Calming the Storm
Mark 4:35-41
Introduction
In a classic episode of the tv show - Leave it to Beaver - - - The Beav, Wally and a few of
wally’s friends go to an amusement park. Eddie Haskell has been giving the Beav a good
ribbing about how scary one of the roller coasters is – and that maybe Beaver will be afraid to
ride on it.
Once they arrive at the park – the Beav is hesitant about the roller coaster - - - not sure if he
should get on the ride with the others – but he does - - - and ends up having a great time - - - meanwhile – Eddie Haskell is behind the beav - - - he starts out boastful and cocky but soon
turns several shades whiter during the ride and begins grabbing onto Lumpy in the seat next to
him for some security – and has to be carried off of the ride when it is over.
The episode illustrated the powerful dynamic of human fear
FDR once famously tried to reassure Americans as our nation entered into WW II with the
famous line: ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’
When one enrolls in the school of Christ – they soon find that the life of faith has a few roller
coaster rides to be experienced as part of the curriculum
Such rides can be bumpy / scary – cause us to fear
But the Christian need not fear knowing that His God is in control
The disciples will encounter one such ride in our passage before us
They will find themselves at Sea during a storm at night – the boat is filling up with water - - they become afraid for their lives [they are turning several shades whiter] – they finally arouse
Jesus - - - and accuse of Him of not caring about their safety - - - Jesus gets up and calms the
sea – asks them where their faith went.
*** This was a classic teaching moment with Jesus
Each episode or event in the gospels – opens up a door or shines light on another facet of who
Jesus is
He’s the One who can tell the wind and the waves what to do - - - He’s the Son of God
The twelve have signed on as disciples – but they have much to learn about who Jesus is - - - and
how to live by faith
The sea will be Jesus’ classroom
The pupils are the disciples
The storm will be the lesson
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We will go to school with them this morning
The reality: if you are a Christian – you too will encounter storms / roller coasters / in your walk
of faith
*** We don’t get to choose whether or when we will go thru a storm [that is up to our teacher] - - but we can decide how we will go thru them – whether with fear or with faith / trust in our
God
Storms of life:
 Physical afflictions / bad health news from doctor – surgery / cancer / etc.
 Accident / injury – sometimes life changing
 Financial crisis / bankruptcy / loss of job / business / economy down
 Death – extended illness of a loved one
 Victim – of crime / natural disaster
We can add to the list
This passage comes to us and says:
Jesus can be trusted in the storms of life
He is bigger than the storm - - - and He calls us to have faith in Him
I.
The Perfect Storm – vv. 35-37
Jesus has been teaching - - - now in the evening He tells the disciples to go over to the other
side of the Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee is notorious for sudden storms – it is located in a basin surrounded by hills
– with narrow valleys – creates an environment for sudden storms
While out at sea – a sudden storm strikes - - - it’s a doozy
Matthew describes the storm as a  – a word we get earthquakes from- it was a
violent shaking – boat rocking – filling up with water
I remember talking to a fellow who had lived in California all his life - - - we had just gone
thru an earthquake
He said – ‘I’ve been thru several earthquakes - - - most aren’t that big of a deal – but this one
was like a ‘I want to kill you’ kind of earthquake
This was a ‘I want to kill you’ kind of storm
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These guys are professional sailors / experienced fisherman - - - they are turning white - - they are starting to think about dying soon! - - - if this storm keeps up
Back in the eighties – archeologists found an ancient fishing vessel somewhere near / around
the Sea of Galilee – and they have dated it to the first century - - - around the time of Christ
The boat the disciples had may have been similar – or not - - - but this one discovered was
about 27 feet long - - - so – this could have been a sizeable boat
We shouldn’t picture the disciples in a little row boat
First thing we should notice:
It was not a mistake that the disciples were here in the storm
When Jonah encountered a storm at sea – it was due to his disobedience
This storm was in the path of obedience – they had obeyed Jesus!
