And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Mark 4:37-41
Many times, I have read this passage and wondered what we are to derive from it. It seems to be a story that generates more questions than it solves. We often like to think of Jesus as the relational form of the Godhead; a sort of go-between, between us and the Almighty God. But here, in our scriptural passage, His behavior is almost unthinkable in human terms. How could Christ sleep in such a storm, much less in a boat filling with water? We can believe that He is Master of the wind and seas, and they must bow at His command, but does He expect us to do the same? Would our compassionate Christ expect us to be calm and fearless in such dire straits? Is all exhibition of fear the fruit of our lack of faith? These probing questions are disturbing, for we all would hope that our faith in Him is strong enough to secure our salvation, yet experience has taught us that our own walk through the troublesome pastures of life has produced nothing more noble than the harrowing bleating of the disciples.
Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? The questions seem almost out of place coming from our Saviour, almost as though He is not as patient and longsuffering as we had hoped. But Christ has placed a definitive expectation upon His disciples that is not beyond their attainment. Was He calling on them to rebuke the storm themselves? Should they have awakened Him sooner? Did he expect them to quietly row on in confident assurance? The Scripture here supplies us with few answers, but we do know that there is an abiding lesson here concerning fear and faith.
Storms are a common part of life, and no major dilemma is pleasant. While Paul sailed toward Rome, they experienced a time …when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away –Acts 27:20. In the midst of a cloudy and hopeless situation there is one bell that continues to toll clear and bright: There is a peace that can be apprehended even in the most dreadful circumstances. Paul had spent a precarious …night and a day I have been in the deep –2 Corinthians 11:25, yet he did not demand the wind and sea to submit to his authority. Rather, he states that in the midst of the storm …there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul… –Acts 27:23-24. This is a scene similar to the peril being endured by the disciples (in our text for today) yet we see a different outcome. Paul was comforted and commended while the disciples received rebuke.
While bobbing about in the clutches of a potential watery grave, the disciples cried out: …Master, carest thou not that we perish? –Mark 4:38. How natural it is for us all to thrust our frustration and blame upon another. To think that some apathetic person is shirking their responsibility is very disheartening. In like fashion …the shipmaster came to him [Jonah], and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not –Jonah 1:6.
There seems to be an edge to the shipmaster’s rebuke very similar to the disciple’s response to the sleeping Jesus. Christ finds no pleasure in allowing trouble to visit us, but there seems to be no other veritable vehicle of grace wherewith His peace can flood our souls. If there first be no valley, how shall we value the mountaintop? If there be no thorns, how shall we enjoy the rose? If there first be no storm, how shall we appreciate the calm? Paul suffered the same despair being …pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life –2 Corinthians 1:8. Yet he carried within his breast a visionary anchor for his soul.
For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven –Psalm 107:25-30.
The Desired Haven…
Somehow, we have embraced the thought that the desired haven of rest is an earthly euphoric utopia void of any storms. The shipmaster in charge of guiding the vessel en route to Rome thought that …the haven was not commodious to winter in … supposing that they had obtained their purpose… –Acts 27:12-13, so he set sail at the first hint of approval from the soft south wind. But the haven Christ promotes is a harbor that is free from fretful fear and fledgling faith. This is a peace … not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid –John 14:27. This rest is ours to be had just by sailing with Christ and trusting Him to guide us through each storm.
The tenacious storms of adversity can arise without warning as quickly as …a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon –Acts 27:14. These tempestuous winds carry an amazing audacity to jolt any relationship. To feel tense and alert in the midst of stressful situations is but human nature. Our central medulla gland unleashes a powerful hormone called adrenaline into our system, our muscles become tense, our mind focuses, so that we are aroused and prepared for fight or flight. This is not necessarily anxiety but a natural response. As humans, we have a divine capacity to reason in the midst of extreme passion and pressure. The disciples did not know what Jesus would do. They only knew that this situation was out of control. Here is where they made their major mistake. Christ knew Who was in control. Paul knew Who was in control. Even Jonah knew why the tempest had arisen. Our faith is bound to fail when anxiety escalates, and we think we must control the raging trials about us. We may have a noble agenda and a sincere heart and still find our faltering faith frazzled. We mistakenly marvel that God sits in heaven and does nothing. We faithfully launch our prayers upward, but the heavens seem brazenly silent. We would expect that from worshippers of Baal, Buddha, and from backsliders. But it is not supposed to happen to people with strong convictions—people who are born again, attend church regularly, read their Bible, and pray on a daily basis. We must reconsider that God is not so concerned about our environmental peace, but rather that our inner soul arrives safe and sound at His haven of rest.
