Who is Jesus, anyway?
You get a strong response if you talk to other people about Jesus. Some will say they know Him; some will say they want nothing to do with Him. Some might cry when hearing about Him; others will want to debate. Let's face it, Jesus is a polarizing figure in history.
His name can change the tone of a conversation
but
His actions changed the world.
As we look in the opening chapters of the Gospel of Mark, we’ll arrive at an incredible conclusion: Jesus changes everything.
We have pondered the question, if our call to follow Jesus is the same call the disciples received then shouldn't our response also be the same? They left everything behind, what have we left behind? Has the call to follow Jesus changed everything in your life? It did for the disciples, if it hasn’t for
you then why is that?
Last week, we considered the teaching of Jesus as being something that could change everything in your life. We talked about the 4 soils parable found in Mark. What kind of soil am I in relation
to the seeds of truth that have been thrown my way?
This Sunday, we will look at how and why we can trust Jesus in any storm of life that we face. The disciples witnessed an event that changed everything!
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
My son Rig loves being pushed in a swing. When we go to the park, he runs straight to the swing set, and he begs me to follow quickly. He’ll let me push him every way possible in that swing—twisting, turning, flying through the air, or stopping on a dime—all while laughing his head off!
But one day the babysitter took him to the park. She told me that when she pushed him in the swing, he tensed up and hung on for dear life. It’s not fun to swing when you are in the hands of someone you don’t know.
In the Gospel of Mark, we see the disciples on a proverbial swing. A violent storm twisted and turned their boat. And, like my son, the disciples tensed up with fear. However, they soon learned they needed to trust Jesus, the One who “pushed the swing”—the One who ruled over the storm.
The One who rules over the weather is the One we can trust in any and every storm.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Mark 4:35-37
35 On that day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” 36 So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat. And other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.
Notice it was Jesus who initiated the trip across the Sea of Galilee—and notice the disciples were obedient to follow His instruction. These men had just heard Jesus spend a good part of the day teaching, even if they didn’t fully understand it all. They’d previously seen Him drive demons out of people and heal people with a touch. (See 1:21-34,39-45.) They’d responded to a personal call from the Messiah, the Anointed One from God, and they had the opportunity to learn from Him directly. (See 3:13-19.) Life was great!
Then the storm came.
Many times we find ourselves in a similar situation. We feel our relationship with Jesus is growing stronger by the day, and we see Him working in our lives and in the lives of those around us. But smooth sailing in the present is no guarantee that things will remain smooth. When we surrender our lives to Christ, He does give us rest from our burdens. He said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:30), but that doesn’t mean the journey before us will always be easy and light. We’ll know moments of calm, but we’ll still experience storms. We’re not exempt.
Mark painted a vivid picture of the desperate situation the disciples were in. These were seasoned fishermen who felt overpowered and terrified of the storm. It’s noteworthy that following Jesus’ command did not exempt the disciples from experiencing this trying situation. In fact, setting out in the boat at Jesus’ command was precisely what put them there.
Why are we often surprised when we encounter
difficult circumstances?
Mark 4:38-39
38 He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?”39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
One of the hardest truths for us to wrap our brains around is that Jesus is both fully God and fully man—at the same time. When we talk about God coming down to earth in the form of a man, remember Jesus wasn’t just putting on a show for humanity: God physically became a man. This doctrine is known as the “incarnation”; the Creator of the universe wrapped Himself in human flesh and come to earth as a created being.
With the incarnation, Jesus chose to willingly depend upon the Father, just like us. So when Jesus was sleeping on a cushion, He wasn’t faking it so the disciples could learn a lesson about trust. The Lord was so weary that He slept soundly even in the midst of the lurching boat, howling wind, and crashing waves.
Notice that Jesus didn’t have to teach the disciples He is human, yet He constantly emphasized the truth that He is God. We have the opposite problem. Many of us look at Jesus as “all God,” but we have a difficult time remembering His humanity.
With the storm raging all around them, the disciples rushed over to Jesus and asked Him a strange question: “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?” In his Gospel, Matthew included their plea for help: “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!” (Matt. 8:25). Do you hear the contradiction? “Lord, save us!” is the language of faith. “We’re going to die!” is the language of fear. Faith and fear cannot exist at the same time; they are spiritual opposites.
But let’s give credit to the disciples for one thing: they may have been deathly afraid, but they came to Jesus. They may not have fully understood who Jesus is, but they did call to Him.
When have you felt like God was unaware or uninterested in your distress?
