What is a disciple, Part 2: In the Eye of the Storm
Mark 6: 45-52; Matthew 16:22-33
We are in the second week of talking specifically about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. You might remember last week we said that “A disciple is someone who imitates the example of Jesus and who follows the instructions of Jesus no matter how often he gets interrupted by the world. And today, we are going to look specifically at one disciple, and how you see all three of these things happening in one story.
Before we start, I want to give you a test. While you are watching at home, I want you to call out the answers to these questions. Boys and girls, you guys can play this too. If you are watching on Facebook, or are on a handheld device where you can type in comments on YouTube, feel free to type your answers. It’s an easy test. There are only two questions. Ready?
1. How many disciples, or apostles, did Jesus have during his earthly ministry? [Pause] Good. Twelve. I told you it was easy. If you said anything other than 12, you’re overthinking it. Or you’ve been away from church too long. Ready for the second question?
2. Name the twelve disciples. STOP!! Okay, who was the first one you named?
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say, I’ll be it was Peter. And why not? In every list of disciples, Peter is the first one named. Most of the best known stories of Jesus from the Gospels feature Peter. And since we are studying the gospel of Mark, you might be interested to know that most scholars believe Peter was Mark’s primary source for his gospel. One of the earliest church historians, a man named Papias of Hierapolis, who died in 130AD said that Mark became Peter’s interpreter, and “wrote accurately all that he remembered.” So did Irenaeus, who died in 200 AD. Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius—they all said Mark based his gospel on the preaching and personal recollections of Peter.
So when we read the story of Jesus walking on water on Mark 6, we know first off that Mark wasn’t there. He wasn’t one of Jesus’ disciples, so we can assume that this is Peter’s recollection of the story. So let’s look at this story, told to Mark, by Peter, and recorded in chapter 6, verses 45-52.
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night[g] he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
Ok. I’m gonna go out on another limb and guess that this probably isn’t the first time you’ve heard this story. It’s probably one of the most famous stories in the gospel. It’s found in three out of four of the gospels—Matthew, Mark, and John.
So, since you are already familiar with this story, let me ask you something else: What’s missing from the story? …. That’s right. You’re looking at this going, wait a minute. Did I skip a paragraph? Where’s the part about Peter walking on the water to Jesus?
Mark doesn’t tell it. It’s not there. You didn’t miss a verse, Cindy didn’t mess up the powerpoint. The story of Peter walking on the water to Jesus is not there.
Now, don’t freak out. I’m not saying it didn’t happen. It absolutely happened. That part of the story is told in Matthew 14, and you can flip over there because we are gonna talk about that too. But don’t hear me saying that the Bible can’t be trusted, or that the bible contradicts itself.
I’m just saying that when Peter told the story to Mark, he left himself out of it. And I think I know why. We’re gonna circle back to that at the end of the story. But before we get there, I want to talk about three truths we learn from this story about what it means to be a disciple.
1. A disciple recognizes Jesus in the storm. Let’s talk about the storm. We see in verse 45 that Jesus made his disciples get in a boat while he dismissed the crowd. This is after the feeding of the 5,000, which was after Jesus had heard the news about the death of John the Baptist, and it was also after the disciples came back from a super intense internship period where they were healing people and casting out demons and preaching the gospel. So it had been a crazy busy time with a lot of excitement, a lot of demands, and (for Jesus) a lot of grief.
So in some sense, there was a storm before they ever even got in the boat. We can relate to that, can’t we.
But once the disciples got in the boat, there was an actual storm. They are on the sea of Galilee, which isn’t really a sea at all. It’s a big lake—surrounded by steep hills, 13 miles from end to end, about 6-7 miles across at its widest point. But its also pretty shallow. Only about 90’ at its deepest point. Which means that it doesn’t take a lot of wind to create some big waves.
And that’s where the disciples found themselves. They got caught in a sudden and ferocious storm. Verse 48 says they were making headway painfully, because the wind was against them.
