week 3 - peace

Mark 4:35–41 ESV

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 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?” 39 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. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 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?”

Before we dig into this passage, I found two interesting notes. First, the rest of chapter four is about blossoming, growth and illumination. Then Jesus models them for his disciples. Second, Matthew 8 and Luke 8 are parallel passages, but only Mark emphasized Jesus calming the surroundings. His words weren’t to Peter, John or the other disciples ~ but to the Sea of Galillee. To the boys, he asked why they didn’t trust the peace that was already with them.

Let’s unpack the narrative.

Look at verses 36-37 - The peace of Jesus Christ does not abandon us when our circumstances become unpeaceful.

One day, Jesus and his disciples were out doing what they normally did. The parallel passages tell us they were hanging out with people.  Caring for people.  Healing people of physical and spiritual ailments.  In the middle of all those normal things, Jesus decided the thirteen of them were going to do another normal thing - get into a boat.  The disciples were fisherman.  They were trained to operate boats.  Most scholars believe Peter owned the boat they often used.  They were doing normal life and it was going great - until it wasn’t. Just like us, sometimes the elements around us enter normal life in a way that cannot be controlled. I want to be clear, I’m talking about circumstances not created by your own chaos or sinful habits. Kelli Moore did not create the second half of her week, but her circumstances became very unpeaceful.

They got in the boat and began their journey across the Sea of Galillee. There is a hill in Grand Haven in between Lake Michigan and the Grand River. I remember times when this blanket of fog would roll over Dewey Hill without any warning and fog would overcome everything in its path. The terrain around the Sea of Galillee would do the same thing with wind. It would be calm until it wasn’t and they would be in a storm without any warning. We’re reading about one of those storms. “The waves were breaking into the boat, so the boat was already filling. There was such a great storm that the boat was being swamped by waves. What began as an easy boating trip, turn bad very quickly. Waves were going over the boat - generally a reason for panic because water entering your boat doesn’t help you stay dry.

About 20 years ago, a guy in our church called on a Wednesday afternoon.  He said, I need another guy to race the sailboat tonight. Bob, I’ve never been on a sailboat. I can’t race. Doesn’t matter. I’m on my way to your house, I’ll be there in 15 minutes.  This was the last guy I wanted to be in a sailboat with while he was racing. There is a high-energy person, and then there is Bob.  We left the dock and I got a quick lesson about sailing. The race began and he was yelling instructions and I was trying the best I could. We made a turn and the sail touched water. The boat was sideways and Bob screamed, STAY IN THE BOAT. I think I can relate to how the disciples felt when waves were breaking into the boat.

The disciples were professionally trained fishermen, but muscle memory didn’t activate. Clearly, the situation was beyond their control because they were getting wet. They were supposed to know what to do, but their surroundings became very dangerous and they faced the possibility of an overturned, sinking boat. Let’s not jump ahead too quickly with the storm. 

Look at verses 38-39 - The peace of Jesus Christ does not stop caring for us through difficult circumstances.

Jesus was in the back of the boat taking a nap on a mat. Mark leaves out an important detail about this boating trip. Matthew 8:23 says, “when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.” Who stepped into the boat first?  Who knew the storm was coming but stepped into the boat anyway? I’m curious, what is going on with the ‘other boats’ in verse 36?

We would probably all agree the disciples were having a rough day. Even though Jesus stepped on the boat first and the disciples could see Jesus on the boat, they perceived that Jesus stopped caring for them during the storm.  They woke Jesus because they thought they were going to die. Jesus stood up, rebuked the winds and the sea, told the waves to be still, then told the disciples to trust him and maybe finished his nap.

It is a bit surprising to me that Jesus was peacefully chilling with his disciples and their decisions and thoughts were driven by fear. Is part of your life being driven by fear when Jesus is peacefully chilling with you in the middle of your stuff?

Jot this verse down - 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.”

Friends, I want to remind you this morning. God has it. God has all the stuff goes with it. God has you. Even when it might not feel like it. Even when you’re scared or nervous about something in the future.

Let’s suppose the ‘other boats’ are still on the water. The demonstration of care when Jesus said, “Peace, be still!” touched not just the twelve guys in the boat, but everybody else who was on the water. When the caring peace of Jesus Christ invades a difficult part of our life, other people have the privilege of experiencing that care also.

Look at verses 40-41 - The peace of Jesus Christ saturates all of creation

Luke 2:10–14 KJV 1900

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men.

In Mark 4, Jesus rebuked the wind with the same authority that he rebuked the demons in Mark 1:25. His authority sent the angels to Bethlehem. His creation declared, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” The same peace that was delivered when Jesus was born in Bethlehem was spoken over the Sea of Galilee. The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ is delivered through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life and mine for everybody in our proximity to be saturated with.