“QUIET! BE STILL!”
Mark 4:35-41
Key Verse: 4:39
“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.”
Today we study the very short story of encountering a life threatening storm on the Sea of Galilee. In the previous stories, Jesus’ mother and brothers came to bring him back to Nazareth because they thought he was out of his mind. Jesus set himself apart from them by saying of his followers, “Whoever does God’s will is my brother, sister and mother.” It was the clear separation between those who tried to prevent Jesus from offering himself to God and those who supported him. After that was a group Bible study at the lake with so many people that Jesus had to lead the Bible study from a boat just out in the water. Mark included the parable of four soils where just one produced a good crop; the example of a lamp set on the stand so it may shine light into the room and he compared the kingdom of God to crops growing in a field and a small mustard seed that became a giant tree. During the lessons, he counseled everyone to listen carefully and approach God’s wisdom and blessing earnestly.
SLIDE 35&36
Look at verse 35&36. 35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. We can wonder about several things. Why did Jesus decide to cross the lake to the other side? Why leave the crowd? What about dinner? Wouldn’t it seem better to head back to shore, shake hands with everyone and find a place to stay then enjoy a nice meal after the long day of Bible study? Did you ever go to an amazing Bible conference with nice fellowship, life-changing message and amazing testimony, but all you can remember is, “man, that food was so bad.” The whole conference might be a total flop, if dinner was not so yummy. (SLIDE people and sad disciples) How will the disciples and crowd feel after today’s Bible study at the lake? The disciples heard the instructions and thought, “What? We’ve been sitting here in the sun all afternoon with nothing to eat.” Why do we cross the lake when it is getting dark? Where are we going anyway? How about the people on the shore? Many were complaining, where did he go? They felt abandoned, even upset about the simple stories Jesus told them. Now he is ghosting the crowd, right after disowning his family? I think many such selfish hearts were disappointed and bewildered.
SLIDE v36. Then what was Jesus thinking? With hindsight, and considering that benefit seeking crowd of fair weather friends, Jesus might realize the disciples are not ready to handle that large ministry yet. The disciples were equally confused by Jesus’ parables, but at least they wanted to understand, and try to accomplish something. It must be time to try helping the disciples think about the bigger picture, what Jesus came to do and maybe spend some time away from the mob of people. Verse 36 says, “Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.” Their urgent departure shows the disciples were a little bit glad to get away from the crowd as well.
A couple verses from now, we see Jesus crashed out into deep sleep as soon as they were underway. It may point to another reason to depart, that he was approaching the physical limits of exhaustion after dealing with the people, even his family in their unbelieving atmosphere. Even the son of God could be worn out by too much work and overwhelming demands. Once on their way, we like to imagine there was fresh air and that it looked like smooth sailing toward the relaxing retreat.
(SLIDE Galilee) I tried to understand their journey. Were they going to the others side, all the way to the south? Or some where to the East or West? Many maps indicate they likely started near the top, but ended up to the East side about half way down. I asked the internet what they might be in for if they had to row all the way to the other side. (SLIDE map with measure) The lake is about 7 miles at the widest part and about 12 miles north to south. It might be close to 7 miles if walking from here to the Menlo Mall. Probably over 3 hours walking. A rowboat would
be faster than pedestrian. So, if the other side meant going all the way to the south side of the lake, it might be 4 or 5 hours of constant rowing. Each member should take turns to keep moving. But they might be able to catch a breeze on the way.
(SLIDE artifact boat) Some years ago a couple treasure seekers were looking for artifacts on the Galilee shore during a drought when they came across this ancient ship’s hull, buried in the dried lakebed. The government helped them excavate it and some scholars concluded it is surely a first century ship. It made it to the museum over 12 years later after preservation treatments. (SLIDE Peter’s boat on the water) Then a few years ago some Italian boat makers tried to make a similar craft as a gift for Pope Francis. Their project was seaworthy with authentic parts from Israel and as much detail as they could discover from literature and ancient artworks. (SLIDE with Pope Francis) It’s not a really big ship but clearly needs several crew to operate. Maybe if it were crowded, 15 people could use it for crossing the lake. (SLIDE lowering boat) The replica has 4 spots for the crew to operate the oars and a pretty large sail. There seems like a nice place for Jesus to stretch out on the back, or slide his feet under the rear deck for a rest. (SLIDE with workers) If going fishing or moving cargo, it cannot have much space for passengers. (SLIDE parked in museum) We can imagine the builders who lived around the lake in Jesus’ day were very familiar with the local weather and typical water conditions, so they would make a boat like this multipurpose and ready for almost anything.
