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March 2/3, 2013
Jason Meyer | Mark 4:35-41
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”—Mark 4:35–41
Introduction: The Panoramic View of Life Together
We have looked at aspects of life together in the Lord’s Supper, small groups, and spiritual gifts. Last week Pastor John gave us a panoramic view of life together at the end of the age. Affection for fellow Christians is protection against deception. This week and next week we will focus on storms that impact the body of Christ. This week looks at the storm of suffering that batters the body of Christ from the outside. Next week we will look at the firestorm of conflict that can burn the body like a forest fire burns a forest. The following week we will hear the call of Christ to have life together outside the camp. Then Palm Sunday we will join Jesus at the Triumphal Entry and his call to life together for the sake of the nations. Then Pastor John will preach his farewell sermon as he leads us in magnifying the risen Christ at Easter.
Prayer
This sermon is entitled "Life Together in the Storm." The storm of suffering is a common experience to many at various times in life. Suffering takes many forms in a fallen world. Pastor John’s sermon last week reminded us that suffering at the end of the age can often take the form of persecution. It is imperative to arm ourselves to suffer—for those currently in the storm of suffering or for all of us who will face it in one form or another.
The story of Jesus stilling the raging sea is a familiar, much loved story to Christians. The story follows a situation/response format. Mark describes the situation in verses 35–37. Jesus’ response is seen in verse 38—he is sleeping. The disciples’ response follows in verse 38: They frantically wake him up and ask him if he cares that they are going to die! Then Jesus responds: He rebukes the wind in verse 39 and then he rebukes his disciples for their lack of faith in verse 40. Finally, the disciples respond in verse 41 with the main point of the whole story: “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?—Mark 4:37–40.
The disciples see two things: (1) a stormy situation that can kill them, and (2) a sleeping Jesus. These two things lead to a burning question that makes them bold enough to wake Jesus up. They wonder if he really cares. The way they frame the question is important. There are different ways to frame a question in the original language. You could ask a question that implies a negative answer or a positive answer. Or you could ask a question without implying either. For example, Paul asks a series of questions in 1 Corinthians 12:29–30 that imply a negative answer. “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?” (1 Corinthians 12:29–30). The implied answer to all of these questions is “no.” All are not apostles, all are not prophets, etc.
Our text gives us an example of a positive question: “You do care that we are perishing, don’t you?” (Mark 4:38). It is an important point to make here that this question comes from disciples that have walked with Jesus. Their relationship with him means that their question arises from a disposition of trust. We believe that you care. Suffering introduces dissonance into this disposition of trust. We believe that you care, but we are in a storm and it seems like we are going to die. Help us know how to put these two facts together so that they make sense.
Jesus’ rebuke in verse 40 shows us that this story is really about the need for faith: “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” At this point, we can do a serious injustice to this story and the entire story of the gospels. It is stunning how easy it is to read the gospels and make them all about us. We are hard-wired to read this story and immediately apply it to ourselves: God stills the storms in our lives. Do not jump to make it about yourself. We can make suffering all about us in what I call “self-centered suffering.” In other words, we can hear a call for faith in the storm and start looking at ourselves. We make suffering all about ourselves. We either think all about the question we have for God. It can start to feel like a demand that we place upon God. Or we start thinking about our faith. It can start to feel like a demand that God places upon us. Do I have enough faith? Faith becomes a work. Paul contrasts faith with works of the law. We should not make faith a work by looking at our ability. Looking at ourselves is the quickest way to kill faith.
C.S. Lewis has helped me so much in this regard. In Surprised by Joy, he says that there is a link between an action and the object that produces the action. If your gaze remains fixed in the right place (object), the action will follow. Once your gaze becomes fixed on the action, you lose both action and object. Why? Once your gaze becomes self-centered and starts focusing on your ability, faith will die and anxiety will rise. Anxiety comes when we compare our situation with our ability. Faith comes when we compare our situation with God’s ability. Romans 4:19–21 makes this principle crystal clear with the example of Abraham.
He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised—Romans 4:19–21; my emphasis).
Did you catch the substance of Abraham’s faith? He looked away from himself and his ability and looked directly and fully at God’s ability. He believed that God was able to do what he had said. Religion looks at God’s power and authority to tell us to do what needs to be done. Christianity looks at God’s power and authority to do what needed to be done. Religion makes the gospel good advice. Christianity knows that the gospel is the good news of God’s accomplishment of salvation in Christ. Faith is an act of looking away from ourselves in order to keep our eyes fixed on Christ, who is our only hope. The difference between man-centered faith and God-centered faith make all the difference in suffering. Jesus himself demonstrates that he is fully human in verse 38. He also shows us a perfect expression in his humanity of God-centered faith.