Jesus calmly got up and said, “Silence! Be still!” He wasn’t talking to the disciples; He was speaking to the wind and waves. Immediately, Mark wrote, “there was a great calm.” The boat stopped tossing and the water went back to gently lapping against the sides. The Creator merely spoke, and the wind stopped, the waves ceased, the air cleared, and the water became like glass.
When we encounter storms and trials, we should be like the disciples—we should run straight into the arms of Jesus. And we should trust Him to take it from there.
Mark 4:40-41
40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”
Mark loved writing about Jesus’ authority. In the first four chapters alone, he mentioned Jesus’ authority numerous times: His authority over both animals and angels (see 1:13), His authority to teach (see 1:22), His authority over the devil and demons (see 1:34), His authority to forgive (see 2:10-11), His authority over the law (see 2:28), His authority to grant authority (see 3:14-15), and His authority over nature (see 4:39).
The disciples still didn’t get it, but their misunderstanding didn’t affect Christ’s sovereignty. He is sovereign even when we don’t understand.
What evidences of Jesus’ power have increased
your trust in Him?
But Jesus was doing something bigger than demonstrating His sovereignty over nature: He was proving something about His identity. These disciples, being devout first century Jews, would have known the Old Testament well.
- “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil” (Ps. 46:1-3).
- “You rule the raging sea; when its waves surge, you still them” (89:9).
- “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed” (107:28-29).
Jesus’ display of authority over the sea and the weather should have brought these familiar Scriptures to mind. It’s no wonder, then, that Jesus asked them: “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Don’t you guys understand who I am? Haven’t you seen My power? You’ve heard My teaching, seen My compassion for others, witnessed My miracles, and you still don’t understand?
Jesus can be trusted—and not simply because He proved over and over He has power and authority. He can be trusted because He’s proved over and over again He is God.
The cowardly fear Jesus had rebuked in the disciples turned to awe. They were awestruck—“terrified.” They thought they knew the One they were following, but Jesus’ latest demonstration of authority led them to ask: “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!” In that moment, they finally understood why Jesus had been sleeping in the back of a rocking boat during a storm. He was the One “pushing the swing.”
You might feel like you’re in a storm right now. If money is tight, your family is tearing apart, school or work is overwhelming, you’re discouraged at church, or you feel lonely and isolated, remember this: Jesus, the One who can calm a literal storm, can calm any storm in your life. So trust in Him.
What lessons can we learn from Jesus’
calming of the storm?
LIVE IT OUT
How will you actively demonstrate your trust in Jesus this week? Consider the following suggestions:
- Trust. Jesus is able to handle the storm—any storm. Trust Him. Express your trust as you pray each day, and then act on that trust whenever possible.
- Look back. Make a list of previous difficulties you’ve gone through and identify the ways Jesus strengthened you and got you through those storms.
- Get in the boat. Help someone see Jesus’ powerful presence. As a Christ-follower, get in the boat with someone who’s going through a storm. Be Christ’s representative, encouraging the person to trust Him.
It’s probably been a long time since anyone pushed you on a swing, but we all get into situations that are over our heads from time to time. We all need help—which means we all need to learn what it means to trust Jesus in the midst of our storms.
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Teacher's Notes:
Video: The Fonz quieting nature
Click Here to Watch
Today we'll see Jesus quiet more than the animals!
But here is a question Jesus is asking you for the New Year...
What kind of Faith are you going to have in 2018?
Will it be a faith that says, “I’ll believe it when I see it!” or a faith that says, “I’ll believe it before I see it!” You see, that’s what faith really is - visualizing the future and believing before you see it. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (NLT). A lot of people say, “I’ll believe it when I see it!” God says the exact opposite is true: “You will see it when you first believe it.” There are many things in life that have to be believed before they can be seen.
In 1961, the Soviet Union sent the first cosmonaut into space. When the cosmonaut returned to Earth, the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev declared they’d been to space and didn’t see any god there. About 10 months later, the United States sent John Glenn into space. He circled the earth three times on his Mercury mission, came back down, and told the world, “I saw God everywhere! I saw his glory in the galaxy. I saw his splendor in the universe. I saw his majesty in the stars.”
Which one was right? They both were. Jesus said, “Unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3 NLT). Before there is spiritual transformation in your life, you’re too narrow-minded to see the possibility of what God wants to do in your life.
This morning, Jesus is asking this very question – what kind of faith are you going to have?
And we witness something about Jesus that the disciples had never seen before and changed everything for them going forward.
