The Lord of Nature
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· 5 viewsJesus reveals his true identity to the disciples by displaying his sovereign power over nature.
Notes
Transcript
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Introduction
Please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Mark. We will continue our series as we look at .
Let us actually begin by reading the text:
Scripture Reading
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?”
Recap
If you have been here the past Sundays, you remember how Jesus was teaching throughout Galilee and his popularity was increasing as massive crowds followed him. The religious leaders from Jerusalem traveled north to accuse him of blasphemy. He teaches beside the sea and ends up teaching in a boat because the crowds would have crushed him.
Jesus taught in parables to conceal truth to unbelievers, and to reveal truth privately to his own disciples. Throughout Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is revealing his identity through his teaching and his miracles. And we see a glimpse of his true identity in our passage today.
And in this passage, Jesus is going to teach them another lesson about faith as he takes them on a boat ride across the sea, probably to the eastern shore.
And in this passage, Jesus unveils his true identity to the disciples by showing his power and authority over nature itself. And when you know who Jesus really is, you really can put your trust in Him because He is powerful and because He really does care for you. The more you know of who Jesus is, the greater confidence we have to put our trust in Him. I have three heading’s for this morning’s text:
I. The Crisis at Sea (vv. 35-38)
II. The Calm at Sea (vv. 39-40)
III. The Christ at Sea (v. 41)
I. The Crisis at Sea (vv. 35-38)
I. The Crisis at Sea (vv. 35-38)
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”
Mark
After a long day of teaching, it was night time and it was time to leave the crowds. He tells his disciples, “Let us go across the other side.” The disciples would travel across the Sea of Galilee to the east to go to another village or town.
Why did Jesus want them to go across the lake?
Well, again maybe to leave the crowds so he and the disciples could rest and maybe to continue his mission to preach the gospel to the other nearby villages who didn’t hear.
And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.
So the disciples obeyed their Master. And they took him on their boat. Now James and John and Peter were fishermen, and they probably retained their boat. The other boats follow because these were other disciples who would have want to continue to follow Jesus and listen to his teaching. In fact, Archaeologists discovered a fishing boat in 1986 that looked like a 1st century fishing boat....
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Mark Jesus—Stiller of Storms (4:35–41)
In 1986 the hull of a fishing boat was recovered from the mud on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, about five miles south of Capernaum. The boat—26½ feet long, 7½ feet wide, and 4½ feet high—corresponds in design to a first-century mosaic of a Galilean boat preserved in Migdal only a mile from the discovery site, and to a sixth-century mosaic of a similar boat from Madeba.
This boat could fit about 15 people. This was the boat that Jesus was likely on.
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.
The word great is the word where we get “mega” from. The windstorm was a hurricane like storm because we see that the waves were breaking into the boat. The water was filling the boat and now the disciples were panicking. Commentators tell us that:
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Mark Jesus—Stiller of Storms (4:35–41)
The Sea of Galilee (see at 1:16) lies nearly seven hundred feet below sea level in a basin surrounded by hills and mountains that are especially precipitous on the east side. Thirty miles to the northeast Mt. Hermon rises to 9,200 feet above sea level. The interchange between cold upper air from Mt. Hermon and warm air rising from the Sea of Galilee produces tempestuous weather conditions for which the lake is famed.
The Gospel of Mark (a) The Subduing of the Sea. Ch. 4:35–41
The Sea of Galilee, surrounded by high mountains, is like a basin. Sudden violent storms on the sea are well known. Violent winds from the southwest enter the basin from the southern cleft and create a situation in which storm and calm succeed one another rapidly. Since the wind is nearly always stronger in the afternoon than in the morning or evening, fishing was done at night. But when a storm arises in the evening, it is all the more dangerous. Such a storm struck as a fierce gust of wind came upon the lake, driving the waves over the sides of the boat, which was being swamped with water.
E
This was a violent storm where the disciples began to panic. Remember, these were experienced fishermen. They knew the ins and outs of the Sea of Galilee like the back of their hand. But they knew this storm was different. This storm could actually kill them because water was already breaking into the boat. They could hear the water filling the wooden planks. And they were terrified.
I have never been to Israel or the sea of Galilee. But I have been to Ajuy, Philippines. And you know how crazy storms can get in the Philippines. We call them Typhoons or Monsoons. And you know the heavy outpouring of rain and how violent the wind and storms can get where the rain begins to go sideways.
