Jesus is simply portrayed as a man who would completely understand and relate to the position and plight of the individual today. We see this in all the open and affirming churches who wave rainbow flags outside their doors......Jesus is just as loving and accepting and affirming as we are. But dare I say we all can dangerously flirt with this tendency. Do we really think Jesus would walk around with an American flag draped over his shoulders? Would Jesus identify as a republican and a political conservative? We all have to be extremely careful and attentive to the word of God and take Jesus just as he is, and not as we want him to be. The disciples forgot this, and we see this play out as the story unfolds.

Look at verse 37 (SLIDE) “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.” Matthew’s version of the story says that boat was being swamped by the waves, and Luke’s version says that the disciples were in great danger. Now an unsuspecting reader might think this was a fabricated story in order to teach a particular lesson, because there was now mention of a storm brewing at the beginning of the story when Jesus and disciples set sail from the shores of Capernaum. However, if we take the time to learn about this region, we actually come to find out that this is a normal think and a natural phenomena of the Sea of Galilee. (SLIDE) Galilee is actually just a lake, its 13 miles and long and 7 miles wide and it sits in kind of a bowl in between Mt. Hermon in the north, and the Judean desert to the south. Mt. Hermon sits at over 9,000’ elevation, whereas the Sea of Galilee sits at roughly 700’ below sea level as the lowest freshwater lake on earth.

So if you have any familiarity with weather patterns, you can see how this combination of differing terrains creates the perfect environment for stormy weather. And so the Sea of Galilee is actually known for its sudden, unexpected windstorms as the cold air from Mt. Hermon in the north swoops down over the warm air of the Sea of Galilee, creating a tumultuous environment for sailors. And we actually experienced a more minor example of this on one our trips to the Holy Land. Every tour includes a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee that sets out from Tiberias and lands just south of Capernaum. And so on one our trips, I remember setting out on the boat and it was perfectly calm, and with minutes, the winds picked up and became quite choppy out there, so much so that a few people, even my dad if I remember correctly, got sea sick.

Now here’s the thing.....what was the former profession of many of these early disciples? ......they would have been completely familiar with navigating the waters of the Galilee. Jesus was a carpenter.....and they were the experienced fishermen. But how quickly did they panic when the storm got too big for them to handle. So the windstorm was creating these massive waves, but look at how verse 38 describes Jesus (SLIDE) “But he 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?’” What an act of utter faithlessness on the part of the disciples! You know, its one thing to cry out to God - God, I need your help!......I know you can fix my situation, I know you’re all-powerful, so will you please do something?! Jesus, I saw you cast the demons and heal the paralytic and the man with the withered hand......I know you can work miracles......so will you please do something about this storm? But no, rather.....these men actually impugned the very character of Jesus. The questioned the character of our Lord. “Why are you sleeping while we’re fighting for our lives? Don’t you care?”

Again, these were guys in Jesus’ inner circle. They walked with talked with him every day.....they saw the miracles.....they heard the teachings......they were given personal insight into the kingdom of God.....they knew Jesus better than anyone else at this time. And yet, when their lives took an unexpected turn for the worst and Jesus was behaving in an unexpected manner, all their knowledge of and familiarity with the Lord went out the door and they lost sight of the very nature of Jesus. When situations in our lives take a turn for the worse, do we react like these disciples and allow our emotions to take over? Do we impugn the character of God?.....God, why aren’t you doing something? Why don’t you care? Or do we do that with one another.....a spouse, a friend, a family member? Why did you hurt me? Or why aren’t you doing something about my pain?

Do you not care about me? You see, here was the disciples’ problem - they were looking at Jesus through the lens of the storm, rather than looking at the storm through the lens of their faith in Jesus. Remember what Jesus’ divine request was?...… “Let us go across to the other side.” What does that mean?.....we’re going to the other side. We’re going to reach our destination. Jesus didn’t say, “Let try to make it to the other side and see what happens.” Not with Jesus! We’re going to the other side....we’re going to reach our destination. And so in the moment of great discomfort and fear and anxiety, the disciples abandoned their better judgment and forgot the implied promise of Jesus that they were in fact going to the other side.

