Does Jesus Care? (Am Sermon Notes)
GIST: Jesus is all powerful and died to save you from your ultimate storm, so you can and should trust Him. Will you?
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?”
This morning we come to another familiar passage (I wonder how many times I’ve started with that statement lately?). When Sinclair Ferguson preached on this passage, he titled his message “When What You’ve Always Dreaded Happens”. I like that title, because whether or not we enjoy admitting it, hearing it immediately brings something to mind. In fact, unless I’m just remarkably unusual in this (which is possible, because I am remarkably unusual…) there are probably several events we dread. Maybe it’s something monetary, like losing our jobs or discovering our house is in need of serious and costly repairs. Our house is 100 years old. Every time it creaks in a new place, we worry. When we came home to two inches of water in our laundry room this Wednesday evening, it was like getting a punch in the gut (praise the Lord for using our friend Bruce to resolve this issue Friday!). Maybe, it’s something more serious than that though: losing someone we love, or receiving a terminal diagnosis. Like the disciples in this account, our default reaction in these circumstances is to panic and question whether or not God even cares. That’s why we need to hear this message, familiar as it may be. The gist? Jesus is all powerful and died to save you from your ultimate storm, so you can and should trust Him. Will you?
Let’s walk through this account. Then, we’ll look at just a few takeaways. Again, this is a familiar story, and nothing I’m going to say will be new or revolutionary. Nonetheless, not a week goes by that I don’t need to hear this message. These are truths we need reminded of daily because “in this world there will be tribulation”(John 16:33).
- The Crisis (35-38)
The Setting. I want to start by making a few general remarks about this account. First, as I’ve studied this, it has been pointed out again and again that, despite the brevity, there are very specific details provided which do nothing to move the story along. For example, we know it was evening, and, after a long day of teaching from this very boat, Jesus proposed they go across to the other side, so they just stay in the boat and head across the Sea of Galilee (which is most likely what is meant by “just as He was”). We’re also told that there were other boats that went with them. We don’t really know who these people were, and we don’t see them again in the passage, but we’re told they’re there. Likewise, we’re told that Jesus is sleeping in the back of the boat on a pillow (literally the word used for cushion here means “something for the head”). None of these details move the story along, but they are provided. Why? Because they’re memories. We’ve already pointed out that Mark probably heard most of these first-hand accounts from Peter, so chances are, these were details that stuck out in his mind. Why does that matter? Because these are details that actually happened. Many are quick to write-off the Biblical accounts as legends. However, this isn’t how ancient legends or mythologies were written. Little details like these weren’t included. They’re included here...because this isn’t just a story.
Second, I just want to emphasize why they are going across the sea in the first place. I mentioned it a second ago, but we really can’t miss this. Jesus has been teaching all day; it’s getting late, and He says, “Let us go across to the other side.” This is His idea. They didn’t get themselves into the storm. Jesus took them there. Now, hold that thought ☺.
The Storm. I have read a lot about the nature of storms on the Sea of Galilee, and there is a good chance you have heard this phenomenon explained, as well. I’m an English teacher, so I don’t feel equipped to break down the specifics of this, but I can summarize. The Sea of Galilee is known for really bad storms that pop up out of nowhere☺. It has a lot to do with the low level of the sea and the height of the mountains that surround them, but, again, if I go further than that I will likely just confuddle. The point is this: really terrible storms commonly occurred here (and still do). Many of these disciples were fisherman from this area; they would have been in storms before. This storm, however, was especially bad. Mark and Luke use a word that means violent winds, and Matthew calls it a great earthquake. Nearly every commentator I read this week equated this to a hurricane.
The Sleeper. It came fast; it came hard; the boat, in fact, was already beginning to fill with water, and Jesus… was sleeping. Why? Well, He had been teaching all day, so as fully God and fully man, He was tired. Also, He was undisturbed. He knew this was coming, and, as we’ll see, He knew who was in control.
- The Caregiver (39-41)
So, that’s the crisis. Now, we’re given a picture of the caregiver in the midst of this crisis. At this point, the disciples are in full panic mode, and I think we can understand why. So, they go to Jesus and wake Him up...and I don’t think it was a calm awakening. They were terrified! And in their terror they ask Him this question:
Do you not care? In Matthew, we’re told that they ask Him to rescue them, which I think is implicit in this accusatory question. What are they saying? Their default mode is the same as ours: if you really cared, you’d be doing something about my situation! Now, I’m not sure what they expected Him to do though. We know they were following Him and there is some belief there, but they haven’t yet fully realized who He is, and we definitely see that in this passage. I don’t know if they were wanting Him to get up and panic with them, or help get the water out of the boat, or maybe speak comforting words to them in their final moments, or maybe even perform some kind of healing miracle for them if they survived the storm. What we do know is that they weren’t expecting this: 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.
This is incredible! Jesus stood up and rebuked the storm. He got on to it. He reprimanded this natural disaster just like He had (in fact, using almost the same words) the demon in chapter 1. The words used here are translated most often as “Peace! Be still!” which is an accurate translation, but the connotation of the words was likely much stronger in the original. The word we translate “be at peace” is literally the word for being mute, or incapable of speech. And “be still” is the word used for muzzling an animal. So, He looks at this hurricane and tells it to “Be Mute! Be Muzzled!”...and it was.
