Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:04] Speaker B: Welcome to Hope for Today, a weekly Bible teaching program that will bring you hope for every day.
Thank you for being there. It is good to be here. It is a valuable thing to sit with the Bible and open our hearts to hear what God is saying to us.
Before our lesson today, I want to reflect on our title and the title from last time. It presents an interesting Does Jesus Care? Was our title last time, and today it's Sent into the Storm. We concluded that yes, Jesus does care. However, we also know that life has many storms.
The question that comes to mind is, if Jesus cares, why does he allow storms?
We know Jesus could have prevented this storm and the storm we're dealing with. He could have stopped, but why didn't he?
This question is a hard one to wrestle through.
There are many sermons and books on this very question.
One answer is the one J. Mark will expound on shortly. He says God allows storms into our lives to reveal his person and power.
So stay right there and follow along in Mark 6.
[00:01:25] Speaker A: Have you faced storms in your life?
I'm sure you have. We all do. They come in the form of illness or disease or maybe broken relationships, a crisis of faith, the death of a loved one or some other reason.
And you know, these storms can destroy our faith or they can strengthen it.
What happens depends a lot on on how you and I respond in our journey through Mark's Gospel. We've come to the end of chapter six, and at first glance the most memorable part of this section is Jesus walking on the water. Isn't that amazing?
However, when this event is placed in its broader context, I think the scene gains greater significance for us to understand the life and ministry of Jesus.
And it also speaks to our lack of spiritual awareness and how slow we are to recognize Jesus for who he truly is.
I've titled today's teaching Sent into the Storm, and our text is Mark 6:45:56 immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side to Bethsaida, while he sent the multitude away.
And when he had sent them away, he departed to the mountain to pray.
Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea and he was alone on the land.
Then he saw the disciples straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.
Now about the fourth watch of the night, he came to them walking on the sea and would have passed them by.
And when they saw him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and they cried out because they all saw him and they were troubled.
But immediately he talked with them and said to them, be of good cheer. It is I do not be afraid.
Then he went up into the boat to them and the wind ceased.
And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure. And they marvelled, for they had not understood about the loaves because they their heart was hardened.
When they had crossed over. They came to the land of Gennesaret and they anchored there.
And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him and ran throughout that whole surrounding region and began to carry on beds those that were sick to wherever they heard he was, wherever he entered, into villages, cities or the country. They laid the sick in the market places and begged him that they might touch the hem of his garment. And as many as touched him were made well.
This text shows us how God sends storms into our lives to reveal to us his person and power.
There are three examples of being alone in this narrative.
The first example is Jesus alone.
Here the context implies that Jesus was in a storm that was unique to him.
Now let me explain what I mean.
The Bible uses the troubled sea as an analogy for the evil in our world. The prophet Isaiah mentions that in chapter 57 and verse 20.
In this storm of violence and evil, Jesus was sent to rescue you and me, us sinners.
In the previous section of verses, Jesus described the masses of people as sheep without a shepherd. So Jesus cared for them. He taught them about his kingdom. He invited them into a relationship with him. He healed their crippled and diseased bodies, and he provided food for them. He poured himself out to the point of exhaustion without taking time to rest or to eat.
Immediately after the miraculous feeding of this crowd of thousands of people, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and set sail across the Sea of Galilee.
After they were gone, he supervised the dismissal of the crowd.
That left Jesus alone.
And John's narrative tells us why.
The crowds had become so excited by Jesus miracles that they were ready to proclaim him as their king.
Sending the disciples away removed them from that atmosphere of politics surrounding the messianic kingdom. Because the disciples held similar misconceptions about the kingdom's composition and its purpose, they thought Jesus had come to overthrow Rome and set up his kingdom.
You know, fame and the praise of men are powerful stimulants.
A mere man would have been swept along in this euphoria of the crowd. But I believe Jesus realized this was an attempt by Satan to thwart God's plan.
This was his storm. A conflict between human desire and God's plan. How can I say that? Because the Scriptures are clear.
Jesus was tempted in every way we are. Yet he did not sin. That's Hebrews 4:15.
So Jesus left the crowd and he went to a mountain nearby to pray.
He must have been there for several hours.
He needed that time to refocus his life around his purpose and calling.
I imagine him dealing with the temptation to accept praise and acclamation from men.
And I would say that anyone involved in ministry and public visibility will experience that same kind of storm.
Jesus Father sent him into the storm of sinful humanity.
He didn't come to eliminate the storm, but rather to provide peace in the storm.
However, to do that, he had to experience the storms himself.