Mark 4:35-41
What lessons can we learn from Jesus’ calming of the storm?
1. Storms come even to those who obey the Lord. Following Jesus doesn’t exempt us from storms in life.
2. Jesus is present and active during our life storms. Sometimes during life storms, we may think the Lord has forgotten us or does not care about what is happening to us, but in truth, He has not forgotten and He does care – deeply. The Lord is always in control, nothing is beyond His almighty power.
3. Faith in the Lord helps us deal with life storms. Rather than be overwhelmed by a fear of life’s storms, believers are to trust Him who is greater than the storm. The Lord has power over all things.
1. What kind of “storms” do we face in our own lives?
Sickness, Financial setbacks, Death of a loved one, assorted other circumstances that are beyond our control.
The parallels between literal storms and the metaphorical “storms” we face in everyday life. If Jesus can control nature, we can trust Him to be in control of our daily circumstances.
2. Why was Jesus asleep in the boat?
He had had a busy day, and was exhausted. He was fully human and needed His sleep.
• Some have suggested that Jesus was able to sleep through this storm because He had full confidence in His heavenly Father. I certainly don’t deny that, but on the other hand, people can sleep through a lot when they’re tired enough. His disciples woke Him up and said, “Carest thou not that we perish?” When you’re in the midst of a desperate situation, it’s easy to wonder if God really cares about you. When we trust God even in the most difficult times, we eventually learn that He was in control all along. Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea. “There was a great calm” – The situation was completely different from what it had been just moments before. The disciples thought Jesus did not care about them, but He was in control of the situation all along.
Some people will argue that this story is purely symbolic. If Jesus is truly God Incarnate, then why shouldn’t we believe He can control nature? If this miracle did not literally happen, then any lessons we learn from it are meaningless.
3. What is it that you question about God when you are sailing into a storm?
Believing vs Trusting: We tend to equate believing in something and trusting in it. That is not always the case, intellectually, we may believe in something or someone but not trust it enough to test it. We see an aerialist and believe he can walk the tightrope across an expanse carrying a load in his arms, but none of us wants to be that load. We are not that trusting.
Jesus rebuked His disciples for their lack of faith. They had already seen Jesus do many miracles. This miracle made them all the more afraid. Not even the Old Testament prophets had been able to command nature at will. “What manner of man is this?” – The disciples did not fully understand who Jesus was, but they were beginning to realize He was more than just a prophet.
If Jesus controls the wind and the sea, what else does He control?
- He controls your circumstances, whether good or bad. We can trust Him during times of difficulty. We should not be complacent during good times.
- He controls your health. He is still capable of healing, so we should always pray for the sick. God does not always choose to heal, but you can trust Him even when you’re struggling with health issues (2 Cor. 12:7-10).
- He controls your eternal destiny.
4. Has a trial you’ve gone through made you stronger spiritually?
5. Do you feel that Jesus should keep you from going through trials?
6. When was your faith most tested?
7. Why does God let us suffer trials if He loves us?
Do we trust Jesus enough to follow Him not only to the comfortable, easy places, but anywhere He would lead?
Bible Commentary: The disciples were seasoned fishermen who had spent their lives fishing on this huge lake, but during the squall they panicked. The disciples panicked because the storm threatened to destroy them all, and Jesus seemed unaware and unconcerned. Theirs was a physical storm, but storms come in other forms. Think about the storms in your life – the situations that cause you great anxiety. Whatever your difficulty, you have two options:
1. You can worry and assume that Jesus no longer cares, or
2. You can resist fear, putting your trust in Him.
When you feel like panicking, confess your need for God and then trust Him to care for you.
The disciples lived with Jesus, but they underestimated Him. They did not see that His power applied to their very own situation. Jesus has been with His people for 20 centuries, and yet we, like the disciples, underestimate His power to handle crisis in our lives. The disciples did not yet know enough about Jesus. We cannot make the same excuse.
The crises of life have often been compared to stormy seas.
They come upon us whether we like it or not. They terrify us. They knock us around and threaten to destroy all our stability and security. We don’t know whether we can survive them. And we don’t know how long they will last. At least, that’s how a storm at sea would be for most of us. For Jesus, it was just a chance to grab 40 winks. As Mark tells the story, the disciples were terrified that the boat was going to break up and everyone would die. But Jesus was asleep (on a cushion no less, Mark notes, adding to the contrast between Jesus’ tranquility and the disciples’ panic), apparently oblivious to their pending doom. They roust him and cry, "Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?" (v. 38). Of course, Jesus quiets the storm with a word, but then he chides the disciples: "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (v. 40).