The result was immediate and perfect. The winds stopped; the waves stopped; there was complete calm, and the disciples were even more terrified than before. In fact, I think it’s interesting that Mark uses the word great (or mega) to describe both the great calm Jesus creates, and the great terror it creates in His followers. Why are they so afraid? I think their second question answers this.
Who then is this? The first question they ask in this passage is “do you care?”. The second question, after they see that He does, is “who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”. The answer to this question terrified them. All their lives, they would have heard passages like Psalms 89:9: “9 You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.”, or Psalm 107:23-30 (which has startling parallels to this passage): “23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; 24 they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep. 25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. 26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; 27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end. 28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.” Who then is this? God, the Almighty! They were in the presence of God, and they were terrified.
- The Capsizing Companions (38-41)
(Side note: At first I had this point as “The Cowards”. I realized that might be too harsh a designation, but it started with a “c”, and I had a “c” thing going ☺. Then, I thought about using “The Concerned” or “The Confused”, but thought those might not be harsh enough. So, in the end, I just decided to go with a more literal description here, and, truth be told, it’s one that could be used to describe anyone. Without Jesus, we’re all sinking. Okay, back to the feature presentation→)
At this point, Jesus could have just gone back to the stern of the boat and continued His nap. I’m sure the disciples, now terrified for entirely new reasons, would have been perfectly fine with this option. Yet, Jesus has two questions for them as well. And honestly, these questions should cut to our hearts too.
Why are you so afraid? There seems to have been an obvious answer to this question. They were afraid...because they were in a hurricane. But Jesus is getting at the heart of their fear here. They were afraid, both before and after the storm, because they were missing out on who He is and what He’s capable of. That’s why the second question immediately follows.
Have you still no faith? Why shouldn’t they have feared? Because they should have had faith. It is easy for me to excuse them. They were in a scary situation; their panic seems justified. Nonetheless, at this point, they had seen Jesus perform countless miracles and heard Him proclaim the Gospel. They knew why He came. They knew who He was claiming to be. Yet, they were still missing it. They were panicking in a the midst of a storm while the one who created the entire universe was sleeping calmly in the stern! Let that sink in for a second. In fact, we could just stop there. (But we won’t ☺.)
TAKEAWAYS
1. Jesus is the Almighty God, and He died to save you! You can trust Him.
Does He care? Yes, more than we deserve. Here’s some perspective. This life will often be very hard. You will have bad days. Yet, the worst of all possible days is the “last day” for those who are not in Christ. We’ve talked about this before, but this is the centerpiece of our faith. We are sinners deserving of Hell. Jesus came and took that punishment, Hell, upon Himself. I think every time I mention this, I say it this way because I was an adult before I got that, and when I did, it blew me away. Jesus did not just die physically on the cross. That wasn’t the extent of our punishment. He endured Hell. In a way that is beyond my comprehension, He took the punishment for my sins on the cross--He endured the eternal wrath I deserve. He did this for you. He cares. You can trust Him.
2. These storms you face are neither out of His control, nor out of His plan. You should trust Him.
Remember, the only reason the disciples were even on the sea was because Jesus told them to go across to the otherside. This was not by chance. When terrible events happen in our lives, we panic because either we didn’t see them coming, or we’re powerless to stop them (often times, it’s both). Nonetheless, these events are not random. God is never taken aback. Not only is He with you in these storms, but He’s using them for His purpose. The disciples never looked at Jesus the same after this day. Sure, they were still a bunch of knuckleheads sometimes (just like us), but they were changed. Things were different. God is working in your storm. You should trust Him.
3. You have seen and heard the truth. Will you trust Him?
The disciples should have trusted because they should have gotten it by now. I have seen Jesus work so many times in my life, and I have been blessed to hear His truth proclaimed, and read it for myself. In fact, I even spend a significant amount of time trying to teach it to others. So, when I’m hit with those moments I dread, what excuse do I have for not believing?
Imagine with me for a moment that this building is on fire. We’re trapped, and it seems like there is no way out, but Jon finds a way to escape. One by one, he grabs each of us and leads us through the debris to safety. Those of us who are still left inside the sanctuary can see those he’s rescued standing safely on the parking lot. The fire is getting hotter, but we know there’s hope. We can see it. But imagine he comes to Hunter, his son, (who in reality, I’m sure would have been the first to go with him, but for the sake of the story, imagine that he’s been left behind) and says, “Take my hand, bud. I’m going to get you out of here.”
But trembling, Hunter says, “Don’t you care about me?”
Jon’s going to look at him and say, “Of course! That’s why I’m here!”
And what if in his fear, Hunter refuses to trust Jon, but tries, in vain, to find a way out on his own--all the while wondering why his daddy doesn’t care. That would be crazy! Not only would Hunter have seen his dad saving all these other people, but this is his dad! He knows him intimately. He knows what he’s capable of and has been carried by him many times before. He should trust him.
Do you see the parallel? We have heard. We have seen. He is our Heavenly Father. Will you trust Him?
RESOURCES:
Sinclair Ferguson’s Message: Audio, Manuscript
Tim Keller’s Message: Audio
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