The next example of aloneness is the disciples alone. And verse 47 shifts our focus to them.
Now, when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea and he was alone on the land.
Jesus had come down from the mountain and he was once again by the sea. He sees the disciples straining at the oars because the wind is against them.
I believe they were rowing like madmen, but they were not making any headway.
They were in deep Trouble.
Sometime between 3:00 and 6:00 in the morning, Jesus approached that boat with that exhausted crew.
And the text tells us that he intended to pass by them.
Now that makes me ask this question. Why would Jesus intentionally pass by these men?
Furthermore, why does God seem to pass us by in some of our struggles?
Well, let's go back to Exodus chapter 33, where God commands Moses to lead the Israelites from Mount Sinai into the promised land. And Moses wants to make doubly sure that God will go with them.
God reassures him of his presence. But Moses responds like this.
Please show me your glory.
Now pay close attention to what God says next. And the Lord said, here is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be while my glory passes by that I will put you in the cleft of the rock. And I will cover you with my hand while I pass by. And then I will take away my hand and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.
I believe Jesus purpose in passing by the disciples was to reveal his glory.
Jesus had just performed a notable miracle in the feeding of the multitude. A miracle that the disciples actually participated in.
And yet, despite all that they saw Jesus do, they were still blind to who he was.
In this scene, Jesus is walking on the sea and he intends to pass them by as they labor at the oars. And however they all see him and they cry out in terror because they think they're seeing a ghost. They didn't recognize him in the darkness.
Jesus had left them to struggle for several hours. He didn't immediately come to their rescue as he had in the previous storm.
Why?
I believe there was something they needed to learn. And what they needed to learn is that Jesus is God.
Have you ever been in a storm of life where it seemed God was nowhere to be found? You cried out to him, but he seemed silent. You needed his help, but he didn't seem to care.
In those times you can be sure God has something he wants you to learn.
And then the final example of aloneness is God alone.
Jesus responds to their cries of terror. He says, be of good cheer.
It is I be not afraid.
This is exciting to me and very important what I see in Jesus statement. Do you remember Moses conversation with God at the burning bush? Moses asked God a question. He said, when I come to the children of Israel and I say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you. And they say to me, what is his name?
What shall I say to them?
And God said to Moses, tell them I am who I am.
And that is what Jesus is saying to the terror stricken disciples. Take courage. The I am is here. There is no need to be afraid.
They knew that no human being could walk on the water that was the sole domain of yahweh.
Job chapter 9, verse 8 says he alone spreads out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. The disciples knew that. And so picture Jesus standing here on these boiling waves and he's speaking with the disciples.
And then he climbs into the boat and immediately the wind stops. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure. And they marveled, God is here.
So why did Jesus respond to the disciples like this?
We don't have to wonder because the next verse tells us. For they had not understood about the loaves because their heart was hardened.
Mark implies that they were amazed because they failed to comprehend the full significance of the miracle of the loaves and fish.
You know, I'm so grateful today that Jesus was sent alone into the storm of our sinful humanity.
I'm thankful for these glimpses of his humanity in the scripture, for the recognition of his need for time alone with the Father, recognition of his need for rest because he was victorious. I can be too, and so can you.
I'm glad Mark gave us the details of this account of the disciples being left alone in their boat to struggle in the storm. And while I don't like storms, in life. I am grateful for the work that God often does in my heart through them.
And finally, I'm thankful that God alone can meet our needs in every situation and when we know his presence, we can stop straining at the oars, we can be removed from our torment and we are left in a state of awe and reverence before Him.
I don't know what storms in life you're facing, but Jesus certainly does. He is praying to His Father that you will endure and remain faithful.
And he is saying to you, take courage. The I am is here, so don't fear the storm. Hold on to the hand of the one who walks on the water and calms the sea.
[00:13:14] Speaker B: Thanks Jay Mark, for explaining this passage in this way. What do you think? Can the same Jesus care for us and send a storm?
The incredible answer we can take away from today's lesson is a resounding yes. Not only that, but you can know Jesus is with you in your storm. This is only possible because he loves us and cares for us.
Wow, that is humbling.
If you have any questions about today's lesson or if you would like to contact us, you can reach us by email or Internet. Our Email address is hopeheraldsofhope.org and our website is heraldsofhope.org Contact us with the method that is easiest for you. We look forward to hearing from you soon. It was good to be with you today. Thanks again for being there. I close with the verse from Another storm Jesus calmed. Then he arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, peace, be still.
And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
Praise God. He is bigger than any storm, yours and mine included.