“But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion” (v. 38a). First, don’t let the stunning fact of the Incarnation escape you here. We have definitive proof that Jesus is fully man. He sleeps! Psalm 121 tells us that God does not slumber or sleep. Jesus, because he is fully human, sleeps.
Second, don’t miss Jesus’ model of God-centered faith. Someone may hear the phrase “model of faith in the storm” for point two and object at this point. You may rightly say, “wait a minute, I don’t see the word ‘faith’ in verse 38; I only see the word ‘asleep.’" You are right—and I am right. The word “asleep” here is the result of Jesus’ faith. Allow me to explain.
The best commentary on the New Testament is the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, there is a frequent link between sleep and faith. Take Psalm 3 as an example. David is on the run from his son, Absalom. David looks at his great opposition in verses 1–2. They are pursuing him to the death. They are taunting him, saying “there is no salvation for him in God” (Psalm 3:2). But then David looks at his great God in verses 3–4. God is a shield. He is a God who hears and answers a cry for help.
After looking at the great threat against him in the light of looking at how much greater his God is, verses 5–6 happen. “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” David slept and woke up again. Do you see the link between faith and sleep in this story?
In the ancient world, they would attack at first light. If you knew that you had tens of thousands of professionally trained killers coming after you at first light, how would you sleep? Counting sheep is not going to help! David laid down and slept because God was his shield. He cried out to God. He knew that God hears and answers prayer. He could look at thousands of killers and then look at God and say, “He who is for me is far greater than those that are against me.” I sleep, I wake because the Lord sustains me.”
In the same way, Jesus can sleep in a storm because His Father sustains him. Jesus kept his eyes on his Father at all times and he knew His Father had his eyes on Jesus at all times. Jesus sleeping on a cushion is a faith-filled model for us to emulate. Our Father is a shield, a rock, a refuge, a very present help in times of tumult and trouble. But Jesus is different in one essential respect. He is not only the model of faith; he is the object of faith. He can be the model of faith because he is fully human; he can be the object of faith because he is fully divine.
And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?—Mark 4:39–41
We are hard-wired to read this story and immediately apply it to ourselves: God stills the storms in our lives. Do not jump to make it about your storms. First and foremost, this story teaches us something about Jesus, and only then does it teach us something that applies to us.
The best commentary on the New Testament is the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, there is no question concerning Who causes storms to start and stop. God alone. Take Psalm 107 as an example.
Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep. For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end.—Psalm 107:23–27
In other words, the sailors of Psalm 107 and the disciples were in the same boat: scared to their very wits’ end.
What did they do in Psalm 107? “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed” (Psalm 107:28–29).
The disciples did not think that they were crying to the LORD in their distress. Maybe they thought Jesus would cry out to God and God would still the storm. They did not expect to see what they saw next. Jesus did not cry out to God to still the storm. Jesus did it. “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39).
We know that they did not expect him to do this because of the next verse. Compare the response of the sailors in Psalm 107 and the response of the disciples in Mark 4.
Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!—Psalm 107:30–31
And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"—Mark 4:41).
The sailors went from fear to happiness after the storm passed; the disciples went from fear to a greater fear after the storm passed. Why? The disciples do not have it all put together at this point. They don’t know what the reader knows. Jesus is God. Think through a syllogism of their beliefs and their experience and why they would ask who Jesus is.
Belief: Only God stills storms
Experience: Jesus stilled the storm
Question: Who is Jesus? Is Jesus God?!?
Therefore, you can see that we err by first making this a story about our storms. We cannot start by making this story about us. This story reveals the glory of Jesus. Christian suffering is the same. It is not meant to be the point anymore than we are supposed to be the point; it is meant to be a pointer. The point of Christian suffering is not to ask for an answer to “why” but an answer to “who.” Who are you? Show me your glory! Christian suffering exists to reveal the glory and power of Jesus.
This is not an isolated aim in the Gospel of Mark. Consider the other boat miracle in Mark 6:45–52. The situation is similar.
The disciples are in the boat and Jesus is not. It is dark. They are making headway painfully, for the wind is against them (Mark 6:48). At some point in the fourth watch of the night (between 3am and 6am), “Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I [I am!]. Do not be afraid.’ And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened” (Mark 6:48–52).
We could preach a whole sermon on this story, but let me restrict myself to making one point abundantly clear. Jesus’ deity is once again the point of this boat miracle. Jesus once again did something that only God can do. He walked on the water. This phrase walking on the water occurs once in the Old Testament in the Greek translation of Job 9:8. God is the one “who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea.”
Notice also that he wants them to see this demonstration of his deity. He wants them to see this because he intends to “pass by” (Mark 6:48). He is not playing a game with them and trying to trick them. This exact phrase shows up in the Old Testament for what God did for both Moses and Elijah at Mount Sinai: He passed by them. He passes by Moses so that Moses would see his glory. Jesus is doing for the disciples, what God did for Moses.