They had not wandered astray - - - no - - - Jesus said: ‘Let’s go to the other side’
Jesus could have said – ‘let’s rest here for tonight - - - looks stormy’ - - - we’ll travel
tomorrow
But He didn’t
He led them here – out into the storm
Why? What kind of teacher is this?
He is going to use this storm to teach them about who He is and that they can trust Him in the
storms
There will be future storms / persecutions / arrests / beatings / trials - - - they need this lesson
Our greatest need is not storm free lives - - - it is to know Jesus better / to learn how to trust
Him in rocky ups and downs of life
This storm is not a problem for Jesus – we will see
He can tell it what to do – He’s in charge over the storms
He’s got it under control
He’s got your life circumstances under control as well
It may not always seem like it – but He does
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Our circumstances – are not random / misfires of a universe that neither knows or cares
No – God comes to you and I and says, ‘Trust Me in this storm - - - I am bigger than the
storm’ – ‘my grace is sufficient for this storm’
Some people like to put limits on God’s power – that’s why bad things happen / storms
happen
But that leaves us with a universe with a power somewhere greater than God’s – or a God
who is in control one moment [e. g. when Jesus calmed the storm] - - - but not the next
moment [e.g. when Stephen was martyred]
How can we trust that God - - - How do we know when He will step back in control?
John Piper: ‘the son of one of our former deacons was run over by a motor boat. He lived,
but his knees were badly damaged, and there were superficial nicks on his chest and neck
from the propeller. When the father spoke of the incident he said that his main comfort was
the sovereignty of God.
‘God could have taken my son with another half inch difference. But instead – He said to the
blade: ‘This far and no farther.’ [The Pleasures of God, p. 74]
Piper adds: ‘God does not always stop the blade’ - - he referred to the fact that his mother
died in a car accident in Israel when John was 28. She was struck by a piece of lumber that
had fallen off a lumber truck in the accident.
‘I took no comfort from the prospect that God could not control the flight of a four by four.
For me – there was no consolation in haphazardness. Nor in giving Satan the upper hand. ‘
He came back to the fact that God is in control – and God is good
*** God is bigger than the storm
Nature is unmanageable – it reminds us that we are not in control
Earthquakes / tornadoes - - - no control
Think of a grasshopper –a young boy puts it in a shoebox – then puts the lid on – and
proceeds to shake the box - - - that grasshopper is not in control!
That is how the disciples feel at Sea - - - we are not in control here
*** We don’t like the feeling of not being in control
In life – many people reach for ways to feel more in control of their environments / they
build up large bank accounts / they buy every kind of insurance - - - they have survival food
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in a bomb shelter – they become people manipulators in relationships / they may succumb to
an eating disorder - - - they want to feel in control in a world where they are not in control
Control is an illusion - - - the storm reminds us of that - - - it blows down our man made
castles of security
However – the storm also mercifully points us to the only One who is in control- - - He
invites us to trust Him
II.
Panic Time – v. 38
Here the disciples are at the end of their tether - - - they are unhinged
We can be glad for stories like this in the Bible - - - Jesus works with people like this!
He saves people like this!
Jesus – [in His humanity] is exhausted from a day of teaching and miracles - - - is to this
point trying to get some shut eye in the hold of the boat - - - they go and wake him
Listen to their words: ‘Teacher – don’t you care that we are perishing?’
Their words to Jesus reflect frustration and desperation
When you’re in the storm – panic seems reasonable
‘We’re in big trouble here Lord - - - don’t you care? / Aren’t you going to do something?’
They interpret Jesus’ sleep as indifference to their situation
Maybe you are in a storm – and wonder where Jesus is at / Does He care?
Your boat is taking on water!
He does
I Peter 5:6, 7 – ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God
that He may exalt you at the proper time – casting all your anxiety upon Him
because He cares for you.’
In the storm – God says, ‘Hold on to Me – cast your cares on Me’ - - ‘He cares for you.’