(SLIDE storm brewing) Even the operators are assumed to be very able, because several were fishermen before following Jesus. It’s good to remember their experience and seaworthiness of their ship because in verse 37, the passage says “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.”
(SLIDE geography) There are some scientific explanations for typical turbulence on Galilee, based on the geography because the cooler air will circulate further down to the lake which is actually below the Mediterranean Sea level. That could stir up some waves in patterns that the ship builders would take into account. Some tourists really hoped to get in a storm on the lake and meet Jesus, so we expect there will be many videos of life threatening conditions and near hurricane force winds from Galilee. But there are not so many.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GloffUv0xKk&t=54s) The first video shows a typical disturbance that I understand might even be predictable, so typical boats would be ready to ride that out for a short time. But there are bound to be some outlier storms too. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01UZhtgeKvo&t=1s) Many other translations describe it as a storm of wind. It did not have a lot of other weather effects, like rain clouds or thunder looming over them. So there is a scientific impression that very dreadful storms are uncommon on the lake. The next video shares some analysis based on some more powerful videos. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjGMXPcGp3Y&t=547s)
This kind of wind might splash some water over the sides of the boat, but seasoned sailors might be able to deal with that, bailing the water, so the most dangerous thing would be getting tipped over or just completely inundated by a couple big waves. The description of the storm Jesus sailed into seems like a top 1% of scary situations.
(SLIDE v38) Mark says waves were breaking over the boat, so the storm was one of the bigger storms but the disciples’ reaction seems very frightened. They soon realized it was worse than anything they experienced before. If the experienced fishermen were feeling uneasy, we can imagine the land lubbers like Matthew the tax collector and Judas the book keeper were totally panicking and spooked out. But look at verse 38. It says, “Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.” Everyone was in all-hands-need to bail water mode, frantically trying to stay afloat but Jesus was snuggled up in the stern, sleeping. This shocks everyone who was on the boat and seems remarkable to us. Who can possibly sleep even with waves crashing over the sides of the boat?
What if Jesus was really that exhausted? We might sleep so deeply if we stayed awake for days thanks to jet lag or maybe a few all-nighters during final exam week. If Jesus had some sleepless nights recently he might be at the human limits. Spiritually speaking though, Jesus seems comfortable, in some dimension beyond our common sense. (SLIDE Isaiah 9:6) Isaiah prophesied that Christ would be known as the Prince of Peace. He seemed peaceful compared to the others who were panic stricken. Jesus had no worry or fear. He was sleeping soundly, even when experienced fishermen realized he was in great danger. The boat could’ve sunk and everyone might drown, but Jesus had no fear. Jesus had absolute faith and trust in his Father God. Jesus’ apparent calm and the overall rarity of such powerful storms makes us wonder if it was purely a natural coincidence or something else.
(SLIDE v38) Look again at verse 38. “The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” This shows the disciples at their limit too. They were extremely fearful, worried about drowning, but also kind of angry at Jesus for ignoring their situation. Way in the back of their mind, they are thinking, “Why did you lead us out here when we are starving and there is such terrible wind?” They feel Jesus is to blame, and unconcerned about them. At least they did turn to Jesus in their need. It is the important step, in principle, but often too bad that we only seem to turn to Jesus in troubling situations, and tend to go on our merry way other times. Everyone encounters numerous storms in life, thank God the truly life-threatening storms are few for most people.
(SLIDE v39) Jesus had made one of his most astounding responses to the disciples’ frantic accusation. Look at verse 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. This is revealing unheard of power and authority. Some of the scientific articles about the Galilee weather patterns tried to imply Jesus only coincidentally spoke to the storm, just as the squall was blowing over, or that he was talking more to the disciples telling them, “Hey calm down everyone, this kind of storm never lasts very long.” It’s a lame way to weasel out of recognizing the fact that Jesus’ words have divine authority to command every aspect of the universe. All people intuitively know that only God should be able to say the word and tell nature what to do. Previously in Capernaum, listeners were shocked when Jesus showed them he has authority to forgive sins. Then everyone marveled when Jesus commanded a demon to be quiet and come out of a possessed man. Telling the wind and waves to stop what they are doing is way up on another level though. It shows Jesus is Lord over all creation, and means all kinds of storms, spirit and situations should be under his control.