And this brings up an important point that I think we need to consider in light of this story and because I hear this all the time espoused by well-meaning people who are trying to cope with the pain and discomfort of the hardships of life. “God will never give you anything you can’t handle.”.........have you ever heard this before? While I think people mean well when they say this......this is totally unbiblical! Although this statement is meant to offer us encouragement.....its actually a lie. Look at the disciples. They’re experienced fishermen who are caught in a storm that they cannot handle. They’ve likely been caught in unexpected storms on the Sea of Galilee hundreds of times, but this storm was far beyond what they could handle apart from the grace of God. Let me remind us all today......life is filled with situations and circumstances that we cannot handle. Because if that statement were true - that God would never give you anything that you can’t handle.....then why would we need to be dependent on the grace of God?

And this is exactly the point that is proven in this story......there are certain things we can’t handle......we’re not fully capable......we’re not self-sufficient......in fact, we’re nothing apart from the grace of God. And so I’m glad this story is in our Bible, because it reminds us of our own frailty and weakness and sheer inability to navigate the storms of our lives without the presence and grace of Jesus. And so we mustn’t be too quick to judge and condemn the disciples, because in actuality, we’re just like them. Mankind has always been this way. We’re so quick to forget the truths that have been revealed to us through the word of God and through the experiences of life. Remember was the prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 40:21 (SLIDE) “Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?” When life doesn’t go our way....when it takes an unexpected turn.....we are often quick to forget and abandon all that we know about God. Its amazing how often we allow life’s circumstances to shape our knowledge of God, rather than remembering to allow our knowledge of God to shape how we respond to life.

And so Isaiah goes on in verse 27 which is the perfect picture of man in times of great stress and hardship (SLIDE) Isaiah 40:27 “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”?” God, do you not see me suffering? Why aren’t you doing something about my cancer? Why aren’t you fixing my broken relationship? Why aren’t you providing for my needs? Don’t you care? This was the cry of the disciples in the middle of the storm, and by God’s providence, Jesus was about to teach them the lesson of a lifetime!

Look at verse 39....(SLIDE) “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” Isn’t it interesting to note that Jesus was unmoved by the great windstorm, but was keenly attentive to the heart’s cry of his disciples? I hope that serves as a beautiful reassurance for us today. God isn’t moved by life’s circumstances nearly as much as He is attentive to your cries and pleading, no matter how faithless and ridiculous they may actually be in the moment. God hears you, and His plans for your life remain intact, no matter how you might feel in the moment.

And I just love how Jesus responds in this moment. He wakes up......maybe yawns and stretches......there’s no sign of panic for he is in complete control of the storm, and this divine control is exemplified in the words “Peace! Be still!” And this leads us to our third point.....(SLIDE) A sovereign resolution. For one, notice that Jesus doesn’t pray or ask for the Father’s help in this moment. Jesus calms the storm on his own accord. On his own authority he commands the winds and the waters to cease. Remember when the OT prophets would bring forth natural phenomena, they did so through prayer to God as they we’re wholly incapable to do anything of the sort without him. However, Jesus speaks and acts here on his own authority. And the effects are immediate so as to make sure there is no confusion as to who calmed the storm and the sea. The grammatical construction of the phrase “And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” reveals that effects were immediate. The winds and the waves didn’t gradually calm over time, but they immediately responded to the commands of the Creator, who is Jesus!

And the divine Son of God who is Lord over all creation, even over the storms of life, goes on to teach these feeble disciples, and all of us, a power lesson through two simple questions. Mark 4:40 (SLIDE) “He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”” Now on its face, isn’t that somewhat of a ridiculous question, especially if someone asked you that in a similar situation? Like what do you mean, why am I afraid? Hello.....I’m about drown.....the ship is going down! I’m insulted that you’d even ask such an insensitive and unobservant question! But coming from Jesus....that’s the perfect question! Why are you so afraid? Don’t you know who’s with you in the boat? Don’t you know who I am? Have you forgotten my original command and promise - “Let us go across to the other side.” We’re going to the other side.....we’re going to reach our desired destination. So in the midst of this momentary and temporary and relatively minor obstacle in our journey.....why have you seemed to have forgotten everything that I’ve been teaching you? Have you still no faith?