When we are happy, we jubilantly claim that rest, even though we have no sense of truly needing Him. His insertions into our lives often seem like interruptions. But when times get desperate and we have exhausted all our resources, we lean hard upon Him. In that excruciating hour, He often tests our sincerity and offers us nothing … nothing but silence. Christ, sleeping in our boat. Sleeping… right when we need him the most. And then the question, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? Frankly, this seems hard to me—even harsh—and entirely out of character with what I would normally expect from Jesus. But the question must be answered, for it is necessary if we wish to enter His haven of rest. The winds obey Him, but they don’t obey us … or do they? We obviously cannot control the weather, our environment, our situations, or the people around us. Yet these externals are not the root cause of our anxiety. It is our own faulty premonitions that pound our soul and prevent us from entering the portal of peace. The winds that whip our vessel into a fearful frenzy are not driven from without but unleashed from within. This anxiety rides on the waves of unbelief, while Christ continues in His divine slumber, waiting until we recognize the source of our anxiety and call out in faith. These four strong winds are roused at the slightest provocation when we are…
…Preserving our Person
If we are healthy, and if things are going well in our family and finances, we may be prone to misinterpret our circumstances. It is a mistake to believe that easy sailing is a mark of God’s favor, and that trouble is a sign of His displeasure. All good and perfect gifts come from God, but a debilitating storm can fall under that category as well. Our personal surroundings are temporal while our soul is eternal. God will frequently expend our personal comforts in order to expand our faith. But great fear arises when our person is demoted. Many of our phobias arise in the absence of actual danger.
- The acrophobic person has a fear of heights and is afraid he will fall from the heights of any platform though it is secure and guarded well. Even if countless others have successfully stood there, he is miserably trapped in this fear, not because he is in danger, but because he has grossly overestimated his likelihood of falling and refuses to believe the truth.
- The zoophobic lives in fear of animals, creating images in his mind of being clawed to death or disemboweled.
- The claustrophobic is afraid of small, tight places, while the agoraphobic fears open places.
- Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth.
In the face of his fear, the phobic may experience a racing heart, heavy breathing, dry mouth, perspiration, dizziness, or light-headedness. Thus, their phobias become real to them. While most will excuse their personal glitch, the truth remains that this anxiety is unfounded. When we excuse and cater to the preservation of our person, fear is inevitable. The disciples feared that they were perishing, and Christ asked them why. Is it not better …to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better –Philippians 1:23. If we can trust Christ with our life, can we not trust him with our death?
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it –Mark 8:35.
…Protecting our Property
Outwardly, the life of Christ was one of the most troubled lives that was ever lived. Foxes had their dens and the birds had their nests while He lay His pillow in the back of a rocking boat groaning under tempest and tumult of the incessant waves breaking over it. But His inner haven was a sea of glass. This was partially due to the fact that He had no property to protect. Even the boat was borrowed. “Much coin, much care” states the ancient proverb, and anxiety rises when wealth falls. And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me –Luke 12:13. Jesus refused to side with him. Instead, He spoke to the covetous heart that was causing the anxiety. If Christ gives us wealth, we do not need to feel guilty. If He takes it, we do not need to feel anxiety. In the midst of the storm, we are exhorted …to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship –Acts 27:22. This was ministered as healing balm to the bedraggled sailors, but to those who feel inclined to protect their property it is a sordid saga. When the rich young ruler was offered salvation in exchange for his earthly collection of trinkets, …he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions –Matthew 19:22. Those of us who become anxious at the loss of our wealth are no less foolish.
…Perfecting our Plan
We set out on a course. Maybe we change jobs, enter into a relationship, or embark upon some new avenue of ministry. We have launched out in faith and before we know it, we are struggling. The winds and waves of ordinary life seem to be working against us. We have expectations that are not being met and it seems that Christ is not doing His part. It is not Christ, but rather it is our expectation that is the cause of our anxiety. We expect much from our investments and it is discouraging to see our efforts go for naught. Martha’s pulse quickened at the lack of help she was receiving in the kitchen. Her frustration rose while her well-planned meal remained unfinished. Her complaint is no less accusing than the disciples’ while rowing in the sea. …Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me –Luke 10:40. Her anxiety was not caused by Mary’s neglect nor Christ’s indifference. Her sister was docked at the haven of rest while Martha battled the tumultuous emotions within her heart. So does the perfectionist create his own storm when his unfulfilled vision falls short of his expectations. But Christ is more concerned about faith-filled bosoms than water-filled boats.
…Pleasing all People
The Scriptures have taught us well to love our neighbor as ourselves, but that does not insinuate that we must strive and aim for their approval. It feels wonderful to be liked. It is painful to be rejected. Thus, many souls spend their waking hours seeking the approval of others. They must dress like, act like, talk like, and live like their peers. These live a life laden with stressful waves of anxiety. A flurry of “what ifs” arrive with each new acquaintance. There is no ship more fragile than a relationship. No matter how great a sacrifice we make to be loved, we will eventually encounter a disappointing squall sucking us down to the depths of despair. When our best efforts fail us and our best friends derail us, we must bring our battered vessel to the haven of rest. Inconvenient, unfortunate, unpleasant, and annoying relationships will always exist. We shall do much better to make excuses for others’ poor behavior than for our own. When we can rebuke the winds that arise within our own minds, we will immediately find ourselves at the desired haven.
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest… –Hebrews 4:9-11.
