Who Is This? Even the Wind and the Waves Obey Him! (Mark 4:35-41)

Who is not afraid of storms? No one. Who can sleep in the middle of storms, not being bothered by at all? Who can even rebuke the wind and the waves to be still and quiet? There is one who can. He is Jesus Christ. How could he do that? Who really Jesus is? That’s the theme of this storm story. The disciples were in the process of knowing and learning who Jesus really was. So are we. Is there anyone who is free from bumping and encountering storms? No one. Why so? It is what it is from the beginning since the first man Adam. “To Adam he said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:17-19) Everyone is going through many trials and difficulties without exception. Storms are the inevitable components of our lives for the young and the old. So, all storms are designed by God who is all in all and for all and in all. Life trials are the divine intervention into our humanity. For what? For us to learn who Jesus is and who God is. All storms in life are God-given opportunities for us to learn about who Jesus Christ really is.

“That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’” (Mark 4:35-41)

First, no one is an exception for the various kind of storms. The disciples squarely faced the storm right there where the Lord Jesus was present in the boat. This is the reality, which is common to all mankind. “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13) All man is bound for the storms of trials and disciplines. It is true for the new born babes. Until the last breath of air, all is assured to go through all sorts of challenges and huddles one after another. Examine Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and the prophets like Isaiah. Take a careful look on our Lord Jesus! No man is free from the trials, even the Son of Man Jesus Christ. Take a moment to think about what trials everyone is facing from birth to death. For the youth, relationship is a real challenge. For the young, job and spouse are. For the married couple, raising children is. For the old, health is. All of those challenges may come at any time. Psalm 22^nd Chapter is about the suffering servant’s song. It graphically describes the sufferings and ordeals of Christ Jesus on the cross of Calvary. Look how much the Son of Man has to suffer much though he was sinless and no trespass found in him. 

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. ‘He trusts in the Lord ,’ they say, ‘let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.’ Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. But you, Lord , do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me. Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.” (Psalm 22:1-21)

Jesus tells his disciples that there will be persecutions for the world hates them. “Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.” (John 15:20) If the world hates the Son of Man, how true it is the world hates his followers. The world doesn’t hate those who belong to it but hates those who belong to Christ. He is the way. Where he goes, we go. Where he is, we are. “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (John 12:26) Where our Lord Jesus Christ went is the place of sufferings where he was crucified on behalf of our sins and was buried. Jesus did not have to die for himself but died for the sin of the world. God chose to punish his Son instead of imposing the judgement on us, the world. “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.” (Isaiah 53:10) That’s the way to overcome the storms which leads to the second point.

Second, the way to go through the storms is the faith in God and in Jesus Christ. What is faith? The Scripture tells for us to listen and learn what it is. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1) Faith is not to believe in what is seen but to believe in what is unseen. Because what is seen doesn’t require faith to believe. What is unseen is what we hope for. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) Faith is God-given confidence and assurance to believe that what has been promised and said through the prophets and the Lord Jesus Christ is true and trustworthy. Living by faith is to exercise the gift of God. For example, when a storm comes in the midst, use the gift of faith to believe that God is loving and caring though not knowing how long it takes for the storm to calm down. Storms are coming and going but the love of God never ceases. A hymn writes exactly what the love of God is:

“He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase,
To added affliction He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men,
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

One storm goes and another is coming. Going through the storms, we believe that God cares and loves us as his dearly loving children all time and space. In fact, storms come from God and the remedy also comes from him, which is faith. He loves his sons and daughters. That’s why he disciplines his children to grow in knowing who he is. “And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, ‘My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.’ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.” (Hebrews 12:5-8)  

Even when we don’t believe like the disciples in the midst of storm, he loves, cares, and protects us from the evil one. Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves which indicates that he was scolding the devil who was trying to wreck the disciples behind the scene by feeding and doubting the lie that God didn’t care of drowning. God knows how much we are able to bear, so it says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.” God will continue to offer us opportunities to learn how to exercise the faith in Christ and lead us to know who he really is that he is compassionately loving and caring for us till we come unto him when he comes again in glory and power.

Third, Jesus Christ is the maker of faith. “… fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) Jesus Christ is the pioneer of faith and the perfecter of faith. As the maker of faith, what did he do? He endured the cross and rose from the dead on the third day and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Here, we find why living by faith is hard and difficult in our experience. It’s because living by faith implies taking up the cross which is to die with Christ. That’s what happened for those who are in Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) Christian are called the followers of Christ. Where Christ goes, they go. Where Christ is, they are. The prerequisite of living by faith is the death of our flesh for it is not acceptable to the Holy God. It is not living by faith to walk in the flesh. Walking in the flesh leads to death. There is no life and peace for those who are against the Spirit (Romans 8:6).

Who does want to give up everything? Who does want to die? No one. But that’s what our Lord did for us. Instead of proclaiming his rights he emptied himself and became a servant. Instead of exercising his power and authority given by the Father to judge the world, he died on a cross, in the obedience to the Father, even to the point of death. He did for the joy set before him. What is the joy? It may indicate his resurrection from the dead on the third day, but that’s not all but much more beyond his resurrection. The joy of Christ is through his death and resurrection many will find life and peace. Following the path the Christ went, many will see and taste the true fulfillment of life in Christ. Many will be in him and follow the way he went and find life and peace. Jesus didn’t see the joy in his earthly life, but hoped and believed. So, he died even to the point of death for the hope set before him. Likewise, we do not see or taste what would be our joy in Christ but believe that God will bring us on the day of the Lord. “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2) Our joy will be complete and full when we see the Lord Jesus Christ face to face.

July 3, 2018

© 2018 David Lee Ministries – All Rights Reserved.