Lessons:
1. Some of the lessons in the story are obvious. Jesus has power over the storms of life, experiences them alongside us, loves us, saves us from them and wants us to trust Him more than we do.
2. Let’s look at a lesson that might not be so obvious. Storms don’t worry Jesus. He’s right there with us during them, but He’s perfectly calm about them. He isn’t terrified; He isn’t impatient; He isn’t worried. In fact, He’s so calm, He’s asleep. To us, He seems to be asleep at the switch. We wonder why on earth He doesn’t get up and do something. We start to wonder whether He even knows the trouble we’re in. Whether He cares. Whether He even can do anything about it. Whether He’s really all He’s cracked up to be.
Like the disciples, we believe He’s there. In the disciples’ case, they could actually see Him lying there asleep. We don’t have that luxury. We believe He’s there, but most of the time He seems just as asleep as He was during the storm that day on the Sea of Galilee. The psalmist had the same lament in Psalm 44:23-24: "Awake, Lord! Why do You sleep? Rouse Yourself! Do not reject us forever. Why do you hide Your face and forget our misery and oppression?" Maybe that’s why Mark included this story. The not-so-obvious lesson is that Jesus was just as much in control, and the disciples were just as safe in His hands, while He was asleep as while He was awake. Most of the time, life seems like a relentless voyage from one storm to the next. At least it does for me, and I expect it’s the same for you. One thing I’ve learned about myself is that during storms I’m usually a scared rabbit just like Jesus’ disciples were. But I’m also learning that I can take heart in knowing that Jesus isn’t scared, and He isn’t depressed. He might be asleep, or He might not be, but either way, like the song says, "He’s got the whole world in His hands." Even if he doesn’t wake up and quiet the storm, I’m safe with Him. And if He does wake up and quiet the storm, He’s probably going to say: "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
The Stilling of the Storm
(Mark 4:35-41)
Jesus had spent the entire day teaching the multitudes (verse 35), entering into a new phase of teaching by the use of parables. No doubt, He was completely exhausted, as any preacher could testify. Our Lord had been sitting in the little boat, and apparently without even getting out of the boat, they pushed away from shore and set out for the other side of the lake, leaving the multitudes behind. Following along were other little ships (verse 36). Within moments, our Lord was in a deep sleep in the stern of the ship, resting on a cushion. (This is the only reference in the Gospels to our Lord sleeping.)
The Sea of Galilee was surrounded by hills, through which the winds violently funneled, creating violent storms which ceased as quickly as began. Such a storm arose as they were in the middle of the lake. The waves were lashing at the ship, filling it faster than the men could bail it out. Even these seasoned sailors were terrified. Higher and higher the water rose within the ship as well as without. How incongruous it must have seemed to the disciples for Jesus to be resting peacefully while they were floundering helplessly.
When they could stand it no longer, they abruptly and rudely wakened the Master with words of rebuke, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38). Although the synoptic writers describe the event independently, Mark (as reported by Peter) chose to report their rudeness by the fact that He was not called Master, or Lord, but only Teacher.
Many Bible students seem to think that the underlying problem was the lack of the disciple’s faith in God’s protection since Messiah was in their midst. The ship, they tell us, could not have sunk. It is my personal opinion that the disciples believed that Jesus was fully able to save them. That is why they called on Him for help. The real problem of the disciples is precisely that of Christians today; they did not rebuke Jesus for His inability, but rather for His indifference. “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” What irked these men was not that Jesus was helpless in the face of the storm but heedless of it. They were sinking and He was sleeping! Don’t You care?
When Jesus was awakened, He rebuked the winds and the waves. The forces of nature recognized their Lord even if the disciples did not. There was an immediate calm. But not only did the wind and the waves need a word of rebuke, so did the faithless disciples. “Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). You see, the ‘lack of faith’ for which Jesus rebuked His disciples was not a lack of faith in His ability to save, but a lack of faith in His attentiveness to our needs. Their ‘God’ was able to save, but insensitive to their need.
The words of our Lord, and even more, the obedience of the wind and the waves overcame the disciples with wonder and awe. “Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (Mark 4:41).
The question of the disciples is probably rhetorical, and the answer is left for us to supply. That answer is not difficult to arrive at. The Jews believed that only God had power over the winds and the seas. “O Lord God of Hosts, who is like Thee, O mighty Lord? Thy faithfulness also surrounds Thee. Thou dost rule the swelling of the sea; When its waves rise, Thou dost still them” (Psalm 89:8,9).
