THE STORM BEFORE THE CALM
The storm before the calm. Normally we hear this said the other way around. Though there are times when there is the calm before the storm, in the case of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, the storm came before the calm.
1) The crucifixion-the storm.
The storm started for Jesus and the disciples when Jesus was arrested. When we think of a storm we normally think of a literal storm-heavy rains, strong winds, thunder and lightning, or a blizzard if it's wintertime.
But another usage of storm is when someone storms out of a room because they're angry. They usually rant and rave and then stomp away. Storm can also mean flare-up, outburst, explosion, eruption, that sort of thing. We saw that type of emotion exhibited by Peter when the guards were approaching Jesus to arrest him and he drew his dagger and cut off Malchus' ear. But Jesus quieted the storm when he told Peter to stop it and then he healed Malchus.
From then on, the uneasy storm was brewing. The disciples all fled (you could say they all stormed out of there) and left Jesus to deal with his storm on his own. Then you have the storminess of the outbursts by the religious leaders when they questioned Jesus. When Jesus revealed he was the Son of God and in the future they would see him sitting at the right hand of God they tore their robes and shouted, 'blasphemy!' Then they spit on him and slapped his face.
Meanwhile, Peter was facing his own stormy situation. He and John had followed Jesus from a distance. John knew someone who had let him come inside but Peter was left to wait outside in the courtyard. He could see what was happening with Jesus. While he was there, some people accused him of being one of Jesus' followers but he kept denying it. After the third time, the rooster crowed. Jesus turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had told him. Peter stormed away and wept bitterly.
Jesus continued to face his storm when he was beaten and flogged so severely he was beyond recognition. Then, he was crucified. After a few hours the weather started to change.
Matt. 27:45-54, "From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
Before Jesus died there was three hours of blackness. The darkness that blanketed the sky represented evil. In Luke 22:53, when Jesus was arrested he said to the chief priests, temple officials and elders who had come for him, "This is your hour, when darkness reigns."
The black sky conveyed the darkness that was in men's hearts; the reason that Jesus hung on the cross-dying for the sins of men. And then after Jesus died there was an earthquake-the storm. Maybe there wasn't a typical rain storm, hailstorm or hurricane winds but I don't consider three hours of darkness in the middle of the day and an earthquake to be anything close to calm.
The darkness alone would've been very daunting and the people would've been confused at best-terrified at worst. And then to have an earthquake of the magnitude to make the rocks split; this was no tremor. I can picture people fleeing the scene; running every which way, wondering what would happen next. This obviously got people's attention. So much so that it changed the heart of a Roman Centurion. He saw this weather phenomenon in a divine light that pierced his darkness; for now he saw Jesus as the Son of God.
That's what a storm in our lives is supposed to do-get our attention and cause us to have either a change of heart or a more serious heart. In Psalm 83, Asaph is describing the M.O. of Israel's enemies. So he uses the reality of storms as a metaphor for asking God to get their attention.
Psalm 83:14-16, "As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze, so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm. Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O LORD."
The Lord's fire needs to consume us; our hearts need to be set ablaze by holy fire. If we're apathetic or in sin we need the Lord's storms to come and get our attention so we would wake up, repent and seek his holy name.
The storm that Jesus faced produced a stormy situation in the heart of Peter. The blackness of fear caused Peter to deny knowing Jesus. The blackness of denial caused Peter to believe he would never deny Christ. But that darkness was pierced by the light of Christ when he locked eyes with Peter after the rooster crowed. Then, the dark denial that covered Peter was broken by the revealing light of truth, showing him where his heart was really at.
In light of this, we can see the storm of the crucifixion as a good thing. Without the arrest of Jesus, Peter would not have realized that he was in denial. Without the darkness and the earthquake, the Centurion never would've come to an epiphany about who Jesus really was. Without Paul getting knocked on his backside on the road to Damascus, he would not have realized that Jesus is the true Messiah. What have your storms revealed to you?
2) The resurrection-the calm.
The storm would've continued for the next day or so for the disciples who thought their Lord was gone forever. Even though Jesus told them he was going to be raised to life they didn't really believe it. But it wouldn't take long before their storm would turn to not only calm, but joy.
In John 20, we have the wonderful scene of Mary seeing the resurrected Lord. She had gone to the tomb to anoint Jesus. Seeing the stone rolled away she assumed someone moved Jesus' body so she went to the disciples and told them. Peter and John race to the tomb to see that Mary was right; the tomb was empty. Then they left, wondering what to make of all this while Mary stayed behind.
John 20:10-17, "Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. “Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”
Mary's stormy tears were turned into tears of joy when Jesus said her name. It's like Jesus was saying, 'Mary, stop crying, the storm is over. I'm alive!' The intimacy of Jesus calms our storms. We're upset or anxious about something and then the calm voice of Jesus breaks in and speaks reaffirming words to us and calms our spirits. In that moment we're reminded that we serve a risen Savior who watches over us and is bigger than any issue we face.
So when Mary recognizes the voice and presence of Jesus she does what any of us would've done-rush over to him and wrap our arms around him. The jubilant Mary clings to her Lord. But after a moment Jesus lovingly told Mary she needed to let go. Not that it was awkward for Jesus, but there was much that needed to be done and if he didn't say something she probably would've held onto him for quite a while. Who could blame her!
