Man and water have always had an interesting relationship. It is something that man cannot control, although it is all around him and vital for his survival. Over 75% of the earth’s surface is covered by water. We live in the land of 10,000 lakes, it is all around us as well. Despite that, it is something that we really cannot control or have any power over. For who can stop the rain? Who can calm a sea, or tell its waters to stop moving? Who can redirect its flow or path with ease? Who can halt its destructive power and force when things like hurricanes or floods hit? Perhaps that is why many of the world’s most impressive engineering feats involve water, or revolve around it. In the Gospel text, we Jesus doing what man cannot. We see Him make the list of engineering feats. He controls the water and waves, and does so with just two, little, simple words. This morning, we will take a look at this miracle, and see what it means for our lives.
Just previously, Jesus taught about faith, which will be the very thing the disciples will lack in this story, and what the Kingdom of God is like. After teaching all day, and explaining these concepts to His disciples, He decides that they should leave and depart to the other side, even though it is night. They are going to go the country of the Gerasenes, which is a gentile area. And after leaving the crowd, they took Jesus in the boat, and departed to the other side.
As they are on their way, a great windstorm arises! On the Sea of Galilee, these could happen quickly and without notice. They could even happen with sunny and clear skies. When the western winds would come off of Mount Hermon and collide with the warm lake water, these sudden and violent storms would be produced. And boy, was a violent storm upon them!
The waves of the sea crashed upon the boat, and began to spill in. The boat begins to fill with water, and it is starting to sink! The disciples are doing what they can, but it is to no avail. They begin to panic. The experienced fisherman are scared and fearing for their lives! You have to imagine that they have endured many a storm! This is not new to them. They know the situation is dire! It is like a car mechanic looking over your car, and with a concerned look on his face, calls you into the shop to point out to you something underneath. When that happens, you know it is not good, and will probably be expensive. It is like a doctor looking defeated and sullen after looking at her patient’s test results. Again, their reaction tells the direness of the situation. It is the same here. The disciples’ fear says it all: things are not good!
And the disciples decide to do the smart thing and go to Jesus for help. They think He can do something. Afterall, He has shown mastery over sickness and demons. Maybe, just maybe, He can do something here. And as they enter the stern, they find Him sleeping on a pillow. So, they decide to wake Him. They say, “Teacher!” That is how they see Jesus at this point in the Gospel of Mark. He certainly is a teacher alright, but is certainly much more. Jesus is going to teach them that.
After the address, they follow with everyone’s favorite way to wake-up, immediately hear a compliant. They say things are life threatening. They have the gall to tell Jesus, “You don’t care! You aren’t concerned for us! Don’t you know what is going on? How can you sleep and do nothing? Do you not care that we are perishing?” What a way to be awakened!
Jesus rises to action He rebukes the wind and tells the sea two, simple, small, ordinary words. He says, “Siopa, pephimoso!” The first word means, “Silence!” or “Shut-up!” It does not mean peace, or really carry that idea. The second word means, “Be Still!” Jesus addresses creation by speaking to it like a person. He tells the sea to stop its raging and yelling. With that, a great miracle happens. The storm immediately stops, and a great calm is produced.
I have had the blessing of living on both sides of Lake Michigan, and close to the lake, for both college and vicarage. I have seen many a storm over the lake, and I have seen the after-effects many times. Once a storm would be over, the lake would still be wavy and choppy. It did not immediately calm down. In fact, it was a rare sight to see the lake completely calm and still. Jesus produces a great calm here. He shows His power, His control, and His identity. It is a miracle how calm it is after such a violent storm.
This calmness produces a great teaching moment and emotion for the disciples. Jesus asks them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” Why did they fear during the storm? He was with them. Would He really let them drown and die from the storm? Did they not learn anything about faith that day? And how do the disciples take all of this? How do they respond? They respond with a fear greater than death! They just feared for their life but now are filled with fear for Him Who stands before them. They wonder just Who Jesus is. They say, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” And Who is this? It is God in the flesh. That is why the wind and waves obey Him. It is He Who created the Heavens and the earth with a Word. It is He Who controls the Heavens and the earth with just a Word. That One is before them. The One Who is Savior and Creator is with them. This miracle shows this identity.
But what does this one-time event mean for us, some 2,000 years later? How does this miracle impact our lives? In our lives, can’t we feel like, and relate with the disciples? Like them, we can have real problems that might not only seem like a life or death issue, but they might be ones. Maybe you are having a health issue that might not be curable or treatable. Perhaps finances are tight and difficult living on a fixed income. Maybe the relationships in our lives are not where we want them to be. Work might not be going well or going anywhere, and you can feel stuck. Is worry and stress bothering and overwhelming you? We know what it is like to have problems, and with them, we know what it is like to feel like it seems that God doesn’t care, or is sleeping. It can seem that way because of this bad math problem. We are often tempted to think that Me + bad things = God doesn’t care, or watch over me. We can feel this way when we see what we deem as a lack of answers or action. We can relate with the disciples.
But, like with the disciples, Jesus is good to us. He helps us even though we doubt. He doesn’t hold that against us. Imagine if He did! He cares for us, even when we accuse Him of not. Thank goodness that He does! He is with us in the “boat” and in the “storms”. All of these truths are depicted well with the second stanza of our opening hymn, hymn 752 “Be Still, My Soul.” Catharina von Schlegel writes, “Be still, my soul; your God will undertake/ To guide the future as He has the past.” Our God is with us, guiding us, and watching over us. He is not sleeping. He has not left. He has not abandoned us, nor will He ever. He cares, and He will “guide the future as He has the past.”
She continues: “Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;” That is the case because our God is faithful. His care, His love, His devotion, and His faithfulness are seen the most clearly at the cross and the tomb, where Jesus died and rose again to save us from our sins. That act is the ultimate assurance of our salvation and His faithfulness. This is where our hope and confidence lies, and it is certain, and it is true.
The hymn continues: “All mysterious shall be bright at last.” Paul writes in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” We don’t always know how this will work out, but our God promises that it is for our ultimate good in Jesus. We might not see how that is this side of Heaven.
The stanza ends, “Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.” They really do remember. This God, this Jesus, is in control. He has control over health issues, financial duress, relationship problems, stress, and worry. This God has power over those things and works all things for our good in Christ.
Unfortunately, though, sometimes things don’t or won’t be fixed this side of Heaven. Tragedies can and do befall us. Things might not get better. When that happens, stanza four directs us wonderfully when it says, “Be still my soul; the hour is hastening on/when we shall be forever with the Lord,/when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone/sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored/be still my soul/when change and tears are past, all safe and blessed, we shall meet at last.” We know where we are going, and where our God is guiding and taking us. It is the place that He has won for us through Jesus, and where all things will be better. So, be still, be calm, your God is with you!
