Sea Story--- The Questions in the Storms
Mark 4:35-41 " The Questions in the Storm"
Today's first half of the Gospel is a sea story, full of drama, and questions of life and death. ( also in Luke 8 & Mt 8) It happens on the Sea of Galilee , 700 feet below sea level, where the wind, and cold wind comes off the mountains and whips up the seas. In the middle of the windstorm the disciples asked, " Teacher, do you do not care that we are perishing?" The Lord responds with questions, " Why are you so fearful?" " Have ye not yet faith?" Then they conclude with a question, " Who then is this , that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"
We don't begin to ask questions either sometimes until the storms come. Annie Dillard in Holy the Firm said , " You can get caught holding one end of a love, when your father drops, and your mother; when a land is lost, or a time, and your friend is blotted out, gone, your brother's body spoiled, and cold, your infant dead, and you dying: you reel out love's long line alone, stopped like a live wire loosing its sparks to a cloud, like a live wire loosed in space to longing and grief everlasting."
Jesus was asleep in the storm in the stern , nets his pillow perhaps on the low bench where the steersman sometakes rest. He was exhausted from preaching and do His Work. AS REV Jones, London said, " preaching with our Lord , no cheap and easy business...to warn men to flee from the wrath to come, that is not a thing a man can do with an irresponsible heart. To watch for souls, as those who shall give account, that is not a pastime."
V. 37---a windstorm " And there ariseth a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the boat , insomuch that the boat was now filling." The disciples who were seaman were beginning to panic. They were supposed to have faith in God----wasn't Jesus in the same boat they were in? They had seen His power over evil spirits and disease, yet they were struggling with that He would possibly protect them...Mark 1:25, 39,40 & 2:11, ch 3
From a seaman's point of view, all was humanly lost.v. 37 so they woke Him---for they thought He was unconcerned, and they would all die. Then they ask the question,"
1. Teacher, carest thou not that we perish?
When the storms come to us , how often He ( God) seems asleep. But this is for the testing of our faith, not for the overthrow of it. I remember the Country Western Song, " Thank God for unanswered prayer" Best answers are not an immediate yes from God, but perhaps better is wait, or even a no.
Was the storm in their hearts greater than the storm on the lake???
Jesus arose, " rebuked the wind, said to the sea,' Peace, be still!' And the wind ceased and there was a great calm."
2. And He said to them, " Why are ye fearful?" ( not fear in a good sense, as reverent fear, but fearful cowardice) NEB- " Why are you such cowards?"
DR Morgan," There ought to be no panic in the heart of a man, when he knows Christ. We may be sure that Christ is at the heart of every storm...Does Christ seem asleep? Ah, but He is there. If we would see the greatest things we had better not waken Him."
Job 2:10- " Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?"
3. Have ye not yet faith? 4:40
Hebrews 11:1 " Now our faith is personal assurance of what we have been hoping for, and it is certainty of events that have not been seen."
If we could see----we would not have faith.
Noah in 11:7 of Hebrews, " By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household , by which he condemned the world & became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."
" That , after all, is what it comes down to ----trust. Trust that a life doesn't end with death. Trust that there really is some plan governing the seemingly random tragedies we suffer. Trust that our loved ones who have died are forever with God and that God is forever with us too." recent widower
4. Lastly, a discovery and question 4. They feared exceedingly , and said one to another, " WHO then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"
He was and is the LORD of nature, and the eternal Christ. Christ had and has the power all the time to still the storm----then He really does care.
What did they learn? With Christ in the boat, I smile at the storm.
No storm can wreck the program of God, even if God appears to be asleep , He is there.
Amen.
Today's first half of the Gospel is a sea story, full of drama, and questions of life and death. ( also in Luke 8 & Mt 8) It happens on the Sea of Galilee , 700 feet below sea level, where the wind, and cold wind comes off the mountains and whips up the seas. In the middle of the windstorm the disciples asked, " Teacher, do you do not care that we are perishing?" The Lord responds with questions, " Why are you so fearful?" " Have ye not yet faith?" Then they conclude with a question, " Who then is this , that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"
We don't begin to ask questions either sometimes until the storms come. Annie Dillard in Holy the Firm said , " You can get caught holding one end of a love, when your father drops, and your mother; when a land is lost, or a time, and your friend is blotted out, gone, your brother's body spoiled, and cold, your infant dead, and you dying: you reel out love's long line alone, stopped like a live wire loosing its sparks to a cloud, like a live wire loosed in space to longing and grief everlasting."
Jesus was asleep in the storm in the stern , nets his pillow perhaps on the low bench where the steersman sometakes rest. He was exhausted from preaching and do His Work. AS REV Jones, London said, " preaching with our Lord , no cheap and easy business...to warn men to flee from the wrath to come, that is not a thing a man can do with an irresponsible heart. To watch for souls, as those who shall give account, that is not a pastime."
V. 37---a windstorm " And there ariseth a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the boat , insomuch that the boat was now filling." The disciples who were seaman were beginning to panic. They were supposed to have faith in God----wasn't Jesus in the same boat they were in? They had seen His power over evil spirits and disease, yet they were struggling with that He would possibly protect them...Mark 1:25, 39,40 & 2:11, ch 3
From a seaman's point of view, all was humanly lost.v. 37 so they woke Him---for they thought He was unconcerned, and they would all die. Then they ask the question,"
1. Teacher, carest thou not that we perish?
When the storms come to us , how often He ( God) seems asleep. But this is for the testing of our faith, not for the overthrow of it. I remember the Country Western Song, " Thank God for unanswered prayer" Best answers are not an immediate yes from God, but perhaps better is wait, or even a no.
Was the storm in their hearts greater than the storm on the lake???
Jesus arose, " rebuked the wind, said to the sea,' Peace, be still!' And the wind ceased and there was a great calm."
2. And He said to them, " Why are ye fearful?" ( not fear in a good sense, as reverent fear, but fearful cowardice) NEB- " Why are you such cowards?"
DR Morgan," There ought to be no panic in the heart of a man, when he knows Christ. We may be sure that Christ is at the heart of every storm...Does Christ seem asleep? Ah, but He is there. If we would see the greatest things we had better not waken Him."
Job 2:10- " Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?"
3. Have ye not yet faith? 4:40
Hebrews 11:1 " Now our faith is personal assurance of what we have been hoping for, and it is certainty of events that have not been seen."
If we could see----we would not have faith.
Noah in 11:7 of Hebrews, " By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household , by which he condemned the world & became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."
" That , after all, is what it comes down to ----trust. Trust that a life doesn't end with death. Trust that there really is some plan governing the seemingly random tragedies we suffer. Trust that our loved ones who have died are forever with God and that God is forever with us too." recent widower
4. Lastly, a discovery and question 4. They feared exceedingly , and said one to another, " WHO then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"
He was and is the LORD of nature, and the eternal Christ. Christ had and has the power all the time to still the storm----then He really does care.
What did they learn? With Christ in the boat, I smile at the storm.
No storm can wreck the program of God, even if God appears to be asleep , He is there.
Amen.
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