Body

Mark 4:35-41

MK 4:35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸ Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" ³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. ⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" ⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

King Canute lived until 1035. King Canute the Great, the legend says, seated on his throne on the seashore, waves lapping round his feet. Canute had learned that his flattering courtiers claimed he was "So great, he could command the tides of the sea to go back". Now Canute was not only a religious man, but also a clever politician. He knew his limitations - even if his courtiers did not - so he had his throne carried to the seashore and sat on it as the tide came in, commanding the waves to advance no further. When they didn't, he had made his point that, though the deeds of kings might appear 'great' in the minds of men, they were as nothing in the face of God's power.
"Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings. For there is none worthy of the name but God, whom heaven, earth and sea obey".
What a contrast to Jesus. His disciples thought he was just a teacher, but He showed by stilling the storm that He was more than that. He is God.

THERE ARE TWO SERMONS ON THIS PAGE

1) Jesus told the disciples to cross the lake.

Situated in a basin surrounded by mountains, the Sea of Galilee is particularly susceptible to sudden, violent storms. Cool air from the Mediterranean is drawn down through the narrow mountain passes and clashes with the hot, humid air lying over the lake which is six hundred feet below sea level. This causes the violent winds that churn up the water.

I think that Jesus knew there was a storm coming. The disciples and those in the other craft, even the experienced fishermen, would not have anticipated this.

Sometimes God can allow us to go through difficult times so we can show who, or what, we really trust in,. This can give us the opportunity to grow in our trust and a knowledge of God.

2) A violent storm came, causing fear, even among experienced fishermen.

The disciples looked to the immediate; the winds, the waves, and the water coming into the boat. They thought of themselves, "we're going to drown!"

Their attitude contrasts with that of Jesus. He was asleep after a hard day of teaching his disciples and crowds of people (Mark 4:1f.).

3) Jesus is woken and stills the storm. They call Jesus “teacher”. Did they really expect him to still the storm? If so, why did they question who he is at the end when he did still it?

Ironically, Jesus uses this experience to teach them. To show to them who He really is.

4) Jesus questions their trust in Him.

Faith can chase out fear, or fear can chase out faith.

Jesus chastises his followers because they have failed to realize who he is and that his mission would not be ended by drowning in a freak storm. When he died it would be in accordance with God's pre-ordained plan.

5) The disciples question who Jesus really is.

The disciples were afraid twice in this story. The first time they were afraid of the storm. The second time they were afraid because they were in the presence of someone who had the power to control a storm. Jesus, God and man. This incident adds to what the disciples knew about Jesus, and the picture of Jesus that Mark is building up. Jesus only had to say the word and someone was healed, evil spirits driven out, the dead rise to life or the forces of nature obey him.

Yet the disciples wouldn't have walked away with that message. Mark wouldn't have included this in the gospel for this reason. He was building up a picture of who Jesus is. The disciples were astounded to the point of fear that this man Jesus had the power to control something as powerful as a storm. As fisherman some of them would have known that you shelter from a storm, you don't order it to cease!

This passage is about who this Jesus is. It does not offer the promise of a danger free life to all who believe in Jesus as if he was some kind of divine lucky charm! Indeed, Jesus said that his followers would be persecuted, even to death. This is something that happened to the vast majority of those disciples who were with him in the boat, and is still happening to thousands of Christians in the world today.

This Jesus is great and mighty. Yet he cares for you and me. He calls us to respect who he is and what he has done for us. He invites us to have a life transforming faith in him.

This passage is centred on the last question. ' Who is this Jesus ? '

C.S.Lewis, "We are faced then with a frightening alternative. The man we are talking about was ( and is ) just what He said or else a lunatic or something worse. Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend; and consequently , however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God. God has landed on this enemy occupied world in human form."

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I don't know if you have seen the advert for frozen oven chips ( french fries ) where a little girl is musing over whether she likes her Daddy or chips best of all. Throughout the advert she is thinking aloud, 'Daddy or chips ? Daddy or chips ?'. She is still thinking about this as she has a chip on her fork and her Daddy comes into the room. As he kisses his daughter, he quickly removes the chip from his daughter's fork and eats it. She then says, in a resigned fashion, 'Chips'.

In today's reading the disciples have to make a choice of 'Faith or Fear'. Much to Jesus' disappointment, they choose the latter.

They were undoubtedly in a fishing boat, probably belonging to Simon Peter or James and John. This would have seated about twelve people, with no sails. There were cushions at the stern, which Jesus slept on ( cf. verse 38 ).

Some of the disciples were experienced fishermen. They had weathered some storms, but this one was unexpected. They normally came in the day but we know from Mark's account that this happened in the evening. It must have been a really ferocious storm too, because they were really frightened.

In verse 38 they say to Jesus; "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

The disciples looked to the immediate; the winds, the waves, and the water coming into the boat. They thought of themselves, "we're going to drown!"

Their attitude contrasts with that of Jesus. He was asleep after a hard day of teaching his disciples and crowds of people ( Mark 4:1f. ). We might think that it would be difficult to sleep on a boat during a storm. But, having an active two year old who is an early-bird I know just how tired one can be and how easy it is to fall asleep !