Just imagine being Mary here. You saw the bloody, beaten, dead Jesus on the cross. And now, here he is, no blood, no swelling, no bruises, just the Jesus you knew before-only better. He was alive and here you were-holding him. It wasn't a figment of your imagination; your arms were around a real, live person.
You know the warm, comforting feeling you get when you hug someone you love. You know the joy you get when you embrace someone you haven't seen in a while. You know the calming effect from being held when you're afraid. Mary was experiencing all that. In this moment of holding Jesus nothing else mattered, nothing else existed; time stood still. She was lost in his sweet fragrance as she held him tight. The calm after the storm. Jesus instructed Mary to go tell the disciples so she hurried off.
John 20:18-20, "Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord."
So Mary comes to the disciples with the exciting news that she had been with Jesus. I can imagine the discussion they had after Mary left. We know from Mark 16:11 they didn't believe her. That evening Jesus appeared to them. Luke's version says when Jesus appeared they thought they were seeing a ghost. It makes sense since he came through a locked door. We can see why they would've needed to be calmed down.
'Peace be with you'. That wasn't just a greeting; it was intended to calm them down. It's like Jesus is saying, "you don't need to be afraid; It's me; I'm really alive". In a way I can see Jesus' words as a reminder of what he said to them at the last supper.
John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
So as the resurrected Jesus is standing with his disciples, it's like he's saying, "don't be troubled or afraid for I've defeated death and I am alive. You will have the peace of knowing I am with you always. My peace isn't like worldly peace which is only present when there's no turmoil. My peace is with you in the midst of the storm to enable you to persevere through it. My resurrection ensures you the peace of knowing I am with you, I will help you, I will give you what you need to come through the storm and reach the calm. Stay with me and you'll make it through'.
The peace and comfort of Jesus comes to us when we need it most-in the storm. Jesus' presence is the calm in the storm. His peace settles us down giving us the spiritual equivalent of physically holding him like Mary did. The resurrection makes all this possible. Jesus has conquered death and we no longer have to be afraid of anything that happens in life. Jesus is the calm in the storm.
3) Our storms will end in calm.
Job's story is a good example of the storm before the calm. In fact, in describing what it felt like God was doing to him, he said this in Job 30:22, "You snatch me up and drive me before the wind; you toss me about in the storm." Maybe you've felt like this before. But God speaks in the storm also. When God spoke into Job's situation, 38:1 says, "Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm."
We can be sure God will speak to us in the midst of the storm too. He waited a while before speaking into Job's storm, he may wait longer than we'd like before he speaks into ours too. In the end, Job's storm ended and he experienced many blessings-the calm. Yes, there was calm before the storm too. Job was living a blessed life. However, in some ways, the calm that came after his storm was better in that now he had a major experience to compare it to.
When we go through a storm the calm afterwards is such a welcomed relief. The calm before the storm is just life routinely moving along. Then a storm hits and we're dealing with a hurricane. We feel like we're being tossed around like a rag doll and we don't know which end is up. Then, relief comes and the storm subsides. It's calm; almost eerily calm.
Once we realize it's over we rejoice and in some ways we're better for having gone through it. We start to see things we missed before. We appreciate things we took for granted before. The singing of birds is sweeter. The laughter of children is more endearing. The calm that comes after a storm is more appreciated than the calm before the storm.
Think of the storms we went through before we knew Christ. My sins brought about a number of storms! Then we come to Christ and become born-again-there's the calm. The rest for our souls, the peace between us and God, the joy of having the darkness replaced with light.
When we deal with storms after we come to Christ we experience the peace within the storm because we're holding onto Jesus, the anchor for our souls. We trust in his power to see us through life's storms. And because we have trusted in the resurrected Christ, we have our own resurrection to look forward to.
1 Pet. 1:3-7, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
Right now we're suffering grief in all kinds of storms. But the storms are benefiting us-our faith gets stronger and is proved genuine, our testimony is able to be more encouraging, we may even be building up more treasures in heaven. As we continue to persevere through the storms of life we know the calm is coming when Jesus returns. There may be pain in the night, but joy comes in the morning!
The newsboys have a song, Your Love Never Changes. Some of the lyrics: "You stay the same through the ages, Your love never changes, There may be pain in the night, But joy comes in the morning. And when the oceans rage, I don't have to be afraid, Because I know that You love me, Your love never fails. The wind is strong and the water's deep, But I'm not alone here in these open seas, Cause Your love never fails, The chasm is far too wide, I never thought I'd reach the other side, But Your love never fails".
Sometimes it feels like we're barely able to keep our head above water. When we're fighting against the tempest we wonder if we can make it any further. Then we're reassured Jesus is there with us and we press on. We know that in time the storms will be over and there will be eternal calm. Our hope is in the risen Christ.
1st Cor. 15:19-20a, "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead."
If Good Friday was all there was we'd be the most miserable and depressing people. What hope would there be? But, because Good Friday is followed by Resurrection Sunday, we have a sure hope, we have heaven to look forward to; the calm after the storm.