We can relate to that, too, can’t we? Lots of us felt like the entire world got caught in a sudden storm about eight weeks ago. We’re still there. Every day, we’ve been tuned in to news conferences and press briefings, because we want to see if we are making any headway in this storm.
And while we are beginning to see some flattening of the curve, and there are glimmers of hope that things are going to begin getting back to normal soon, lots of days it still feels like the wind is against us.
Its tempting to wonder why we are in this storm in the first place. Is this God’s judgment against us or against the world? Is Covid-19 punishment for something, and if we repent and turn back to God and get prayer back in schools and ban abortion God will heal our land?
Well maybe those are all good things to do. But can I remind you that the disciples were exactly where Jesus told them to be? Verse 45: Jesus made them get in a boat. And they were doing exactly what Jesus told them to do. They were trying to get to the other side of the lake.
Friends, storms and crises come. They may be the result of sin. They could happen because of stupid decisions we make. They could be God trying to get our attention. But not always.
But here’s the incredible part of this. Jesus meets us in the midst of the storm. Verse 48 says that during the fourth watch of the night, which was between 3-6 am, Jesus came to them, walking on the water! Matthew, the tax collector, he probably doesn’t know a thing about boats, is sitting there, wondering if they are insured for all this. Thomas is over there saying, “I doubt we’re going to make it.”
And here comes Jesus. Walking. On. The. Water. There’s no natural explanation for this. Some people have tried to say that Jesus was walking on the shore and they just thought it was the water because the waves were so high. But no. John 6:19 says they were three or four miles from land. So they are literally in the middle of the lake. And its three in the morning. They aren’t seeing someone on the shore. Its Jesus. Surfing without a surfboard. Skiing without skis. Or a boat.
And they freak out. “It’s a ghost!” they cry out in fear. But Jesus says, “Chill. It’s me.” (verse 50; actually, it says, “Take heart, it is I.” No… actually, actually, it says in John 6:20 in the Greek, “I am. Do not be afraid.” Then, according to John 6:21, “they were glad to take him into the boat.”
Well, duh. “I am” was God’s personal name. It was the name the creator of the universe revealed to Moses in the middle of a bush that wasn’t consumed. “I am” was a name John used repeatedly in his gospel. Jesus said, “I am” the bread of life. “I am the door to the sheep.” “I am the resurrection and the life.” “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
No wonder they were glad to take him in the boat! [STOP for a gospel challenge right here—have you asked Jesus to be in the boat with you?]
With Jesus in the boat you can smile in the storm…
A disciple recognizes Jesus in the storm.
2. A disciple depends on Jesus through the storm: Let’s look at Peter’s part of the story. We only get this from Matthew, so if you want to follow along in your copy of God’s Word, this is Matthew 14:28. Everything up to this point has been pretty much exactly the way it is Mark’s account. Still three in the morning, still a long way from shore, disciples still think Jesus is a ghost, Jesus still says, “I am, Fear Not.”
But in 14:28, Peter says, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come out on the water. Peter saw that the boat was going down, but Jesus was staying up. And when he had the choice between a sinking ship and a standing savior, he decided he wanted to be where Jesus was.
Notice he isn’t going to go without permission. Some people think this whole exchange is because of Peter’s doubt—“Lord, if it’s you…” But notice he calls Jesus Lord. See, a disciple does what Jesus says, but a disciple also doesn’t do what Jesus doesn’t say. So Peter wasn’t about to get out of that boat unless his Lord told him to.
And his Lord told him to. Verse 29: Jesus said, “Come.” Do you think it was easy? Your boat may be leaking and rocking back and forth, but at least you’ve got solid wood beneath your feet. And now Jesus is inviting you to leave behind what feels secure and step out into a place that looks scary.
