#21 With Jesus in the Storm
Series: Acts
Chuck Sligh
June 28, 2020
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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.
This is just another case of the incredible verification we have in the life of Jesus through eyewitness accounts besides the apostles themselves that several Bible writers mention.
II. IN VERSES 37-38 WE SEE A RAGING STORM – “And a great storm arose, and the waves broke over into the boat, so that it was already filling up. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on a pillow: and they awoke him, and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’”
The word Mark chose for “storm” in Greek can mean “hurricane” and even an “earthquake.” The idea is some kind of storm much worse than your average run-of-the-mill storm.
Extreme storms are not unknown on the Sea of Galillee. Surrounded by high mountains, the sea of Galilee is like a basin. Violent winds from enter the basin from the southeast like a funnel and create a situation in which violent storms can materialize very suddenly. Storms in the evening, as this one was, were especially dangerous.
We see the severity of the storm by the fact that the disciples were terrified even though several of them were experienced fishermen who had weathered many storms before. Mark says that the waves broke over into the boat Mathew and Luke are more vivid: Matthew says, “The ship was covered with the waves” (Matthew 8:24) and Luke says, “They were filled with water and were in jeopardy” (Luke 8:23). In all three gospels, the disciples tell Jesus that they are about to perish.
All the while, Jesus was sound asleep on a cushion in the stern—the rear of the boat. By the way, the only place we hear of Jesus sleeping is during a storm! How could He sleep through such a tempest? I’ll tell you how—He was EXHAUSTED!
Illus. – I remember when the college I had graduated from won the national basketball championship for Christian colleges in America. We travelled back to go to the final game when they clinched the title.
Chris was about two years old at the time and we took him along. He had run and played all day without a nap and by about halfway through the first half, he was exhausted. He lay on a blanket right at our feet and went sound to sleep.
That game was the most exciting, nail-biting, loud and boisterous game I have ever attended, with the crowd repeatedly jumping to their feet and screaming to the top of their lungs. And yet Chris slept like a baby the whole way through. If you’re tired enough, you can sleep through just about anything.
This passage, incidentally, is a fascinating insight into the Incarnation. As R. Kent Hughes puts it, “Though in a moment Jesus would calm the storm with an extraordinary display of power, he first slept in a weary body. In this grand display, the opposites of weakness and omnipotence do not clash but coalesce in a beautiful harmony too magnificent to be the product of human imagination.”
Verse 38 says, “…they awoke him, and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’” These experienced fishermen had come to the end of their human ability. It was then that they turned to Jesus for help.
III. IN VERSES 39-40 WE SEE A WELCOME RESCUE – “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still.’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’”
Jesus stood up and “rebuked” the wind, which literally means He “ordered” it or “censured” it. This is the same Greek word used by Jesus when He commanded or censured evil spirits. Jesus meant not only to calm His disciples’ nerves, but to reveal to them that He had the same command over the forces of nature as He did over demons.
To the sea, Jesus said “Peace, be still.” “Be still” literally means, “Be muzzled.” I love that! Like muzzling the mouth of a ferocious lion, Jesus simply commanded the sea to be muzzled, and immediately, Mark tells us, “…there was a great calm!” Suddenly, simply at the command of Jesus, the winds ceased, the rain stopped, the waves became gentle, and all fear of perishing abruptly ended.
Then Jesus turned this into a teaching moment. He asked them why they were so fearful and why did they have no faith? They had seen Jesus do so much; they had experienced His power time and time again in His ministry; yet they had no faith when the rubber met the road. The disciples were insiders to Jesus’ ministry, yet they did not fully understand Jesus, nor could they, until the cross and resurrection.
Notice that Jesus doesn’t rebuke them for their lack of understanding but for their fear. The real threat to faith is not lack of knowledge but fear. Faith and fear cancel each other out. If you have fear, you have no faith; if you have faith, you have no fear. Their terror was evidence of their lack of trust.
IV. IN VERSE 41 WE SEE A FEARFUL REACTION – “And they were filled with great fear, and said one to another, ‘Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’”
Ironically, the terror of the disciples at what Jesus had just done exceeded their initial fear of the storm. They were filled with “great” fear, Mark says! The Greek word Mark chose for “fear” means “cowardly fear.” In other words, they were literally TERRIFIED by this Person before them who had just rebuked the winds and calmed the seas.
They were shocked at what Jesus had done and it had the reaction of causing them to realize that, as amazing as Jesus’ healings and demon exorcisms had been, they had vastly underestimated His authority and power. They had seen a hundred miracles, but all of them paled into insignificance before this miracle and this man. Jesus displayed before them a whole new level of authority and power. Suddenly, they realized that Jesus of Nazareth, their wise Teacher, their wonderful Friend, was as far removed from them as the remotest star.
Why did Jesus perform this miracle, and why do Mark, Matthew and Luke highlight it?—The reason was to compel them and us to ask the question in verse 41: “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Their question was real to them, but it was a rhetorical question that Mark juxtaposes for us to answer this way: “He is the Christ, the Son of God!” The subduing of the wind and sea was not merely a demonstration of power; it was an epiphany through which Jesus continued to unveil His identity as God.
CONCLUSION
That’s the main reason Mark records this story—to buttress his central theme, that Jesus is the Son of God, a term meaning He was God in the flesh on this earth. But there’s another unmistakable value in this story for our lives personally—an application that goes all the way back to the early days of the church.
