Sermon Video
In our text this week, we read about a storm on the Sea of Galilee.
The setting of Mark 4 is Jesus teaching the crowds from a boat. The last two weeks we’ve seen that Jesus taught the crowds in parables and then explained the meaning of the parables to his disciples.
Sermon Text: Mark 4:35-41
35-36
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.
After a long day of teaching the crowds, Jesus tells his disciples that it is time to leave. He says, “Let us go across to the other side.” As we will see next week, Jesus and the disciples went “to the country of Gerasenes” (Mark 5:1). As their short journey begins, Jesus lays down in the stern (the back of the boat) and fell fast asleep.
As a pastor, I can appreciate Jesus’ fatigue. Teaching and interacting with people all day will make you very tired.
Notice the details that Mark gives us in these verses. Remember, Mark was a companion of Peter (1 Pet 5:13) and is writing down Peter’s account of the story. Mark writes down the time of day (“evening”), the fact that other boats followed them, the “cushion” that Jesus slept on, and where Jesus slept (“in the stern”). All of these details indicate that an eyewitness (in this case, Peter) told the story.
This text gives us a glimpse into the humanity of Jesus. Oftentimes, we focus on the deity of Christ so much that we can forget about his humanity. In the Gospels, we see that Jesus got hungry, he got angry, he wept, and he died. Here in Mark, we see that Jesus was tired and needed rest just like you and me. This is the only place in the Gospels that we read of Jesus sleeping.
As the disciples sailed across the Sea of Galilee, they were enjoying a quiet evening. The sun was setting slowly in the sky. The water gently lapped against the boat. The disciples were talking with one another.
And suddenly, the disciples found themselves in the middle of a frightening storm. Look at the description of the storm in v. 37.
37
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.
The ESV says it was a great windstorm. The NIV says that it was “a furious squall.” This was not a light drizzle. This was a bad storm. It was a great storm!
The storm was so great that waves of water were coming into the boat and it was beginning to fill up.
- The wind continued to blow harder.
- The waves continued to grow higher.
- The water continued to fill the boat.
The Sea of Galilee is relatively small (thirteen miles long, seven miles wide) but it’s 150 feet deep and the shoreline is 680 feet below sea level. Because it is below sea level and surrounded by mountains, it is susceptible to sudden winds. When combined with a thunderstorm, the water can turn into violent twenty-foot waves. The storm must have been especially fierce since it frightened the disciples, some of which were experienced fishermen.
You can imagine the panic of the disciples. While I’ve never been in a storm while out in a boat, I’ve certainly driven through some nasty storms. Storms obviously can be very dangerous, especially when you’re in the middle of a sea or high in the air and there is no solid ground to be found.
Before we go on, I want to point out something that is very important. Jesus led the disciples into the storm. He is the one who told them where to go. Jesus knew that the storm would come. The storm didn’t catch him off guard.
Jesus led the disciples into the storm.
Here’s my point: when storms come up in your life, God knows that they will come. These storms are divinely ordained moments for God to work in our lives. Desperate times show us who we are, who God is, and how much we need him!
Danny Akin writes, “When He brings us to the end of ourselves, we are driven to Him and Him alone as Savior and Rescuer.”
38
38 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?”
While the disciples are in a panic, Jesus is in a state of peace. Verse 38 simply says, “He was asleep on the cushion.”
Notice what the disciples do. They realize that they cannot fix the problem. The waves are crashing into the boat faster than they can tip out the water. They wake up Jesus and ask:
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
The disciples are questioning Jesus’s love and concern for them.
Have you ever been there? Have you ever wondered if God cares about your suffering?
I think if we’re honest, most of us can identify with the disciples here. When we find ourselves in the middle of a storm, we wonder, “God, do you care about me?” Do you care that I’m in anguish about this situation?
- Do you care that I have cancer?
- Do you care that my spouse is hurting me?
- Do you care that my kids are making bad decisions?
- Do you care that I lost my job?
- Do you care that a tornado just blew away my home?
Even though Jesus has proven himself faithful to us over and over, when we go through the storm, we usually choose fear over faith.
How does Jesus respond to the fearful pleas of the disciples? Look at verses 39-40.
39-40
39 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. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
The wind is still blowing fiercely. The waves continue to rise. The water continues to crash into the boat. Jesus didn’t help his disciples by pouring water out of the boat. Jesus didn’t help his disciples try to row to land. Instead, Jesus stands up and he “rebuked the win and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’”
And immediately, the wind ceased, and the sea became calm. Earlier we saw the humanity of Jesus as he slept after a long and tiring day. Here, we see the full deity of Jesus on display as he commands the wind and the sea. Only God can command the wind and the sea, and this is the lesson that Jesus has for His disciples today. Jesus wants His disciples to see that he is not just a man. He is not just a great teacher. He is God in the flesh.
Jesus is not just a man. He is not just a great teacher. He is God in the flesh.
In v. 40, Jesus asks His disciples a question: “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
In the middle of the storm, the disciples accused Jesus of not caring for them.
How about you? Have you ever thought that because of what you were going through that God didn’t care for you?
God cares so much about us that he’s not willing to let us remain faithless. He allows storms to happen and sometimes sends storms so that you and I will learn to trust him. Here’s the main thing I want us to learn from our text this morning:
In the middle of the storm, trusting in Jesus will calm your fearful heart.
- When you have lost your job, Jesus can calm your fearful heart.
- When you get that bad diagnosis, Jesus can calm your fearful heart.
- When you lose someone you love, Jesus can calm your fearful heart.
- When you don’t feel like you have any hope, Jesus can calm your fearful heart.
- When you have a child or grandchild that is far from God, Jesus can calm your fearful heart.
- When your home gets obliterated by a tornado, Jesus can calm your fearful heart.
We don’t have to fear the storm because Jesus is faithful! Trust Him.
As we conclude this morning, let’s look at v. 41.
41
41 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?”
After Jesus calms the wind and the sea, the disciples “were filled with great fear.” They said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
In v. 37, there was a “great windstorm.” In v. 39, there was a “great calm.” In v. 41, the disciples were filled with “great fear.”
The disciples are starting to see that Jesus is no ordinary man. They have seen him preach and teach with authority. They have seen him cast out demons. They have seen him heal the sick. They have seen him turn water into wine. But now, they are beginning to see that Jesus is truly God in the flesh!
This morning, I want you to know that you don’t have to be tossed to and fro by the storms you encounter in this life. Jesus came and lived a perfect life and took the storm of God’s wrath on the cross for you and me. He took the punishment for our sins and he offers us his righteousness if we turn from our sin and place our faith in Christ and His finished work on our behalf.
No difficulty in life compares to the judgment seat of God. It will not matter how many storms you were able to make it through in this life. If you have not trusted in Jesus as Lord and Savior, then you will hear the words, “Depart from me, I never knew you” (Matt 7:23).
Or, maybe you’re a Christian but you struggle with your faith. Trust Christ! He’s faithful! Welcome the storms with arms wide open as you learn to trust Him with your whole life.
How can you trust Jesus in a storm?
- Pray (Phil 4:6-7).
- Be encouraged by others in the church. Share your hurts. Ask for prayer and care.
- Read God’s Word and trust its promises.