JESUS RULES
There were two different tornadoes that struck Reading Road in Cincinnati, Ohio in the 1970’s? They were a few years apart, but they struck the same restaurant that we had eaten in a couple of times before. Also, we had what was called “hurricane” remnants in the Fall of 2008. It damaged my roof. In any of these or other such events we can only do so much to protect life and property. A time comes when we just need to get out of the way or leave the effected areas- like in the recent rash of hurricanes or the California fires. The forces of nature are powerful, but Jesus is more so- and He is present with His followers in everything they face. The Lord who is over all creation is working with us, and He invites us to trust Him. We can trust Jesus in the storm of life. Let’s think about what causes floods, tornadoes, or hurricanes and what is God’s role in each of them! Whatever we conclude, we need to ask God to teach us to trust Him when we go through literal and figurative storms in our lives.
Read Mark 4:35-37
The chapter includes two more parables about the Kingdom of God (vv.26-32) in addition to the parable of the soils. These two parables remind us that the kingdom was present and active in Jesus. Jesus demonstrated His authority extended over nature as well. It is easy to believe that following Jesus will solve all of our problems, but while we are on earth that is not the case. Certainly, God is in control, but we are reminded that Jesus said Satan is “the ruler in this world” (Matt. 20:25). In Revelation 19:11-21, we see Jesus taking over that role.
Now we enter a new part of Jesus’ ministry that shows God’s reign in action. Through four miracles, Jesus ruled over nature, demons, disease, and death- but not over unbelief. His display of power would serve as further preparation for the future ministry of the disciples. To perform their ministry, they also would need the power that comes from God, a power like that which Jesus had. In these verses, Jesus had taught from a boat until evening came. Then, at Jesus’ suggestion, the disciples joined Him in the boat to go across the sea from Capernaum to Gadara. The trip from the northwestern shore to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee was above six miles. Mark is the only Gospel that tells about other boats accompanying them (vv.35-36).
More often than not, the Sea of Galilee was calm and peaceful; yet it was notorious for its sudden storms. Jesus’ disciples had set sail calmly enough with Jesus asleep on a cushion (at the rear of the boat, where a guest would lie down). But a violent storm erupted, and waves began to fill the boat. The disciples were seasoned fishermen who would not panic over a few whitecaps. But the boat was almost swamped and was in danger of sinking; so, they were panic-stricken. Jesus must have been exhausted from the strain of teaching, for He was sleeping through the storm. Although His sleep was one of weariness (human condition), it was also one of faith. He had no fear! With mingled agitation and reproach, the disciples woke Jesus and questioned whether it mattered to Him that they were about to drown. (These same disciples would later sleep when Jesus needed them.)
The “lake”, in verse 35, was the Sea of Galilee (as indicated previously), a body of water 680 feet below sea level and surrounded by hills. Winds blowing across the land intensify close to the sea, often causing violent and unexpected storms. The disciples had spent their lives fishing on this same “lake”, but now they panicked. Problems occur in every area of life. The disciples needed rest, but they encountered a terrible storm. The Christian life may have more stormy weather than calm seas. As Christ’s followers, be prepared for the storms that will surely come. We should not surrender to the stress, but remain resilient and recover from setbacks. With faith in Christ, we can pray, trust, and move ahead. When a storm approaches, lean into the wind and trust God.
Read Mark 4:38-39
Storms, like described by Mark, serve as an apt metaphor for the storms we face in life. They can come up quickly with little or no warning. While weather forecasting services attempt to provide warnings and predictions of storms, we get little or no warning of life’s storms. They can come up quickly. They can toss us about, turning our lives upside down. Being a believer does not exempt us from facing life’s storms. In these verses we see that the disciples mistook Jesus’ lack of anxiety for unconcern. They assumed His ability to sleep through the violent storm meant He really didn’t care if they lived or died. Fear has a way of both driving us to Jesus and leading us to doubt His compassion.
Jesus quickly calmed the disciples’ alarm with a command to the elements. The creator of the wind and sea commanded them, “Peace! Be still” (v.39). And the storm disappeared. For the first time in the book of Mark, Jesus revealed that He had power over the elements of nature. And, as some commenters point out, if we accept a healing miracle, why stagger at a nature miracle? The Creator is also lord over His creation. As the King James version states, “There arose a great storm of wind…and He arose” (vv. 37,39). Truly, for every crisis there is Christ.
Let’s think about how the following life circumstances may cause us to wonder if God cares:
- Spouse’s physical decline
- Fear of mental deterioration
- Stress due to finances
- Feeling lonely or forgotten
- Transitioning to assisted living
Are there others? Any thoughts on the best way to approach or handle each?
Read Mark 4:40-41
After Jesus calmed the storm, He questioned the disciples about their fear and lack of faith. “Afraid’ (V. 40) may also mean cowardly (as translated by The New English Bible). In Jesus; gentle rebuke of the disciples, He revealed that faith is the cure for fear (v.40). Then when fear seized the disciples again, Jesus did not chide them. The second fear was the awe that man should have- a reverent fear at the power of God in Jesus (v.41). No command in the Bible appears more often than “Fear not!” Faith in Jesus ends cowardly fear. But the modern Christian needs a healthy and wholesome fear of Jesus, which causes the Christian to stand in awe and to wonder at the personhood of one who has such great power.
Some try to explain away the miracle over the elements of nature. Then there are those who try to use these elements of nature to say God was punishing that area or kinds of people. But God who created the world did not create it to be a closed system, sealed off from Him. He can- and does- intervene in His creation, but not as a punishment or a reward. In the calming of the wind and sea, God in Christ overruled the disorder of nature. There are passages in Psalms that reflect God’s power over nature (Psalm 46:1-3; 89:9; 108:28-29).
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 over 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. Faith grows over time and the disciples had to learn this- as we do. Even in the midst of life’s storms, we can know that Jesus is in control. He rules!!!