So I imagine Peter standing on the edge of the boat, his knuckles white on the railing behind him—“Say goodbye to solid wood… say goodbye my baby”
“I will call upon your name [step] and keep my eyes above the waves [step]
“When oceans rise, my soooooul” [sink]” See, don’t imagine that when you step out in faith its going to be smooth and calm and a path is going to open up before you that’s as smooth as glass. Verse 30 says Peter “saw the wind.” Saw the wind? How hard does the wind have to be blowing for you to see it?” When we follow Jesus, its still gonna be stormy.
But here’s the thing. When Peter gets overwhelmed by the waves, he was afraid, and verse 30 says he was “beginning to sink.” I’m not sure what how that works. I don’t think it means he started slowing down. I think when he became afraid, he sank. And then he started working under his own strength. Paddling. Treading water, trying to stay afloat. And my guess is that he was determined to try to get back on top of the waves on his own strength. [Like when my brother tried to teach me to ski.]
You know what I had to do? I had to let go of the rope. And I think Peter gave up trying to get back on top on his own. So he calls out “Guys, save me.”
No he doesn’t! He calls out, “Lord save me.” Remember, a disciple depends on Jesus through the storm.” Peter realizes he can’t get back on top of the water on his own. He can’t even get back to the boat on his own. So he calls out to Jesus. And verse 31 says, “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and said, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” I wonder if part of that was also, “O you of little faith, what took you so long before you asked for help?”
And the two of them got back into the boat, and verse 32 says, “The wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the son of God.”
3. A disciple magnifies Jesus after the storm. Why didn’t Peter talk about his role in this story when he was telling the story to Mark? Some people say he didn’t want to look bad because of his “failure.” But that’s assuming there was a failure. That Peter gets back into the boat and all the other disciples are going, “Yeah, you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
I don’t buy it. We look at this and go, “Wow, Peter only took two steps.” But I think Peter got back in the boat and said, “Woo hoo!!! Two steps!! Who’s got two thumbs and just walked on the water!! THIS GUY!!!! Any of the rest of y’all get out of the boat? Anyone? Bueller? No steps, no steps, no steps… TWO STEPS!!!
No, I don’t think Peter left himself out of the story because he thought he failed. I think that decades after the fact, when an aging Peter sits down to tell this story to Mark, he didn’t want the story to be about himself at all. He wanted the story to be about Jesus. The I am who meets us in the storm. Who we depend on in the storm. Because he wanted to make much of Jesus AFTER the storm. But my opinion is that years after the fact, the mature apostle Peter didn’t want people to think about him at all. He wanted the focus to be on Jesus.
Who’s seen Rocky II? There’s a scene in Rocky II where Rocky is out for a run, and as he’s running through the streets of Philadelphia, a bunch of kids start running with him. And by the time he gets to the Philadelphia museum of art, there’s hundreds of kids all chanting his name.
Here’s what the scene looks like, and as you are watching it, I want you to pay attention to the kid wearing the Number 12 jersey.
Imagine when #12 comes home that day and says, “Mom, dad, guess what! Today while we were out playing, there was this Hollywood film crew, making a movie, and guess what! I’m gonna be in it!”
Now imagine that for weeks after this, number 12 has told all of his friends that he’s gonna be in a movie with Sylvester Stallone. And by the time the movie comes out, he’s started telling people, hey! “My movie comes out tomorrow night. Sylvester Stallone is a guest star IN MY MOVIE.”
That’s what we do with Jesus all the time. We forget that the story is about him, and we make it about ourselves. I watched this scene a dozen times getting ready for this sermon, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find #12 in the final scene. He was just one of hundreds of people gathering around Rocky, cheering his name. Because he knows the movie isn’t about him. His only job is to magnify the one the movie is about.
And that’s our only job. At the end of his life, Peter wasn’t worried about making himself look bad. Or making himself look good. All Peter was interested in was that you didn’t look at him at all, but instead you looked at Jesus.
That’s our challenge. We are going to get through this current storm. But when we do, what will our story be? will our stories be all about what we did during the quarantine, our about how Jesus was magnified during the quarantine?
INVITATION: Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