When I was in Ajuy with Tita Lilia, who is one of our missionaries, she and I were staying at her nephew’s house beside the lake. I mean where you can literally walk to the lake from the house like where our parking lot is.
And Ajuy is also a fishing village. It is two hours away from the city in the countryside. And you begin hearing the thunder growing louder, lightning, and rain hitting harder. And in the Philippines where I was staying, a lot of the roofs were metal or scrap metal.
So you hear the thunder and the outpouring of rain. You hear the waves roaring and I was literally scared.
There were no lights in the countryside. So everything is pitch black. Tita Lilia is sleeping in the room beside me and some of her workers are sleeping in there. And I am wide awake praying for my life.
I wanted to wake up Tita Lilia and say, “Tita, do you not care that we are about to die!” But I didn’t want to sound stupid because I guess this was normal because everyone else was sleeping just fine.
I can only imagine how terrified the disciples were at sea. And imagine if you were not in the boat with Jesus. Imagine if you were on the other boat, not the one with Jesus is sleeping. Why couldn’t I be on the boat with Jesus!
Where was Jesus?
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 makes the NT compelling is its historical and eyewitness accounts. Biblical scholar Richard Buackham says that one of the marks of eyewitness account is “irrelevant detail.” The gospels are not written like myths or legends of ancient world, but as an eyewitness account because of its attention to detail.
Jesus was in the stern asleep on the cushion. And by the way, the little detail about Jesus sleeping on a cushion or pillow shows the historical details and accuracy of eyewitness reporting. Peter may have vividly remembered this and let Mark write this down.
Jesus’ Humanity
We see Jesus here sleeping. He was so tired and exhausted from a full day’s of ministry that Jesus was sleeping through the storm. Now, peaceful sleep could be a sign of trust in God.
I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Or it just means that Jesus was so exhausted. If you ever preached a sermon or taught before, it could be exhausting. Good teaching and preaching uses everything. Your mind, your body, your voice. It can be really tiring especially to a large crowd.
Keep in mind that Jesus gets up real early in the morning to pray and be with his Father. And he heals sick people, he cast out demons, he gets called Satan, he gets criticized, the crowds are all over him where he can’t eat and he has to move to the sea, and there was no uber or lyft back in Jesus time. There was no electronic scooter. Jesus did a lot of walking.
Some Sundays can be crazy. I stay up late at night either finishing up preparing my heart for the Lord’s day or finishing editing my sermon. I wake up real early in the morning because there are a million of things running through my mind. Then there is Sunday School. Then I’m looking around for who isn’t here, talking to people who are here, thinking about people I haven’t talk to in awhile or who need encouragement.
Then on Sundays we have communion. And there are some Sundays where we review the service. And there are meetings on Sunday. And then prayer meeting. And then on some occasion someone may be sick at the hospital and they need to be visited. Other occasions I may have a wedding. I’m not saying all Sundays are like this, but some Sundays are exhausting. And Jesus was doing this everyday.
And then there are membership classes or interviews. Or talking to members who haven’t been here awhile.
And some other churches have evening sermons where the pastor delivers a second message.
And the only thing I want to do when I get home is crash.
Jesus must have felt exhausted. And he was asleep. He was truly human. He had needs. He needed to eat. He felt hunger. And he got tired. And He needed to sleep.
Jesus is truly man. Jesus knows what it feels like to have a long days of work and just crash and be dead asleep.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
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?”
Teacher! Rabbi! Master! Do you not care that we are perishing?! Do you not care that we are about to die and all drown?!
We often say stupid things when we are afraid or in panic don’t we? You can think about in marriage where one spouse will say something hurtful because of fear?
We are quick to panic with trials come. We should be like, Lord, we know what you are doing. You are in absolute control. But we actually say, Lord, don’t you know what you are doing? Are you even there?
Well, they said that to Jesus. It was a rebuke to the Master. Jesus doesn’t care. You see, one of the things that Satan told Eve was that God doesn’t really care about you. He is withholding something from you. And we often fall into the same temptation.
John Owen said:
“The greatest sorrow and burden you can lay on the Father, the greatest unkindness you can do to him, is not to believe that he loves you.”
And that is what the disciples were accusing of Jesus. Just keep in mind a few things.