That’s where I want to park for a few minutes this morning before I close. The fact is that this passage is a beautiful picture of believers when they go through trials. As we think about this perspective of the story, notice a few things I hope will help you when you go through tempestuous storms in your life:
• First, when Jesus gets on our boat of life, it does not exempt us from storms.
As you follow the Lord, you will find that the Lord sometimes allows you to experience testings to mold you and mature you in your Christian life, and often to fit you better for His service.
When we enter a storm in our lives, we naturally recoil from it. Who in their right mind wants to experience pain, or suffering, or bewilderment, or any difficult trial in our lives or in our families? And though sometimes our trials are the results of our own mistakes (that is, we’re reaping what we’ve sown); and though sometimes trials come as part of God’s discipline in our lives because of sin—the truth is that often our storms have nothing to do with reaping or discipline. They’re part of being on the same boat with Jesus.
So, if you’re griping to God about having to go through trials, hold your breath. God allows trials in your life for your good. Think about it: Jesus could have kept the disciples from experiencing that awful storm; but if He had, they would never have experienced one of the greatest miracles in history—and they’d never grow beyond pygmy faith. If you get on the boat with Jesus by trusting Him as your Savior, the old adage “No pain, no gain” is true.
• Second, God wants to bring you to where you recognize that without Him you cannot handle the storms in your life by yourself.
The disciples didn’t come to Jesus at first; they tried to handle the crisis on their own. It wasn’t until things looked hopeless that they came to Jesus for help. That’s just how we are in our Christian lives, isn’t it?—We try to handle our problems in our own strength until we lose all hope, and THEN we cry out for Jesus.
Illus. – Once I told a missionary friend about a problem I was going through and I said, “I’m really going to have to pray about this,” to which he responded, “Prayer? You mean it’s come to THAT?!!!”
That missionary jokingly identified a problem we all have—an independent spirit…a sense that we can handle our own problems…that if we need God bad enough, we’ll call on Him…and we feel—even if we don’t say it out loud—“God, I got this covered. If I need you, I’ll call. Don’t call me…I’ll call you.” So God takes us up on that. He allows storms in our lives to let us know we CAN’T handle things in our own power and strength. He lets us be in situations where we find ourselves calling out to God.
But it shouldn’t have to come to that before we look to God. God wants us to come to the place in our lives where we realize our dependence upon Him daily, moment-by-moment—before a storm even BEGINS; not just after we’re overwhelmed. God wants us to recognize our need of Him always.
• Third, note that you need never fear or fret in a stormy time in life, for Jesus has complete control of your storm – In verse 26, Jesus said, “Why are you fearful…then He…rebuked the winds and the sea.”
Has it ever occurred to you that when you go through a storm that it doesn’t catch God by surprise? When you go through a crisis, God doesn’t call an “emergency meeting of the Trinity” to determine what needs to be done. No, every element of your storm is carefully overseen by a God who is never caught off guard—who is always in complete control.
Illus. – We used to have a song leader in our church in Wiesbaden I’ll call Jim who whenever I saw him, I’d ask, “How’s it going Jim?”… His response was always the same—he’d say, “God is still on the throne!” He was almost always happy and on top of things when he’d say that.
But one day he came in discouraged, and when I asked, “How’s it going, Jim?” he replied, “Not too good Pastor.”
I responded, “What happened Jim? Did God step off the throne?”
He smiled sheepishly at me, straightened up and said, “No, Pastor, you’re right God IS still on the throne.” I at first rebuked myself for a making an uncaring statement, but this time, it was just what he needed to hear to help him through a difficult storm.
Are you going through a storm today? – Don’t worry, God hasn’t stepped off His throne! Are things going bad for you right now?—GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. As the all-wise, all-loving God, He knows exactly how strong the winds should be; exactly how high to allow the waves to roll over your boat; exactly how much water to let in; and exactly when to calm the sea.
• Last, when you turn to God for help, He brings peace and calm
In your time of trouble, Jesus can bring peace and rest—if you’ll just come to Him, bring Him your burden, and leave your burdens with Him.
Peter says 1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you.”
Paul says this in Philippians 4:6-7 – “Don’t be worried about anything; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
By the way, God doesn’t always deliver us FROM the storm. As often as not, He simply helps us THROUGH the storm. And even then, Philippians 4:6-7 is STILL true! He does calm the storm and restore tranquility in our hearts if we bring our burden to Him by prayer and supplication. Then “the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Are you going through a storm today?
Illus. – Do you know what an eagle does in a storm? It sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle soars above it. The eagle doesn’t escape the storm; it simply uses the storm to lift it higher.
And you know what?—When a storm hits, you can rise above it by trusting in God and waiting on Him. The storm might overwhelm you for a while! It may be an especially strong and violent and long-lasting storm. But in time, with God’s grace, you can allow God’s power to lift you above it. It’s not the burdens of life that weigh us down; it’s how we handle them.
Isaiah 40:31 tells us how to handle our storms: “They who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Dear fellow storm traveler: If you’re one of God’s kids, He’s at work in your storms—even when you don’t recognize it or understand it. He’s in the boat during the storm with you, for He promises “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) He’s calling you to rise above it…to be an overcomer, to ride out the storm with God’s power and grace!
