Scripture: Mark 4:35-41: "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. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.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?” 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?” 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?”
Who among us doesn’t have a little bit of fear when it comes to being in a very large storm? We tense up, perhaps even jump a bit when the lightning strikes. There’s something unsettling about being so close to a power that we can’t control. In Mark 4, the disciples find themselves facing a storm that is about to take them. And there’s not a thing they can do. But this passage is not ultimately about a storm. It’s about the Savior who sleeps through the storm because not even a great storm is a match for Him. And it’s a story about disciples who learn what faithfulness looks like in the shadow of the cross, even when Jesus seems to be sleeping and the danger feels overwhelming. And the story is for us, the ordinary, fearful, doubting people who need a Savior to rescue them from doubt.
Our story begins in a way that we often overlook. Jesus leads them into the boat. He tells them to go across to the other side. Jesus is leading them into the storm. He is leading them on a trip that we would not think is wise. After all, who heads out into a lake when a giant storm is coming? But Jesus isn’t here to avoid danger. He is going to show them that storms reveal things that calm waters cannot. Storms reveal the doubts and fears that fill our souls. And they need an encounter with the Savior to be defeated.
The disciples don’t see his nap in such a positive light. In fact, they accuse Him of not caring for them. He can save the sick and those who are demon possessed, but is He going to fail at even caring for His own disciples? Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? This question is the heartbeat of doubt. This question is the one that we often whisper to ourselves when life gets hard. This question is the one that runs through our minds and robs our sleep. And this question is the one that must be defeated with the resurrection power of Jesus.
It’s sad to say but we’re not that different from the disciples. Doubt swims in, with a whole lot of reasons to distrust the Lord’s care. Doubt says, Jesus really isn’t that interested in you. Doubt says, Jesus is helping others but not you. Doubt says, if Jesus cared He would stop this storm in your life. Storms have such a way of shrinking our minds. When they hit, we quickly forget all of the things that God has done for us in the past. And the only thing we can think about is how we’re going to perish in the future.
We forget how big God is. We forget all the great things God has done. We forget who God is. And we forget that He is in our boat, controlling the storm even when we don’t see it.
Jesus awakes and calmly gives a rebuke to the storm. Jesus isn’t scared. Jesus isn’t panicking. He simply speaks and creation obeys. And then He turns to the disciples and issues a gentle rebuke of them. He challenges their doubt and their lack of faith. Jesus wants them to recall all of the works they have seen Him do. Haven’t they seen Him healing people? Haven’t they seen Him casting out demons? Of course they have. So why have they forgotten this? Why can’t they then trust Him in the middle of the storm? Jesus invites them to remember Him.
But these disciples are very slow learners. They are going to doubt again. They are going to fail again. They are going to fear again. They are going to forget all that Jesus has done again. But here’s the good news. Their doubt is not going to have the last word. Why? Because the one who calms the storm will face an even greater storm. He will face darker and blacker clouds then have ever been seen before. He will face the storm that will plunge the whole Earth into darkness. He will endure a storm that tears the veil of the curtain apart.
And when he does, He will not sleep through it. He will face the full force of the storm that we deserve. He will not hold himself back from any of the waves of wrath or the lightning of judgment. And He will prove in the resurrection that no storm has the power over Him. And this is why you can trust Jesus in the storm that you are facing. You can trust Him not because you are strong, but because He is strong.
I don’t doubt that many of you are in a storm right now. You can be put in a place relationally that you never saw coming. You’ve had a health diagnosis hit that is overpowering. You have fears that keep you awake all night. And the waves continue to pound and pound against you. And in the storm, you prayed and tried to row your way to shore. You’ve held on for dear life. And you still don’t see Jesus waking up and doing something to help you.
But can I tell you this? His silence does not mean He is absent. The same one who calmed the sea is the same one who is able to bring peace in the storm you are in. He is the same one who will hold you tight so that the storm will not drown you. He is the one you can trust even when the waves are high and the wind is strong. You will not defeat doubt today by gripping that oar harder. You will not defeat doubt today by yelling at the storm and trying to calm yourself. You will only defeat doubt by clinging to the resurrected Savior who is in your boat. The storm will not win. And neither will doubt.
Pastor Josh
Where do you most often feel like the disciples and perhaps convinced that Jesus must be asleep during your storm?
What past works of God do you tend to forget when the waves rise?
How does the resurrection reshape the way you interpret storms that don’t immediately calm down?
Name your current storm. In it, describe how you are viewing Jesus. What are three ways to trust the risen Christ more than the wind and waves?