1. Jesus led them into the Storm.
If Jesus was the one who led them into the storm, he would be the one who would be with them in the storm and be with them to get them out of the storm.
Jesus knew that this would take place.
2. Difficulties reveal where our trust is at.
Jesus often leads us into trials because He wants us to grow in greater faith in Him. The disciples should have said to one another, “Hey, Jesus could cast out demons. He could heal the sick with a word. If He can do that, he’ll take care of us.”
And we are so like the disicples. Instead of remembering God’s faithfulness in the past, we look to the circumstances around us and we like the disciples accuse God of abandoning us.
3. God’s silence does not mean his absence.
There were Christians who talked about the “Dark Night of the Soul.” When we become Christians, we feel the presence of God. We are excited when we read the word. We feel the Lord’s nearness when we pray. There is a peace about it.
But as we grow in the faith, sometimes God seems to withdraw his presence and subjectively we do not feel as if He is there even though objectively He is always there. In fact, some may feel abandoned by God.
And these medieval Christians asked, “Why do Christians experience this?”
It is to lead to greater faith and maturity. Will we trust God when we don’t feel his presence or we don’t experience his grace the way we did in the beginning years?
True faith will remain loyal to the Lord even though if it doesn’t feel like the earlier years.
You married people know what I am talking about. You are still committed even though you don’t feel the fuzzy feelings of courtship because you have committed yourself to this person for richer or for poorer. A mature love is one that is committed regardless of the circumstances or the feelings.
God wants us to love him even when we don’t feel his presence or even when we don’t receive his gifts.
And when we trust the Lord even in difficulties, it is like pure gold being refined by the fire to show that our hope is really in God, or it may be or hope is not in God, but his benefits and gifts.
Trials are part of the Christian life. Jesus was led in the wilderness by the Spirit to trust the Father. And the disciples are being led in the stormy sea to trust the Master.
Church Application:
Tertullian commented in the second century “that little ship is presented as a figure of the church, in that she is disquieted in the sea, that is, in the world, by the waves, that is, by persecutions and temptations”
Garland, David E.. Mark (The NIV Application Commentary Book 2) (pp. 198-199). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
We can trust Him even though the surrounding culture seems like its winning. Or we see increased wickedness. But Jesus is leading us and will guide us as the captain of our souls and the captain of the church.
Christians—Do you see God’s goodness in trials and do you trust his wisdom in trials?
Transition: We see the Crisis at sea, but notice what happens next. The Calm at Sea....
II. The Calm at Sea (vv. 39-40)
II. The Calm at Sea (vv. 39-40)
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.
Jesus awoke and rebuked the wind. It is interesting that the word rebuked is the same word that is found in
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”
Some commentators say that the demonic forces are behind the raging sea and Jesus is again rebuking the spiritual realm. I think that is a stretch. The word simply means “to be muzzled, or be silent, or shut up.”
Jesus is basically saying to the wind and to the sea “Be silent. Shut up.” He says, “Peace! Be Still”.
If you knew your Bible well, Yahweh rebukes the sea. We see this in the Exodus. He rebuked the Red Sea.
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
And in the Psalms, we see that God is the One who controls the sea.
You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.
He set the earth on its foundations,
so that it should never be moved.
You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
At your rebuke they fled;
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
Hmmm. That is interesting. God of the OT makes the sea calm. Jesus just made the sea calm. Conclusion: Jesus is God.
Jesus is unveiling his true identity. He is giving a preview or glimpse of who He truly is. He is not only truly man, but truly God. That He is Son of God, is actually God in the flesh. And Jesus knew what He was doing by leading them into the storm to show them who He truly was.
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.
Notice Jesus didn’t say let’s pray. Let’s ask God to still the sea. Notice he didn’t say, “Guys, lets get buckets and start dumping the water He just spoke! And the sea and the winds obeyed.
The wind ceased and the waves died down, and there was a great calm. Same word used of great wind is used of great calm. Everything was perfectly still.
It went from mega hurricane like winds, to mega calm. Absolute stillness. No more howling of the winds. No more raging waves. Just complete stillness and peace. Nature literally just became calm like a obedient pet.
Jesus’ Rebuke
He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
Why are you afraid?
I am in absolute control. I was there with you. I’m the one who suggested we go to the other side. I’m here with you. I’m not going to abandon you. If I got you through the past trials, I will get you through this present trial. Trust me.
