#21 With Jesus In The Storm Series

#21 With Jesus in the Storm

Series: Acts

Chuck Sligh

June 28, 2020

NOTE: PowerPoint or ProPresenter presentations are available for this sermon by request at chucksligh@hotmail.com. Please mention the title of the sermon and the Bible text to help me find the sermon in my archives

TEXT: Mark 4:35-41 – “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

Unless you’ve ever been in a boat in a truly dangerous storm, you cannot fully comprehend what the disciples went through in today’s scripture in Mark 4:35-41.

Illus. – When I was a teen living in Okinawa, I remember some of my friends and me taking a ferry from the main island of Okinawa to visit one of the smaller islands. It was during the typhoon season and though we were not in a typhoon, it was a really, really frightening storm. We were in a vessel much larger, more modern and technologically superior to anything the disciples in today’s story could have even imagined. Yet, with each wave, our boat was like a plastic toy bobbing in that raging Pacific Ocean, which at that point in time was anything BUT “pacific”—which means “calm, peaceful.” We bobbed up and down on giant waves—some of which were as high as the highest part of our ferryboat! It’s the only time in my life I truly felt terrified that maybe my number was up!

That’s not even a little close to as bad as the storm the disciples experienced in today’s text. Mark has a specific purpose for relating the story, which we will discover at the end of the text, but perhaps no other scripture speaks to us on a personal level as well. Let’s first exegete our text, and then we’ll look at the personal application for our lives.

III. IN VERSES 35-36 WE OBSERVE A NEEDED RETREAT – “And the same day, when the evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ 36 And when they had left the multitude, they took him along with them in the boat, just as he was. And other little boats were also with him.”

Several clues from this chapter and in chapter 3 tell us that Jesus’ ministry was extremely demanding. Just dealing with the crowds who followed Him everywhere He went, being met with the unending line of those who needed healing or release from demons, teaching and preaching every day—all these would have left Jesus in a state of exhaustion.

I know that just the act of preaching alone, though it seems simple, is more tiring than half a day of gardening and yardwork. It’s mentally and emotionally taxing in a way that’s hard to explain. I just know that about fifteen minutes after Sunday lunch, my body shuts down.

The Greek tense of “Let us cross” reveals an urgency in Jesus’ decision to depart—More like, “Ok, let’s cross. We gotta go!” Perhaps He was so tired that He had come to the end of His rope, physically speaking, and knew He could not go on without some rest.

Verse 36 says that when the disciples had left the multitude, they took Jesus with them “just as he was.” This is a curious phrase, and it simply means that Jesus was so tired He made no advance preparation. Provisions, a change of clothing, notifying anyone He would be gone for awhile—nothing mattered but some much needed rest. He just HAD to take a break or He would physically break down.

Note also that the end of verse 36 says, “other little boats were also with him.” Even on an escape to rest, there were people who followed along in other boats.

Before we criticize them for not giving Jesus at least some respite from people, remember that allowing others to come along served a practical purpose. Jesus knew full well a storm was coming and what He would do. We don’t know how many people came along, but in 1986, the hull of a fishing boat from New Testament times was recovered from the mud on the northeast shore of Galilee. It could hold about 15 people. Mark doesn’t tell us how many boats went along, and he describes them as “little” boats, so let’s give a capacity of 10 per boat, instead of 15, and let’s say there were 5 other small boats, besides the one Jesus was in. This would be 50 people, plus the 12 disciples in the main boat—a total of 62 people who would have witnessed the unbelievable events about to unfold.