I’m sure when the disciples heard Jesus speak to the wind and the waves, they remember how we spoke to the demon-possessed man in the synagogue back in Mark 1:25 (SLIDE) “But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”” Just as Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit on his own sovereign authority, He did the same to nature itself. Psalm 65:5–8 says (SLIDE) “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; the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.”

In Psalm 89, psalmist reflects upon the greatness of God in verses 8 and 9 (SLIDE) Psalm 89:8–9 “O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you? You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.” You see, in the midst of this storm, the disciples showed an utter lack of faith by forgetting the faithfulness of Jesus. But despite their faithlessness, Jesus remained faithful, and sovereignly used this experience to teach them the most important lesson of - He is the divine Son of God......He is the long-awaited Messiah.....that He is the Lord of the Sabbath.....that he is Yahweh. Which leads us to our last point for today......(SLIDE) A right response.

After all this, notice Mark’s final description of the disciples’ response in verse 41 (SLIDE) Mark 4:41 “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”” Earlier in verse 40, Jesus pointed out their fear in the midst of the storm. And here Mark used the Greek word (SLIDE) deilos = cowardly, timid fear. And that’s exactly the type of fear we all experience and exhibit when we react with emotion to stressful and anxious circumstances and show a lack of faith in God. And this is the type of fear that we are constantly exhorted in Scripture to avoid.

However, after Jesus’ calms the storm simply by speaking to it, the disciples are struck with a different type of fear. And according to Mark, its a great fear, a “mega-fear”. The mega windstorm ended up resulting in a mega-fear on the part of the disciples. And here, its the Greek word phobos = fear of reverence and respect. This is the type of fear that comes over a person when they reflect upon the nature and work and holiness of God and realize that He is present with us in all circumstances. When we think of our own human status and compare that to God, we should be overcome with a sense of trembling fear.

And that’s what I believe overcame the disciples in this very moment. Their Master who had cast out demons, healed paralytics, and corrected religious experts just spoke to nature, and it obeyed him. This would have given them a completely new insight into who this Jesus really was. When he taught in the synagogues, they showed a similar response in Mark 1:27 “And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.””

And now here in verse 41, they respond in like fashion.… “Who then is this, that even the wind and waves obey him?” I just wonder if Psalm 112 came to the forefront of their minds.....(SLIDE) Psalm 112:1–8 “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,...”

If we fear the Lord, we are less prone to fear life and all the storms it can throw our way. Typically, this passage is used to teach how Jesus calms the storms of our lives and how we don’t have to be afraid when the winds and waves rage against us. Those messages sound and feel great because they overemphasize how Jesus is quick to come to our aid because he loves us so much! That kind of message certainly draws a crowd. However, I don’t this was Mark’s intent, nor was it Matthew’s or Luke’s for that matter. Yes, Jesus is powerful enough to calm the storms of life. But that misses larger point. Because we don’t always make it through storms as we would like. Sometimes the storms do get the better of us....at least in the moment.

Consider another story of sailors caught in a storm in Scripture, like with Paul in Acts 27 when after a two-week-long journey to Rome ended in being shipwrecked on the island of Malta, Paul didn’t curse God and complain about him not caring, but rather remained steadfast in faith, trusting the God’s word to him would remain true....that he would make it to the other side!

The larger point is found within the question of disciples...… “Who then is this?.....” The main point is this - Jesus is Yahweh.....He’s the eternal Creator God come in human form. He’s the Lord over demons....He’s the Lord over our infirmities.....he’s the Lord of our religious observances and practices.....and He’s the Lord over all creation. And its only when we grow in our knowledge and understanding of who Jesus is that we’re able to face the storms of our lives with faith, rooted in a healthy, reverent fear of the Lord.