Sermon: Jesus Calms the Storm

Date Preached: Sunday June 21st 2009

Bible Reference: Mark Chapter 4, verses 35-41

You might remember the phrase from Forrest Gump - that famous movie for which Tom Hanks got one of his Oscars. His mother tells him  “Life is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re going to get.” And we all know that that phrase is true…that life is anything but predictable. Circumstances can change with a blink of an eye, can “throw you a curve ball as the Americans say” – the ball from a pitcher in baseball that seems to be coming straight at you – and you think you can give it a good wallop, and then it suddenly curves, dips – and you ‘swing and miss’. When stuff happens, your whole world can turn upside down. Life isn’t always pleasant; it‘s not always what we want it to be…we never know which way the wind will blow and what storms it’ll bring with it.

And before we have a quick look at this amazing story let’s be clear that God really cares about every aspect of our lives – and intends our often troubled Christianity to be lived out in the context of a loving relationship with God our Father through Jesus his Son – and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

But in life, then as now, no matter what the forecast there is always a chance of a storm. As it says in Job (5:6-7) ...hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground. Yet man (sic) is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.”

But it’s how we react to those unpredictable disturbances that will either make or break us in our Christian life. And this dramatic incident on the Sea of Galilee teaches us some valuable lessons about life and also some basic principles about God’s protection in the middle of life’s storms. Most of all it says something amazing about Jesus.

So here’s the 1^st practical lesson: Every Person Experiences Storms, - even if they have Jesus in their boat. Storms aren’t partial. Having Jesus there didn’t exempt the disciples from being battered by a serious squall. And just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean that you’re somehow exempt from difficulties.  I know some of you are enduring the downpour even as we speak, probably wondering how’re you’re going to keep afloat. Of course, sometimes storms come into our lives because of our own misdoings, Like Jonah who disobeyed God and set off in the opposite direction from where God wanted him - so he sent a mighty storm after him and he ended up being thrown overboard by the other sailors. Sometimes storms come from our own bad choices – and we suffer the consequences, (I’ve been in places like that). But this isn’t always the case…(and we need to get our theology right) at times storms can come even when we are doing right. Matthew 5:45 says that “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Like those desperate weeks we can have in this country when the driving rain just doesn’t seem to let up (here’s hoping for a few more sunny days this summer). Even the apostle Paul experienced chronic difficulties – which he referred to as a ‘thorn in his flesh’. And Jesus said himself in John 16, “…In this world you will have trouble (tribulation). But take heart (be of good cheer) I have overcome the world."

The 2^nd practical lesson: is  that these things can often come on us completely unexpectedly. These disciples were expert fisherman and yet they were caught off guard by this one – and Jesus’ response when they woke him up suggested that they should have realized it might happen. Just a footnote here: Actually, apart from fishermen, the Jews weren’t a seafaring people – they left that to the Phoenicians north of Israel. In fact the sea came to symbolize, for them, the dark power of evil, threatening to destroy God’s good creation: his people and his purposes. In books like Daniel the sea is where the monsters come from – so there are lots of levels at which this event would be speaking to those reading about it.

Storms in the Sea of Galilee are especially rough – and today they can swamp cars parked on what looks like a safe beach – and apparently there are signs warning drivers of what happens in high winds. The Sea is 600 feet below sea level and the sun bakes the waters keeping them nice and warm. But it’s surrounded by steep mountains with valleys in between them – and these form channels down which the wind can rush in sudden strong gusts. And whenever you have hot air and cold air colliding, you get very violent weather.

So like it is in Galilee, storms can come upon us when we least expect it. When life is going well all of a sudden the bomb is dropped. A phone call, results of tests, a diagnosis, suddenly laid low by an infection or a virus. There are people we pray for in our Wednesday Communion service that, if we knew the whole story, would stun us into silence.

And for many, when those storms come, their first instinct will be one of panic and fear. A gale swept down on the lake, and the boat was being swamped, and they were in danger. They went to Jesus and shouted to wake him "Master, Master, we’re going to drown – (& Mark’ account adds) don’t you care?!”

They thought they had plenty of reasons to be afraid – but Jesus’ reaction seems to be saying that they should have realized something, even if he was asleep – (again don’t you love Mark’s touches) – “asleep on a cushion” – I love that – unperturbed (after a hard days’ teaching on a hot day). There’s something important here about the nature of faith – trusting God - in spite of circumstances; and in spite of feelings or consequences. This concrete event is also a word picture, like Jesus’ parables. God’s sovereign power is being unleashed. The forces of evil are roused, angry and threatening, but Jesus is so confident of God’s presence and power he can fall asleep on a pillow. He isn’t a Jonah running away from God’s command, so the disciples don’t have to throw him overboard. He is doing exactly what God wants. Yet all the disciples see when looking around them is the danger, and they were afraid. Yep –it’s a natural human reaction. But what they might – probably should - have been looking to - was Jesus. All they saw were the circumstances. This is such a challenge to our perception – where do we look? – and how do we interpret what we see?  (Remember Peter walking on the water and then realizing where he was and sinking).
Like the disciples, we’re so slow to get this one. They’d already seen Jesus’ power demonstrated in his miracles, so you would have thought they’d have confidence that he could handle this situation.

And what does it tell us about Jesus? Well he was perfectly at peace, even in the middle of all this stuff going on around him. It’s such an amazing picture that’s being painted. This fact alone should have encouraged them. Oh boy to know something of this in our lives eh?! Jesus, confident in the knowledge of God’s will, knew that the Father was caring for him, so he took a nap

So these are really practical lessons for us this morning. Yes we’re going to go through storms, and yes they can come unexpectedly - but Jesus is going to be there - accompanying us through the storms, even though at times it may seem like he’s unconcerned. The disciples fighting for their lives, huge waves crashing over the sides, and then over in the corner Jesus fast asleep. 

“Is anybody there?” “God are You listening?” “Don’t you care?”

Jesus wasn’t asleep due to lack of concern. And maybe the disciples had waited till it had got too much to handle before they approached him. Perhaps they’d been relying on their own skill, experience and ingenuity as long as they possibly could. After all they were the experienced seamen. Maybe if they’d only asked sooner? -  rather than prayer being like an SOS for us.

I’m told that on a wall in a cellar in Cologne, Germany, where Jews hid from the Nazis, an inscription was found by an anonymous author who perished with his fellow victims and left behind these words, "I believe in the sun even when it’s not shining. I believe in love even when not feeling it. I believe in God even when he is silent."
And maybe this is lesson: sometimes the Lord won’t/doesn’t calm the storm, but what he promises to do is calm us. So we can be confident, and rest in the assurance that we aren’t going to have to go through the dark valley alone. Don’t you love Psalm 23 – but I also recommend that you read the first few verses of Isaiah 43 when you’re in the middle of “stuff”.

Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you.
      I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
      I will be with you.
   When you go through rivers of difficulty,
      you will not drown.

He’s promised he’ll never leave us or forsake us if we trust him. He doesn’t always bring peace to the circumstances – but he has promised peace deep within us. And if we understand that truth – if we get I t- we can be spared some major disappointments in the Christian life. He is always there, even if we can’t see him.
 
Now I don’t know what it is that you are going through right now. What I do know from this story is that Jesus did get up – and addressed the wind and the sea as though he was their master. And this ‘parable in action’ led the disciples to ask the right question: “Who is this?” The answer is that it is God who rules the sea, and his power was at work in Jesus – but the disciples were only beginning to realize this. And we need to.