The disciples believed that Jesus was the Messiah of Israel, but because their concept of Messiah was largely shaped by that of their contemporaries, they had much to learn. Their understanding of this One would continue to increase, even until the time of His ascension. But now they are forced to the conclusion that He was far more than they anticipated. He had authority even over the forces of nature.
Application
The unbelief of the disciples is just as evident in we who are Christians today as it was in that little ship, tossed by the sea. It is not so much that we doubt God’s ability to save as it is God’s awareness of our needs. We falsely suppose that because our Lord is with us the storms of life will pass us by. And when the trials of life sweep full force over us and it seems that we are losing ground, here our faith is tested. We impugn the character of God by challenging His failure to act in our defense. We wonder at why God seems to be ‘asleep at the wheel’ while we are only too aware of our impending peril. We do not doubt God’s power to act in our behalf; we wonder at His refusal to act. Can God really care for us and let us sail headlong into disaster? It is God’s timing that we question. Our Lord’s sleep was that of human fatigue, but God was not asleep, as Elijah accused Baal (1 Kings 18:27). God delays His deliverance of men to the point of despair so that His salvation will be acknowledged as totally divine. It was only when the disciples were snatched from the jaws of death that they sensed their inability and His omnipotence. We must trust God’s ability as well as His timing if we are to be people of faith.
GOD IS ALWAYS ON TIME
In the waiting room of life, you can choose to trust God instead of panicking. You also need to remember two things: One, God is never in a hurry. And two, God is never late. God’s timing is always perfect.
What happens in those times where it appears that God is late? God is getting you ready for a miracle!
Remember the story of Lazarus (John 11). Jesus could have easily been in Bethany in an hour or two. But it took Him three days to go about five miles. When He got there, they told Him, “You’re too late! We’ve already buried Lazarus.” Jesus wasn’t late. Because Jesus already knew what He was going to do. His goal was not to heal Lazarus. His goal was to raise him from the dead. Jesus’ goal was not to just make Lazarus well. His goal was to do a miracle!
Sometimes God lets a situation get so bad that only a miracle will do. Don’t give up your faith. Hold on. Keep praying and serving and going to small group. Keep sowing. Keep believing. Because you’re getting ready for a miracle. God already knows what He’s going to do in your life next month, next year, and in the next decade, and His plan for you is good.
“Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9 NLT). - Rick Warren Devotional
The miracles of our Lord force us to come to a decision concerning Jesus Christ. He was no mere man. His claims were either that of God or of a lunatic or a liar. The Person the Gospel writers present to us is no mere man, and His mighty works (miracles) must be taken as seriously as He.
“But there are no such miracles today,” you respond. No, as such there are not. But it was not the miracles alone which brought men to faith. It was belief in what our Lord said, in the final analysis. You must respond by faith or rejection to the works of our Lord as documented by the Gospel writers. But more than this you must place your faith in the Person of Jesus Christ Who came to bear the penalty for your sins and to provide the righteousness which God requires for salvation. Ultimately, it is the condition of your heart that determines your response to Jesus Christ and not the spectacular works which He performed.
“But he said, ‘No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead’” (Luke 16:30-31).
No one is exempt from the storms of life. But just as the disciples who initially feared the storm later came to revere Christ more, so the storms we face can bring us to a deeper knowledge of God. “Who is this,” the disciples pondered, “even the wind and the waves obey him!” (v. 41). Through our trials we can learn that no storm is big enough to prevent God from accomplishing His will (5:1).
Close: Wernher von Braun, the leading scientist in the early stages of the U.S. space program, said, “There has never been any great accomplishment in history without faith.”
It is faith that causes the scientist to believe that we can put a man on the moon. It is faith that causes an architect to design a building because, first, she believes it can be done. It is faith that causes an Olympic athlete to practice and go to the Olympic trials because she believes she can achieve. It is faith that causes a sculptor or an artist to believe that he can paint a picture or attempt the sculpture. Someone has to believe it before you see it. It is a universal principle of life.
Let’s believe in God’s love and guidance as we enter 2018. Believe it before you see it. Trust God’s promises and trust His work in your life during the next year.
While we may not understand why God allows trials to enter our lives, we thank Him that through them we can come to know who He is. We live to serve Him because He has preserved our lives.
Lord, I know I don’t need to fear the storms of life around me. Help me to be calm because I stand secure in You.
The storms of life prove the strength of our anchor.
Praying this New Year brings happiness and joy to all of you!
In His Love,
David & Susan