And if I left Heaven to come to earth, and I’m on this boat because my mission is to die for you, do you understand that I care for you?
2. You still have no faith?
You still don’t believe? I cast out demons. I heal the lame. I give sight to the blind. I feed the multitudes and you don’t understand who I am yet?
We are so like the disciples aren’t we?
Doubt and Fear are two great obstacles to the Christian life.
In trials we are quick to doubt God’s goodness. And when we doubt God’s goodness, we fall into the same trap as Eve and the disciples and we begin to fear rather than having confident faith.
“Every test and trial, every storm in life is another opportunity for you to see the glory of Jesus Christ and discover his power in your life” Ferguson 62
Fear looks to the circumstances and trials of life, while faith looks to the Lord over circumstances and trials.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Mark Jesus—Stiller of Storms (4:35–41)
In 1986 the hull of a fishing boat was recovered from the mud on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, about five miles south of Capernaum. The boat—26½ feet long, 7½ feet wide, and 4½ feet high—corresponds in design to a first-century mosaic of a Galilean boat preserved in Migdal only a mile from the discovery site, and to a sixth-century mosaic of a similar boat from Madeba.
Jesus often leads us into difficulty to reveal faith or show lack of faith.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Mark Jesus—Stiller of Storms (4:35–41)
The Sea of Galilee (see at 1:16) lies nearly seven hundred feet below sea level in a basin surrounded by hills and mountains that are especially precipitous on the east side. Thirty miles to the northeast Mt. Hermon rises to 9,200 feet above sea level. The interchange between cold upper air from Mt. Hermon and warm air rising from the Sea of Galilee produces tempestuous weather conditions for which the lake is famed.
Fear should lead us to trust God. Fear should not lead us to doubt God.
Just as a child runs to a loving Father when he or she is scared of the dark, so we as children should run to God when we are terrified and trust Him that He knows what He is doing?
What are you fearing in your life right now? Where do you need to stop looking at the circumstances and refocus and redirect your gaze on Christ? Where do you doubt God?
Jesus says to us: Why are you afraid? Do you still not believe?
Transition: We see the crisis at sea, the calm at sea, and finally we see the Christ at sea.
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”?
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
III. The Christ at Sea (v. 41)
III. The Christ at Sea (v. 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?”
They feared with great fear. Phobos. Phobia. They were still terrified and they were saying to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
There was something more terrifying than the hurricane like storm. There was something more terrifying then the raging waves. There was something more terrifying than death itself.
It was the fact that Almighty God was in the boat with them!
Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys the voice of his servant?
Let him who walks in darkness
and has no light
trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on his God.
I think this was the proper response to Jesus. They were in awe and they revered Him. They feared Him because they got a glimpse of who He actually was.
I think we often domesticate Jesus. We make Jesus like a cute pet god. He is there to listen to our problems and overlook our sin and just forgive whenever we make mistakes. It’s ok, I love you.
We make Jesus look more like Barney or some domesticated religious teacher with wise sayings without any real authority or power.
When people came across the presence of God, they fell down and worshipped.
Jesus is the God of .
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Jesus is human.
Peter, Depart from me Lord I am a sinful man!
Matthew
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We are so flippant with Jesus. We feminized Jesus. We have made him a pet god.
and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,
The real Jesus would bring fear in the disciples lives. Like God. Like Saul’s experience.
Who is the Jesus you worship?
The Gospel
Jesus is the Almighty God. But he is humble and infinitely loving. Jesus stepped out of heaven and stepped into a boat. And he was in a boat because he was on mission to go die for man’s sin to bring God glory and to complete the will of the Father. And only God could atone for man’s sin. And only man could pay the penalty of man’s sin. The man in the boat is the also the Almighty God in the boat who cares and loves you.
So the God in the boat is the Jesus our Immanuel, God with us, who will be God for us, because He goes to the cross to fulfill his mission
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:
One writer says,
The real Jesus is God.
miracle. Those most open to receiving Jesus’ power in their lives are those who recognize their own desperate need of it.
Garland, David E.. Mark (The NIV Application Commentary Book 2) (p. 190). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Garland, David E.. Mark (The NIV Application Commentary Book 2) (p. 190). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Some Sundays are very tiring for me because I’m up late and I’m up early. I have meetings, teach Sunday School, Preach, Prayer Meeting, and even Preach at another church. I want to just crash after a long Lord’s Day.