Recognize: He is bigger than the storm
‘Be still and know that I am God’ – Ps. 46:10
God doesn’t call us to not fear because we should be people of iron will and can face down
any threat or danger - - - but rather to set our fears side by side with the reality of God and
His presence in our lives
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One is greater
** Trouble is woven into the fabric of life / in our fallen world
Thomas Boston: ‘Sin has turned the world from a paradise into a thicket, there is no getting
through without being scratched.’ [The Crook in the Lot, p. 90]
You can be in the center of God’s will and in the center of a perfect storm at the same time
But God takes the storms and uses them to develop and grow our faith
Some people with heart conditions – when they go to the doctors – they might give them a
stress test - - - where they have to walk on a treadmill – or do something to get the heart
going
In this state – the doctors can better see the condition of the heart – how it handles a little bit
of pressure / they can assess better what might need to be done
We don’t how strongly rooted a tree is until we see it battered by a hurricane and still remain
standing [tree in front of our old parsonage came down in a windstorm – some of the inside
had been hollowed out – no longer healthy]
It’s the same in our spiritual lives
This storm is going to reveal the level of the disciple’s faith – they are going to show
weakness here - - - but Jesus will call them to greater depths of faith
III. Jesus Calms the Storm – vv. 39-41
Jesus gets up and with a few words – calms the storm
‘Hush – be still’
Instant calm – even the waves go smooth
One minute the sea was a perilous death trap – the next – calm
God doesn’t always calm a storm like this
Sometimes He leaves the storm – but He gives us peace in the midst of it
Sometimes He calms the storms: [Scott Krippayne]
All who sail the sea of faith
Find out before too long
How quickly blue skies can grow dark
And gentle winds grow strong
Suddenly fear is like white water
Pounding on the soul
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Still we sail on knowing
That our Lord is in control
Sometimes He calms the storm
With a whispered peace be still
He can settle any sea
But it doesn't mean He will
Sometimes He holds us close
And lets the wind and waves go wild
Sometimes He calms the storm
And other times He calms His child
That is biblical truth
He’ll either calm the storm – or bring calm to your soul to go thru the storm - - - let Him
decide which you need
Here - - - Jesus calms the storm
The wind and the waves recognize the voice of their creator – and respond like obedient
servants
The disciples had not yet seen this type of a display of Jesus’ power
Their reaction reflects this
The disciples are awestruck by this
Wait – what just happened?
They can’t explain this
They have never seen anybody do anything like this before / nobody has
This would be like seeing someone stand in the path of a tornado and commanding it to go
back up into the clouds
The uncontrollable just took orders from Jesus
Who is this man?
He’s the One who can calm the sea with a word
They are still trying to process all that they are learning about Jesus
They don’t fully grasp all the implications of who Jesus is yet
They are works in progress - - - as are you and I
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Jesus rebukes the disciples for their lack of faith – shown by their fear and terror
Jesus isn’t calling the disciples a bunch of unbelievers - - - but rather doubters - - - who
should have exercised their faith in this particular situation
Unbelief is a rejection of Jesus and His claims
Doubt – weakness - shows up when a Christian lives inconsistent with who Jesus is – or His
presence in their life
When you have Jesus in the boat with you – you don’t need to fear
He is bigger than the storm - - - trust Him
Don’t listen to fear – listen to faith
Conclusion
Many of you may remember the children’s song:
My God is so big – so strong and so mighty
There’s nothing my God cannot do
The mountains are His
The rivers are His
The stars are His handiwork too
Jer. 32:17 – ‘Ah Lord God – Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy
great power . . . nothing is too difficult for Thee.’
Even at the cross Jesus pointed to His power / being in charge
At His arrest – He spoke to the disciples and said – ‘don’t you realize I can call upon My
Father and have legions of angels at my disposal?’
He went thru the storm of crucifixion on purpose
He willingly laid down His life - - - because that is what it would take to save us from our
sins
He died for sinners - - - making perfect atonement – that all who call upon the name of the
Lord will indeed be saved
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