This is a reminder of our Lord's humanity. Maybe it also showed his faith in God's purpose and power.

Matthew's gospel features an appeal to Jesus to help, 8:25; The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"

Mark has the disciples rebuking Jesus, 4:38; The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" This certainly points to a failure of the disciples to appreciate whom they were addressing.

Being afraid is not always a bad thing, it can save us from dangerous situations. When we are in difficult situations being afraid can lead us to trust in something or someone beyond ourselves.

I was shopping in Burtons in the Potteries Centre in Hanley. Standing there was a man with a very sharp haircut, a smart light brown coloured suit, and a superior attitude. I think he was a Regional Manager. Round him were gathered a number of the staff and, when he suggested something, they uncritically enthused about it before rushing to carry out this man's wishes. Here was a man of authority. An authority given to him by his superiors and one which was recognised and acted upon by those in the shop. He said something and it was agreed with and acted upon immediately.

Jesus said the words, the storm subsided and everything was calm. Jesus had authority over illness, death, evil spirits, and as a teacher.

Having rebuked the waves, Jesus rebuked his disciples, ⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Faith can chase out fear, or fear can chase out faith.

Jesus chastises his followers because they have failed to realise who he is and that his mission would not be ended by drowning in a freak storm. When he died it would be in accordance with God's pre-ordained plan.

It is no use having a plan if you do not have the means to carry it out. Jesus did. He told the storm to be still and it was. This reminds us of God's power over nature. We think of the way that God created in Genesis 1 and 2. He gave the word and it was done. He brought order out of the dark, deep waters ( Genesis 1:2 ).

Psalm 65:5 You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Saviour, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, 6 who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, 7 who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.

Jesus, in effect, took the power from the storm. The stilling of the storm is also a reminder that God has not only created, but he sustains. We, and the whole universe need God's continuing sustaining energy to exist. Revelation 4; 11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

Joshua has a 'Playstation' . One of the games which I enjoy is 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire ?'. It duplicates the format of the television programme, even down to Chris Tarrant's voice. One question was, 'Who do Christians believe created the world ?'. Of the four possible answers one was God, and one was Jesus.

Whoever posed the question clearly doesn't know what Christians believe and hasn't read Colossians 1:15; 'He ( Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

The only one who can control nature is the one who created it. Jesus. As Christians we need to be aware that there are a number of cults who claim to be Christian but deny the divinity of Jesus. Examples include the Jehovah's Witnesses. Mormons and Unitarians.

⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

The disciples were afraid twice in this story. The first time they were afraid of the storm. The second time they were afraid because they were in the presence of someone who had the power to control a storm. Jesus, God and man. This incident adds to what the disciples knew about Jesus, and the picture of Jesus that Luke is building up. Jesus only had to say the word and someone was healed, evil spirits driven out, the dead rise to life or the forces of nature obey him.

Some people treat this account of a true, historical event like a parable, a story with a meaning. They think that the moral of the story is that the storm represents the storms of life and that with Jesus in our lives, our boat if you like, we will always be safe and rescued from danger. Yet the disciples wouldn't have walked away with that message. Mark wouldn't have included this in the gospel for this reason, he was building up a picture of who Jesus is. The disciples were astounded to the point of fear that this man Jesus had the power to control something as powerful as a storm. As fisherman some of them would have known that you shelter from a storm, you don't order it to cease! This passage is about who this Jesus is. It does not offer the promise of a danger free life to all who believe in Jesus as if he was some kind of divine lucky charm! Indeed, Jesus said that his followers would be persecuted, even to death. This is something that happened to the vast majority of those disciples who were with him in the boat, and is still happening to thousands of Christians in the world today.

Sometimes in the church we tend to dwell too much upon the humanity of Jesus at the expense of his divinity. This diminishes the sense of awe that we should have when we come into his presence. It cam also diminish the priority that we give to worshipping him and following him. In the last ten years church attendance in this country has decreased, although about the same number of people are going to church. So, people are attending less frequently, and they are missing out.

I have had someone make a point about a sermon to me that was incorrect because they misunderstood the context. The reason for this was that they had not heard my sermon the week before that had addressed the issue in hand. It is important to be fed regularly and systematically, every week if we are to grow properly.

It is also important that we wholeheartedly serve Jesus because of who he is. Many people seem reluctant to serve God within the church because they don't feel like it, it might be inconvenient, or difficult. Some have said that they feel they are letting me down, as if they are doing it for me !

If we fail to serve it is Jesus that we let down. Perhaps this is rooted in a failure to fully understand who he is.

We should fear God and, therefore, put him first. Martin Luther the sixteenth century reformer wrote : 'Being afraid of God is different from fearing him. The fear of God is a seed of love. Being afraid of him is a seed of hatred. Therefore, we should not be afraid of God but we should fear him, so that we do not hate him who we should love.'

This Jesus is great and mighty. Yet he cares for you and me. He calls us to respect who he is and what he has done for us. He invites us to have a life transforming faith in him.

We have seen that this passage is centred on the last question. ' Who is this Jesus ? '

We know the answer. We probably mix with many who do not know him. Let us use the opportunities that we have to introduce people to the living Lord Jesus by what we do as well as what we say.

PRAY