(SLIDE v40) Right after ordering the storm to cease, Jesus kept talking, but next to the disciples. Look at verse 40 “He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”” Jesus seems like giving his team a “shame on you” challenge. After seeing all the things Jesus did, even experiencing a glimpse of his authority on their preliminary evangelistic assignments, Jesus is surprised they are so fearful. His Bible study makes them wonder what they are really expecting as Jesus’ disciples and what was their faith in Jesus about?
If they have purely political hopes, they would be terrified of losing everything to follow Jesus only to drown in the sea. If their dreams of ruling the world alongside Jesus as the emperor goes under the water, they miserably failed. No lavish palace life in utopian Israel, no sharing a banquet feast with King Jesus everyday. Maybe they thought of their families realizing they would have to survive. This reminded me of what Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:19, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”
Where should their faith be instead? First of all, they should have faith that their sins are forgiven and heaven is their real home. If they have really left everything to follow Jesus, they will not have to worry about dying in any situation. Their souls will be safe in the arms of God and their eternity will be much better than any paradise on earth could ever be. Second, they should have faith that Jesus is leading them according to God’s plan for himself and their lives. They certainly cannot die in the lake if Jesus has not offered himself as the lamb of God. They could not see the big picture though, since their minds were fixed in the world and only beginning to know what God is up to. Third, now they can have faith in Jesus that overcomes the world. 1 John 5:4&5 says “… everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” Realizing who Jesus really is, was not easy for the disciples to grasp. They endured difficult training like this storm, so they might learn about him and reveal the truth to us.
(SLIDE v40) Jesus’ power over the storm is amazing, but his Bible study based on the event is much more powerful, because it helps renew their minds and open their eyes to spiritual insights. It can be a pattern for anyone to consider when situations in the world seem overwhelming. During Bible study, one senior missionary shared about enduring the housing storm that our coworkers and fellowship experienced in Somerset. Several years ago, it seemed like Jesus led our fellowship to the perfect space for common life and Bible study, even a worship place, sharing the rooms with the preschool. But somehow, things gradually got rough when the preschool chased out our fellowship so we had to find another place for worship service. Then the storm turned furious as financial trouble rocked several relationships, even the developers making lawsuits and the money lenders threatening foreclosure. We asked, why did Jesus send us there, only to lose everything and deal with such troubling circumstances? In such storms it is better to ask first, “where is your faith?” This question helps understand if my faith is really in this world or if it is in accomplishing God’s plan, hoping to learn about Christ and better understand myself.
In the lost world, maybe most of the storms disciples face are the same common and familiar problems that people from all walks go through. We can muddle through them, complain about them and most times move on if our faith is only in this world. Based on today’s story, however, putting faith in the creator of storms and stars and all other circumstances and things seems like what Jesus prefers for his followers.
How did the disciples respond to Jesus’ questions, “Why are you so afraid? Where is your faith?” Were they dancing on the boat, singing “My hope is in you lord, my strength is in you lord, in you, it’s in you?” (SLIDE v41) No. Verse 41 says they were terrified. Actually, they were speechless and failed this pop quiz because they did not study well this far. They recognized Jesus as their long awaited Messiah, but were hoping he would restore the kingdom of Israel. They realized he has some unique, divine assistance to help all kinds of problems. But now they asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” They can see Jesus has greater authority than anything they ever imagined. He really is, Immanuel, God with us, standing there in the boat. What a crazy idea and hard to process. I think I would be equally
speechless if I were there. Even back to the housing storm, I was also astounded and speechless when I saw the Bible house Jesus led the Joseph Lee’s to inhabit, with such a large family and such unexpected preparation. It was even used for fellowship by another ministry just before. I was speechless, wondering if the whole storm was just worldly circumstances or really God working in the background to show us his glory. It seems like the latter in many ways, especially that we can glimpse again the kind of house church fellowship there was in the past, and maybe continue a little more on the campus main road for the Sunday meeting here. Maybe the storm is not all over yet, but I thank God for helping everyone endure and see Jesus leading the way so personally.
(SLIDE key verse) Today’s passage is one of the most amazing in the Bible. The lesson seems easy to talk about, but so hard to learn because it requires practically experiencing storms we don’t like to endure, to learn from Jesus and discover if our faith is really in this world or in the kingdom of God. I remembered one hymn that is not in the blue book based on this passage. Since this message has a lot of multimedia, I tried to make a Karaoke to sing and then pray. There are some print outs in the back, and we can load the song then sing along together, praying for each other to endure any storms that come up in the future with faith that overcomes the world.