Mark 4:35-41 “Are we there yet”?
1. Jesus seems to be out of whack, people love Him, People hate him, People don’t understand him
• It is the end of a long day. Jesus is growing in success and popularity.
• He is provoking strong reactions from nearly everyone with whom he comes into contact.
• His own family members question his mental state,
• His neighbors greet him with a hostile welcome, the religious professionals and politicians are plotting ways to kill him, and the demons fear him.
2. Crowds follow
• the crowds of people follow him with the intent not to harm him;
• rather, they are astonished at the authority of his teaching and his miraculous powers.
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3. Jesus and the storm.
• Jesus, his disciples and other boats head for the other side of the lake, somewhere on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee,
• Sea Of Galilee is a body of water about 13 miles long and 7.5 miles wide. Surrounded by hills, a cool current of air rushing down from Mount Hermon (9,200 feet) — or other hills and cliffs — could whip the sea into a horrendous storm
4. Jesus is asleep when a storm blows up. Disciples are terrified
• When the disciples awaken Jesus, he rebukes the wind and the sea. The disciples are still terrified, but not at the raging storm.
• Now they are shocked at the man who holds power over the demonic forces of nature.
• Consider Understanding the Old Testament images of raging waters is important. The power to control the seas and subdue storms belongs to God (for examples, see Psalm 89:8-9; Psalm 93:3-4). Controlling the seas also conjures up God's divine action in the exodus (see Psalm 106:9). Storms are also used as metaphors for evil forces active in the world, evil forces from which only God can save (see Psalm 69:1-2, 14-15).
• Jesus was sleep is also an important image. The gift of being able to sleep untroubled and peacefully is the sign that one can trust in God's power (Proverbs 3:23-26).
5. Jesus’s faith in God's power to keep him safe remains strong, unlike the panicked disciples. They have little faith. Their faith is so different from that of Jesus
• Disciples ask, “Do you not care?" their faith is weak.
• Awakened, Jesus rebukes the wind and calms the seas. When he does this, the vocabulary is the same as is used to drive out an evil spirit (compare 1:21-28): literally, "be muzzled." Like the evil spirits, the wind and the sea obey. Jesus muzzles the hostile powers of wind and sea and makes them powerless to harm the disciples.
• Jesus asks the disciples: "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" (Literally: "Do you not yet have faith?"). Jesus questions the disciples about being so cowardly and lacking in faith.
6. Are We There Yet? It’s a question almost everyone has heard (or asked) on a long trip.
• Jesus is asking a question "Why aren't you there yet?" "Why are you afraid? Have you still (or yet) no faith?" Why is it that after all the road-tripping we've done, you still have zero faith?
• We are not there yet because a lack of trust
• How can we get there to the place of utter faith and confidence in God?
• What do we need to do to get there? Be led by faith
• Maybe it’s like the old song "My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness; dare not trust the sweetest frame; But wholly lean on Jesus' name; On Christ the solid rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand."