You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.
Fear looks to the circumstances and trials of life, while faith looks to the Lord over circumstances and trials.
Fear looks to the circumstances and trials of life, while faith looks to the Lord over circumstances and trials.
Jesus often leads us into difficulty to reveal faith or show lack of faith.
Reading Mark helps one learn to trust in a Savior who does not deliver us from storms but through the storms.
Garland, David E.. Mark (The NIV Application Commentary Book 2) (pp. 198-199). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Garland, David E.. Mark (The NIV Application Commentary Book 2) (pp. 198-199). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Reading Mark helps one learn to trust in a Savior who does not deliver us from storms but through the storms.
Garland, David E.. Mark (The NIV Application Commentary Book 2) (p. 200). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Garland, David E.. Mark (The NIV Application Commentary Book 2) (p. 200). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Another,
At your rebuke they fled;
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
he makes his messengers winds,
his ministers a flaming fire.
We need to look at life’s storms not as disasters, but as opportunities to see God’s transforming power at work in our lives.
We need to look at life’s storms not as disasters, but as opportunities to see God’s transforming power at work in our lives.
Strauss, Mark L.. Mark (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) . Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Strauss, Mark L.. Mark (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) . Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Illustrations: AGMM fear
Illustrations: Sea of Galilee
Illustration: Mysterium Tremendom
The Gospel of Mark (a) The Subduing of the Sea. Ch. 4:35–41
The Sea of Galilee, surrounded by high mountains, is like a basin. Sudden violent storms on the sea are well known. Violent winds from the southwest enter the basin from the southern cleft and create a situation in which storm and calm succeed one another rapidly. Since the wind is nearly always stronger in the afternoon than in the morning or evening, fishing was done at night. But when a storm arises in the evening, it is all the more dangerous. Such a storm struck as a fierce gust of wind came upon the lake, driving the waves over the sides of the boat, which was being swamped with water.
Even Disciples lack faith sometimes.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Mark Jesus—Stiller of Storms (4:35–41)
In 1986 the hull of a fishing boat was recovered from the mud on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, about five miles south of Capernaum. The boat—26½ feet long, 7½ feet wide, and 4½ feet high—corresponds in design to a first-century mosaic of a Galilean boat preserved in Migdal only a mile from the discovery site, and to a sixth-century mosaic of a similar boat from Madeba.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Mark Jesus—Stiller of Storms (4:35–41)
The Sea of Galilee (see at 1:16) lies nearly seven hundred feet below sea level in a basin surrounded by hills and mountains that are especially precipitous on the east side. Thirty miles to the northeast Mt. Hermon rises to 9,200 feet above sea level. The interchange between cold upper air from Mt. Hermon and warm air rising from the Sea of Galilee produces tempestuous weather conditions for which the lake is famed.
We often say stupid things when we are afraid or fearful.
Jesus didn’t prayed, he spoke!
If you have Jesus, nothing can separate you from the love of Christ, whatever storms or trials or raging waves that he leads you through, because He is with you in those trials. He is literally in the boat with you. Or He is in the storm with you. And he would receive the hurricane of God’s wrath so that you would be safely delivered to the golden shore.
Will you trust Him.
Jesus wanted to go to the other side to be away from the crowds and to expan ministry.
Summary:
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
I. The Crisis at the Sea
Jesus leads the disciples into the sea, Jesus reveals his identity by rebuking the sea, Jesus rebukes the disciples for their lack of faith in Him.
II. The Calm at Sea
They would have traveled east.
III. The Christ at Sea
If you have Jesus, nothing can separate you from the love of Christ.
Conclusion
Will you trust Him?
If Jesus has authority over Nature, and cares enough for us to be with us by taking on human flesh coming inside the boat with us, then we can trust our whole lives to Him no matter what difficulty or what trials come our way.
He is the Lord of Nature. And if God can control storms and calm the seas, He can lead you through whatever trial you are facing as you look to Him.
Will you trust in Jesus, who is not only the humble Savior who became like us to share in our weaknesses, but the God of nature?
He is worthy of our trust. He is worthy of our worship even when we are in the storm.
The Christ
The Calm
The Christ
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”
There is something scarier than a hurricane. It is the God in the boat!