Mark 4:35-41
Our text today is a well-known gospel account. Jesus, after having spent most of the day teaching a large crowd, directs his disciples to head across the Sea of Galilee to the other side. As they are in route, they suddenly encounter a severe storm which threatens to swamp the boat and end in disaster. While they panic, Jesus sleeps in the stern of the boat. In fear, the disciples wake him up with the accusation, “Don’t you care that we’re drowning?” Jesus gets up, rebukes the wind and says to the waves, “Be still, be silent” and there is immediate calm. Jesus appears to be surprised by their level of panic and lack of faith. The account ends with the disciples being in fear and awe over what they have just experienced – Jesus’ evident power over the wind and the waves!
There are so many ways to interpret and understand this account. Many scholars point out that it is a continuation of the revealing of Jesus’ identity through these displays of miraculous power. In the earlier chapters of Mark, Jesus has shown his power over evil spirits and over physical illnesses by performing miraculous healings. Here, he displays his power over creation – the natural world.
Others see it as a story of discipleship:
- We are invited by Jesus to get into the boat and cross over to the other side.
- The disciples (and by extension, us..) do so in our obedience and following of Jesus
- Yet, we soon find ourselves in trouble….. a storm that creates chaos
- How do we respond? How should we respond?
Let’s look briefly at the questions that arise in this story.
The disciples’ question of Jesus:
“Don’t You Care that we are drowning??”
This question….this accusation “don’t you care?” “where are you when we need you?” “Have you forsaken us?” is found throughout the Psalms, and in fact throughout the prophets in the Old Testament.
We find ourselves in crisis, even when we are trusting in God. Why doesn’t he come? Why isn’t he saving us? Has he forgotten about us? The apparent assumption that many people (sometimes ourselves) come to is: Either God does not have the power to help us….. or, for some reason he just doesn’t care enough about us. While these thoughts are evident throughout scripture, we can imagine the same questions even in our modern era:
- 6,000,000 million Jews killed by the Nazis in World War II. “Where is God in all of this?” was surely a thought on the minds and hearts of many.
- The situation in Gaza today. “Doesn’t God care about the innocent children being killed?” The same questions and doubts arise within our own hearts.
The disciples were fearing for their very lives. Surely their question is reasonable….and understandable.
Jesus’ question to the disciples:
“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Jesus’ question appears to infer that fear and faith cannot exist together. Are fear and faith opposites? Is all fear bad? Is the emotion of fear somehow unnatural? Of course not! The feeling of fear is absolutely necessary in order to survive. Fear of contagion causes us to be careful in washing our hands. Fear of failure….or not getting into a certain school or program…..causes us to study harder. Fear of what others will think….can cause a change in our behavior. Fear is often the engine or motivator for our actions. But is this always good? Is this always the best motive? Obviously, fear can at times be a detriment and a hindrance. Is it possible that although we can simultaneously experience fear and faith…that the two are on a spectrum, where we find ourselves operating primarily out of one or the other. To put it differently for the sake of this story…”Does our faith in God’s presence (Jesus’ presence in the boat with us) make any difference? Could that begin to move us from fear to faith?” Consider the following two scenarios:
Scenario 1: we as disciples are in a boat in a storm. Jesus may be there, but we are not truly aware of his power, nor believe that he truly cares about us. This fear that grips us, rather than helping us survive, actually works against us.
Scenario 2: we as disciples are in a boat in a storm (the same storm!…even if we are people of faith). While we recognize our natural tendency to be afraid and lack courage, we trust in the fact that even in this difficulty, Jesus is with us. He has not forgotten about us, even though we don’t understand why he “is asleep”.
The disciples’ final statement:
“Who is this…..that even the wind and waves obey him!”
At the conclusion of this story, the disciples were frightened – maybe a sense of awe rather than just being simply scared. Think about it…..they had been surprised enough at the miracles of healing and exorcisms. However, having the weather listen to his voice, seeing Jesus’ evident control of the storm – this was something that they had never even imagined, much less seen. We’re not told the conclusion to their thoughts…..but surely this must have been an experience they looked back on in later days and years. At this point in the story, the disciples were only beginning to understand the difficulty….as well as the available resources…..that would be part of their journey in following Jesus.
Some Conclusions:
- Each of us has been invited “into the boat…to go with Jesus to the other side”. We don’t always know what lies ahead on this journey of discipleship….but we are willing to commit. This is true for us as individuals…..AND as a church.
- We WILL encounter storms and chaos. “In this world you will have many tribulations” …as Jesus clearly told his disciples. The path of discipleship was never promised to be easy. How will we respond?
- Although Jesus’ presence does NOT guarantee our desired outcome….He does promise to be with us in ALL circumstances, in ALL storms.
- Will that fact begin to make a difference in how we live? Will we find ourselves operating more from faith than from fear?
(the above is a summary of the message shared during worship on June 30, 2024.)
Japanese Congregational Church 