We live in the Midwest so we know a thing or two about storms. We remember those storms too. We don’t often talk about the beautiful days we’ve experienced but you can get people talking about the storms they have been through. I remember the time I drove to get my daughter, Grace, at daycare near Palo, when a tornado touched down nearby. The sirens were blaring, but I was going to get there! There was the time in 2011 when we had the terrible wind storm and we had to go to the basement, the time a hail stone broke one of our windows, and many more. I remember each one clearly. I’ll bet that all of you have similar stories!
Storms tell us something that we don’t like to hear. They tell us that we are not in control. Weather is one of those things that we simply must deal with. We cannot alter it. The only things we can control are our reactions to it.
The Disciples are also reminded of this fact in Mark Chapter 4. Up until now, the Disciples have listened to Jesus speak, they have watched him, and they have seen how others respond to him. However, they have not had to act. This is going to change. Jesus does not allow us to be mere observers. Like the Disciples, he demands that we take action, that we commit ourselves to him.
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So Jesus tells his Disciples to go to the other side of the lake. He was completely exhausted after spending the day teaching both a large crowd and the Disciples using the boat as a stage to speak from at the shore (in Mark 4:1). Jesus may have felt like he couldn’t get away from the crowds for some much needed rest. Much like the cameras and crowds that follow celebrities today, he couldn’t jump into a fast car and leave the area. Instead, he tells his Disciples to set sail to the other side of the lake. They don’t get to get off the boat and get supplies – they just set off. Unfortunately, other boats tag along.
Much like the Great Lakes, the Sea of Galilee is located in a valley. There are hills and mountains on both sides. When the wind blows just the right way, huge waves are churned up. And just like us, the disciples can only react and steer the boat the best that they can. Like us, they begin to fear for their lives – the waves are crashing in on them and their boat is taking on water. Jesus is still sleeping in the stern of the boat. The noise of the storm hasn’t awakened him. The noise of the frightened Disciples also hasn’t awakened him. So, they turn to him and do exactly what we do when we are caught in life’s storms – they accuse him of not caring if they drown. “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” They ask.
The idea that Jesus who died for us on the cross would not care about our pain or our anxiety or our fears does not make sense. But many of us feel this way when we are dealing with a storm. Why did this happen to me? We lament. We believe that we aren’t supposed to have storms in our lives. Many of us might even believe in Jesus so that we can avoid storms in our lives! Jesus is supposed to keep our lives under control and protect us from storms, struggles, and problems in life. When the storms of life hit us, we become like the disciples – angry and resentful. We see Jesus asleep in the back of the boat and think that he doesn’t care about us.
While Jesus slept on during the storm, the Disciples, who were experienced sailors, did all they could to save themselves. They were just not in control of the situation. This is us too in so many of life’s storms. We are not in control, but Jesus is there in the storm with us. We just need to call out to get his attention. And this is what the Disciples finally do.
When Jesus awakes, he calls out to the storm to be still and it is. Now, we know a thing or two about storms so we know that this is not how storms generally operate. A storm takes time to calm and it doesn’t just quit. Next, Jesus asks his men why they were so afraid and he tells them why they should not fear. He rebukes them for not having faith. He tells them that they have heard his teachings and have seen his works and his healings. He tells them that to have heard his works and seen his teaching and healing should have resulted in faith in their lives.
Jesus asks the same question of us: How can we come to church week after week where we learn about Jesus – both his works and his words – and still have no faith? Our faith is our response to life’s storms.
The Disciples are awed and ask, “Who is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?” As we heard in our Psalm and from other teachings, we, like the Disciples, know that only God could have done what Jesus did. And then they get it! Jesus IS God! God is here among us during the storms in our lives! We don’t have to be in control – we can trust God.
Let us pray:
Lord, I thank you that you that you are the God of the impossible. You can do anything, I want to trust in your ability and not my own. Teach me to see the storms in my life from your perspective. Help me focus on you and your power. Help me not to fear but to trust you. I declare my faith in your ability to fulfill your promises to me. You are mighty, powerful, just, and true. Amen.
