Jesus - An Extraordinary Provoker (part 1) - Mark 4:35-41

Sermon Series: Spare Me the Details - Just Give Me Jesus

When I was just getting into middle school one of the things that I couldn’t wait to be a part of was our church’s youth group.  I thought teenagers (especially high schoolers) were really cool and the only place that I really came into contact with them was at church.  At the particular church that my family attended the best way to get to know the teenage guys in the church youth group was playing basketball.  That was great for me!  While I knew that most of those high school guys would be better than I was I was pretty athletic and there wasn’t anyone that looked like Michael Jordan, so I was pretty confident the first time I went to try to ball with them.  But as soon as the game started it was incredibly clear that there was one guy that was far and away a better basketball player than everyone else.  His name was Ryan Anderson and he was awesome.  Now fortunately for me I was on his team, so I didn’t have to worry about guarding him (at least not for that particular game – I would fail miserably at it for years to come).  But I can remember when I saw how good he was not knowing exactly what to think.  I had vastly underestimated this guy.  So should I be afraid of trying to ball with a guy who was obviously way better than I was, or was I going to have faith in him and ride his skills to a win?

Occasionally in life we cross paths with people who provoke greater responses from us than other people.  And in most of those cases how we respond isn’t going to have a huge impact on our lives.  But when we encounter Jesus – who He is and what He can do – we find that He provokes our lives in extraordinary ways that demand responses which have eternal impact.  Then question then for us is, “How will we respond?”

Mark records what has to be one of the most amazing miracles of Jesus’ ministry in chapter 4 verses 35-41 of his gospel account.  And in those short seven verses we see the provocative power of Jesus on display in two very clear ways.  You’ll recall that Mark began chapter 4 saying that an enormous crowd had gathered around Jesus to hear Him teach and that the size of the crowd made it necessary for Jesus to get in a boat, push out a short distance from the shore, and to teach from a boat (4:1).  Verse 35 appears to pick up then later that day as evening is arriving.  And Jesus says to His disciples, “Let us go across to the other side.”  One of the privileges we have being able to look back on this story in it’s entirety is that we know what is going to take place.  We know about the coming storm and we know that the disciples were filled with great fear and uncertainty.  But let me ask you this, “Do you think Jesus knew about the coming storm - about the vicious wind and the crashing waves they would soon encounter?”  Absolutely!  Jesus must have been fully aware of what was coming.  So keep that in mind and then hear the words of Jesus again, “Let us go across to the other side.”  Jesus didn’t say, “Listen up everybody!  A bad storm is coming so we all need to leave and find secure shelter.”  Nor did Jesus say, “Okay guys, it’s time for us to set out for the other side.  But listen carefully - a big storm is coming.  So this trip won’t be for the faint of heart.  We will face great danger and possible death.  So if you’re up for it, it’s time to go.”  These aren’t the words that Jesus utters in this situation.  Instead (keeping in mind what Jesus knows is coming) He makes a very confident statement about what they will do – go across to the other side. 

Why is Jesus able to use such confident language?  Why can He say with confidence “Let us go across to the other side?”  It’s because He knew what the outcome would be.  And this is the first way that we see the provocative power of Jesus on display – in His confident declaration of future circumstances.  Jesus knew that He, the disciples, and His other close followers in the other boats would arrive safely on the opposite shore.  And because He knew what the final outcome would be He never feared the future storm.  Instead, Christ stated with great confidence exactly what they would do. 

As we move into the text of verse 36 we see that the disciples seem to start off well.  Jesus gives the order and these experienced fishermen go right to the task.  Verse 36 says that the disciples leave the crowd, they take Him with them (it appears right out of the boat that He was already sitting in), and they set out with Him and other boats (which were probably filled with His other close followers).  These disciples didn’t know what was coming, but they were men with great experience on the water.  This is the sea where many of them had made their living and where they had spent much of their lives fishing.  They were heading into the open water – a place that was very comfortable to them.  And for the time being, they were confident in their ability to take on the task which they had been called to.  Then we see in verse 37 a huge storm comes upon the group of boats.  (Violent storms are not terribly uncommon on the Sea of Galilee.  The Sea of Galilee sits in a hole nearly 700 feet below sea level and it is surrounded by hills and mountains.  In fact 30 miles to the northeast is Mt. Hermon which rises 9,200 feet above sea level.  So when the colder upper air comes into contact with the warmer air that rises off of the sea then it makes for some really wicked storms.)  I would argue that the reaction of the disciples seems to indicate that this storm was perhaps more extraordinary than most.  Verse 37 says that the wind was incredibly violent and that it was churning the sea and causing great waves.  It appears that many of the waves were in fact breaking over the boats and causing the boats to be filled with water.  But what points to the magnitude, power, and severity of this storm more than anything else is that in verse 38 these experienced fishermen who knew about the incredible storms on the Sea of Galilee and had probably been through many of them believed that they were going to die in this storm.  And while these men see no hope for escape and are fearing for their lives, did you notice what Jesus is doing?  He’s sleeping!  Jesus is in the back of the boat soundly at rest.  He isn’t being bothered by the wind or the waves.  He is sleeping deeply without any worry or fear. 

Being in the midst of a big storm is scary.  It’s scary because there is absolutely nothing that you can do other than take shelter.  When the wind starts blowing, when the rain comes in sheets, when the lightening is flashing, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.  And the disciples understood this well.  They were in a very helpless position.  They were on the middle of the sea, there was no foreseeable end to the massive waves and no foreseeable end to the wind and the rain.  And to make things worse there was no perceivable refuge to take shelter in.  So in the disciples’ eyes there was no real reason for hope.  Their experience and skills were no match for the storm they found themselves in and the only outcome they saw was death.  So how was it possible that Jesus could sleep so soundly in the midst of such an extraordinary storm?  The answer is that Jesus didn’t fear nature’s elements because they were in fact subject to Him.  This is the second way that we see the provocative power of Jesus on display – in His control over all of creation.  Jesus had no reason to fear the wind.  Jesus had no reason to fear the sea.  Jesus created them and He had control over them.  Those things were subject to Him.  He needed only speak a word and they would all stop.  And that’s exactly what He does.  In verse 39 Mark says that Jesus awoke and rebuked the wind and told the sea to be still – and in an incredible display of obedience they did.  Mark says in the winds ceased and there was a great calm.

What I think about to try to help me picture the seen in my mind is some of the storms I’ve seen in the TV show Deadliest Catch.  The TV show is about commercial crab fishermen who fish for crab in the Bering Sea.  While the Bering Sea doesn’t have many similarities with the Sea of Galilee it does have some pretty wicked storms.  If you’ve ever seen Deadliest Catch you’ve probably seen some of the fishing boats in some really bad storms.  There are times when the rain and snow are pouring down and the waves are so large that they come crashing over the side of the boat and nearly wash the crew members overboard.  In between some of the enormous waves that come crashing over the boat’s side you can see the boat rocking up and down on waves that are taller than many small houses and buildings.  Get that picture in your head.  Now imagine someone walking out of the lower part of the ship onto the deck in this enormous storm where it’s as crazy as it can be, and rebuking the wind and saying to the waves, “Peace!  Be still!”  And then almost immediately the sea is flat, there is no rain, and not even a faint breeze.

WHO DOES THAT?  And what are you thinking when you find yourself in the midst of that?  Someone that extraordinary must provoke a great response and reaction?  What would you be thinking and feeling?

Then for the disciples, the One who just spoke these words comes over to them and says, “Why are you so afraid?  Have you still no faith?” (vs. 40).  What do you do with those questions?  They’re valid questions aren’t they?  Why were they so afraid if they were with the One who knew and had declared their future circumstance with confidence?  Why were they so afraid if they were with the One who had control over all of creation?  And after experience this miracle was it possible for them to still have no faith?  This had to be the single greatest miracle that these guys had ever been a part of.  An enormous and vicious storm had just disappeared at the command of Christ.  Jesus was proving to be an extraordinary provoker, and His presence demanded an incredible response from His disciples.  Would they fear Him or would they follow Him in faith?  There is no longer any doubt about His power.  It was clear that He had awesome power unlike any other individual.  And so the fear sets in and the question arises, “Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?” (vs. 41).

But here’s where the question hits home for us.  While we have never found ourselves out on a raging sea with Jesus, and while we have never experienced a display of His power quite like this one, Jesus is still the same today.  The story Mark tells isn’t fictional but an account of an event that took place while Jesus was here on earth.  Jesus, then and now, is a God of provocative power and we see it on display in the pages of scripture.  We will never encounter anyone else who can confidently declare the future to us because he knows for certain what is to come.  We will never encounter anyone else who has control over all of creation and who has the power to make creation obey by simply speaking to it.  But when we encounter Jesus in these verses of scripture He demands a response from us just as He did His disciples.  We have to answer the same question, “Have you still no faith?” 

In much the same way that I found myself having to make a decision about what I would do when I first played basketball with Ryan Anderson – would I quit because he was so much better than me or would I have faith that he would help our team to win – we have to make a decision to follow after or fear Jesus.  Having seen His incredible power we may be tempted to fear because we are uncomfortable in the presence of One who can do such extraordinary things.  But that’s not what Jesus is calling us to.  He’s calling us to faith.  He wants us to believe in Him, to surrender our lives to Him, and to follow Him in great faith – knowing that He is the only One who is able to provide us with salvation.  There is no way for you to really and truly consider this account and then remain indifferent.  So what will your response be?    

Small Group Questions for Discussion

1. Read Mark 4:35-41.  Jesus makes a confident declaration in verse 35 when He says, "Let us go across to the other side."  A few verses later we find the disciples in the midst of the storm and fearing for their lives.  It seems that they had lost sight of Jesus' declaration because of the trials they were facing.  What are some of the declarations made in the Bible that ought to give you great confidence but that you often loose sight of or confidence in when trials or hardships come?  Where do you find that declaration in the Bible?  What causes you to loose sight of it?  How would things be different if you remembered the declaration and had confidence in it?

2. After Jesus rebukes the wind and calms the sea, verse 41 says that the disciples "were filled with great fear . . ."  Why can (and does) Jesus' great power cause us to fear at times?  In an honest assessment of ourselves, do our lives look more like we live in fear or faith?  If we answer 'fear' what can we do to help change that?

3. What step of faith does this passage of scripture require us to take as individuals and as a small group?  How do we work this out on mission?