It was also there at Mount Sinai that God declared his divine name to Moses. What does Jesus do here? He does the same thing. You can’t see it very well because I believe that the translation has obscured it. Jesus says, ‘Take heart, it is I [I am!]. Do not be afraid’ (Mark 6:50). He uses the phrase ego eimi. This phrase can be self-designation, like it is translated by the ESV “it is I.” But it can also be a reference to the divine name, “I am.” This context certainly points in this direction because the whole story is a theophany—a revelation of deity. Jesus is doing something only God can do, passing by them so they can see his glory, and declaring the divine name. He is not saying, don’t be afraid because you know me—I am not a ghost. He is saying do not fear because I am God! Suffering is an opportunity for Jesus to pass by so that we see his great glory.
But what about the burning question: Why would God allow suffering? Doesn’t he care? This can only be answered with Christ-centered faith in the Gospel of Mark.
Conclusion
We began this sermon with the question of the disciples (do you care?) while suffering in the storm. We end this sermon with the question of Jesus while suffering on the cross. “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:37). Mark will not let us make the mistake of focusing on our suffering. In suffering, we can start to fixate on the questions that we have for God. Mark causes us to focus on Jesus’ question of anguish to the Father. Jesus’ question is the ultimate answer to the disciples’ question. The question in the storm of suffering (“Do you care?”) is answered by Jesus’ own suffering. Jesus’ suffering is what saves us. He was forsaken so that we will never be. He died so we might live. Chapter 16 shows how the story ends with the victory over the grave. He rose from the dead so that we will rise. The death and resurrection of the Son is the ultimate answer to the question of God’s care for sinners. Being found in him gives us the answer that ultimately matters.
Listen to Bonhoeffer make this same point (Life Together, p. 54):
It is not in our life that God’s help and presence must still be proved, but rather God’s presence and help have been demonstrated for us in the life of Jesus Christ. It is in fact more important for us to know what God did to Israel, to His Son Jesus Christ, than to seek what God intends for us today. The fact that Jesus Christ died is more important than the fact that I shall die, and the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead is the sole ground of my hope that I, too, shall be raised on the Last Day. Our salvation is "external to ourselves." I find no salvation in my life history, but only in the history of Jesus Christ. Only he who allows himself to be found in Jesus Christ, in his incarnation, his Cross, and his resurrection, is with God and God with him.
Our faith must be fixed on his death and his resurrection. Salvation is forever outside of ourselves and thus our gaze must be forever fixed outside of ourselves. Faith dies when it becomes self-centered; faith soars when it remains Christ-centered. The fact that he is fully God and fully man matters here because he is only true mediator between God and man. He can represent God and the infinite cost of his life can satisfy the infinite debt of sin that we owe. The fact that he is fully man means that he can represent humanity and die in our place.
Dear friends, look to Christ in suffering. Let your embrace of suffering say, “Help me to keep my eyes on you. I want to see more of you.” If the goal of your life is merely to avoid hard times, then suffering can only be seen as a burden. If the desire of your heart is to see more of Christ, suffering can be seen as a blessing. When faith rises as it sees and savors Christ in the storm, the promise of Philippians 1:29 will make sense: “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.”
Both faith and suffering are gifts of God to cause us to see and savor more of Jesus. God gives us life together in the storm so that when we forget to set our gaze on Christ because of the dissonance of the storm, we can fulfill our life purpose to be pointers. We will be careful not to talk about suffering in a way that makes it the point of our life. We will be careful not to talk about suffering in a way that makes our ability the point. God gives suffering as a gift of grace to serve as a pointer—a pointer to the glory of Christ. He also gives us the body of Christ in the storm as pointers: people who keep pointing us to the point: the all-satisfying supremacy of God in Christ.
We will remember as Elizabeth Elliot says that joy is not me in a different set of circumstances, but Christ in me. The secret of joy is not to make life a constant dream for a different set of circumstances (a calm sea with no clouds), but a constant desire to have Christ in me and with me and for me in any circumstances. Faith soars to hear Christ say, “I have all authority and I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” The response is to say, “Be still my soul, the wind and waves still know, the voice of him who calmed them while below.” May God give grace and faith to treasure Christ together in the storm while here below. And let us look to our life together above. We will depart and be with Christ, which is better by far. There will be no more sea and no more storm. We will be forever with the Lord together. Let us comfort one another with these words as we hold fast to the confession of our hope.
The first question of the Heidelberg Catechism is a great way to do this:
My only comfort in life and death is that I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil, and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him—I would add—even in the storm.
Discussion Questions
Life Together in the Storm (Mark 4:35-41)
1. The Need for Faith in the Storm (v. 38b, 40)
2. The Model of Faith in the Storm (v. 38a)
3. The Object of Faith in the Storm (v. 39-41)
Application questions: