MPC, 3rd September 2000.Mark 4:35-5:20 - Guess Who?
Phil Campbell MPC, 3rd September 2000.
Basil Cook has just come back from a holiday in the most BEAUTIFUL PLACE IN AUSTRALIA. That's his words, and I agree with him. Because he's been down to Maclean in Northern NSW, where we spent our last ten years. And as a tourist spot, Basil and I would both recommend it.
There's one tourist thing though I'm not sure whether Basil would have gone for. It's the sort of thing you see lots of places. Movie World. Famous beaches. It's one of those walls with a HOLE CUT IN IT where you stand behind and stick your head through. And then someone clicks a photo. Of YOU. IN the middle of the picture that's painted on the wall. So if you're at MOVIE WORLD, click and you're BATMAN. Your face peeking through in the middle of a scene with Batman fighting off a bunch of crooks. In MACLEAN it's not nearly that exciting. Maclean's famous as THE SCOTTISH TOWN. So the thing you stand behind, the picture painted on it has ROLLING GREEN HILLS. And the little body of a SCOTSMAN in a KILT playing bagpipes. Basil, if you did that, I'd love to see the photo.
But look, people love it, and they'll get behind it and they'll stick their face in the oval shaped cut out, and there they are. Suddenly, you're a scotsman. You've PUT YOURSELF IN THE PICTURE. In the main street of Maclean.
I guess that sort of thing's getting a bit old hat these days. I mean, all you need is your home computer and the right gadgets and you can do a MUCH MORE REALISTIC JOB. So much that you REALLY CAN make a photo that puts you RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ACTION, with anyone you want. Pick a scene, and you're THERE. Where-ever you want.
Now keep that idea in mind. Of putting yourself in the middle of a picture. While we take a look at Jesus, who's going to do that. In a boat, in the middle of a storm. We're going to see him doing EXACTLY what we've just been talking about. In two very surprising way. A famous miracle; that you can read about, you can hear about, and you go WOW, how about that. But stand back and look at the picture, and you'll see even MORE. Because of WHERE JESUS PUTS HIMSELF... the part he's taking on. And let me tell you, it's much more than a scotsman. By the end of it, there are people saying WHO IS THIS MAN. If you're watching, you'll know.
Pick up the action with Jesus and his disciples in a boat. They're half way across LAKE GALILEE; and there's a SQUALL. The wind's blowing a gale; the waves are crashing down on the boat; heaving UP and DOWN. And yet in the midst of it, there's Jesus, having a nap in the back. Sound asleep.
Now these disciples, they're seasoned fishermen. They're out here in boats all the time. But at the moment, they're at their wits end. They're OUT OF THEIR DEPTH. This storm's HUGE. And they KNOW STORMS. They know they're done for. And Jesus is ASLEEP. So they shake him awake, shouting over the wind. Come on teacher. Look what's happening. DON'T YOU CARE? Don't you care if we all DROWN? Verse 38 - Jesus is in the stern; I'm not a boaty person, but I think that's the back bit. He's asleep on a cushion. And it says there the disciples woke him and said to him, TEACHER, Don't you care if we drown."
Now you've got to wonder what good they think it's going to do waking him up. Because they're certainly not expecting him to do what he does. This comes as a COMPLETE SURPRISE. Pick it up in verse 39 and you'll see. He gets up, says Mark, he REBUKES THE WIND. Stern words. And he says to the waves, QUIET! BE STILL! And straight away, the wind dies down. It's completely calm. Everything's quiet. An eerie silence. So quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Now can I ask you, have you TRIED talking to any storms lately? Have you been out in a boat and it's got a bit rough, you're getting a bit queasy, and you've thought, I know what I'll do, I'll JUST TELL THE WAVES TO DIE DOWN? Funny, there are people around these days who want to tell you they can HEAL like Jesus healed and they promise they'll do you ALL SORTS OF MIRACLES like Jesus. They don't often offer to do THIS ONE.
And yet JESUS SPEAKS... and when he speaks, he speaks with AUTHORITY. And the wind and the waves do exactly what they're told. And the disciples... they're DUMBSTRUCK. And they ask themselves the question, this guy we've been following around the last few months, WHO IS HE? "Who is this... that even the wind and the waves OBEY HIM?" They were scared of the power of the storm. They're even MORE SCARED of the one MORE POWERFUL than the power of the storm. Verse 41... WHO IS THIS? Even the wind and the waves obey him.
Now like I said at the start, stand back a little and there's a PICTURE. A picture that Jesus has just PUT HIMSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF. And if you have a look at it, you might start to get a HINT OF AN ANSWER to the question that's just been asked. At this point, the disciples haven't got a clue. Jesus says to them, "Why are you so frightened? Don't you get it. Have you still got no faith." And they DON'T GET IT AT ALL.
But take a look with me back at some of the words from Psalm 107 that are printed inside your service sheet. Because here's the picture he's put himself in the middle of.
It's a Psalm all about the SAVING ACTS OF GOD. A Psalm about MEN... who go out to the sea in ships. And get tossed around in the waves. Pick it up at the top, verse 23. "Others went out to the sea in ships, Merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of GOD, it says, for he spoke and stirred up a tempest that LIFTED UP THE WAVES. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths, CRASHING UP AND DOWN; in their PERIL, their courage melted away. Sound familiar? They reeled and staggered like drunken men, they were at their wits end."
Getting the picture? Imagine a raging storm. Imagine sailors on a boat. Imagine them hanging on for their lives; at their wits end. And THEN, says the Psalm, THEY CALL OUT TO GOD. Verse 28; then they CRIED OUT TO THE LORD in their trouble; they call out to GOD... and HE... brought them out of their distress. HE STILLED THE STORM TO A WHISPER. The waves of the sea were hushed."
Psalm 107. Who's this who the wind and the waves OBEY? The Lord God. Mark chapter 4. Who is this man, that even the wind and the waves obey him? Jesus puts himself in the picture, and it's not in the place of one of the terrified sailors; it's not a scotsman. HE PUTS HIMSELF IN THE PICTURE IN THE PLACE WHERE GOD IS. The storm stiller.
He doesn't ANSWER THEIR QUESTION. Just does it. And leaves you thinking. And the implications of what he's done, they're enough to make you want to go out and doorknock some Jehovah's witnesses.
WHO IS THIS?
Who is this - who commands evil spirits. And they do what he says. Who says to a leper, BE CLEAN, and he's clean. Who says FOLLOW ME, and people FOLLOW? Who commands the wind and the waves and they obey.
CS Lewis, the author, he said this. He said, Jesus is someone you can't just ignore. And you certainly can't just take this line that he's some GREAT MORAL TEACHER. Which is what lots of people like to say. Oh, yeah, that Jesus, he was a good bloke. That sermon on the mount, GREAT STUFF. And then they completely and conveniently IGNORE HIM. Lewis said, you can't DO THAT. Because in the end, he's got to be one of three things. He's either a LUNATIC. To go round giving orders to waves, delusions of greatness. Or he's a LIAR. Giving a false impression. Pretending to be something he's not.
Or else he's LORD OF ALL CREATION. Doing what comes NATURALLY to the Lord of all creation. He's somehow the ISRAEL'S GOD... walking and talking with his people. It's funny, you know, we're at the tail end of 2000 years of theological debates and creeds and people trying to DEFINE exactly how Jesus is of the same nature as God; trying to pin it down and measure it. Which Jesus doesn't actually ever do. Just puts himself in the picture. And says, WHY ARE YOU AFRAID? Don't you get it?
The God who saves
So let's finish up this morning with the usual question, what's a passage like THIS ONE got to say to YOU AND ME... TODAY?
First of all, can I say, make sure it GROWS YOUR PICTURE OF JESUS. Because however big you think he is, he's WAY BIGGER than you think. There's more to Jesus than meets the eye. And if you haven't got to that point of ACCEPTING JESUS as your Lord and master, KEEP LOOKING. Keep reading Mark's gospel. Because at this point the disciples aren't there either. They need to see more before they catch on. Keep looking.
But I wonder if it's a passage that's working on another level as well? You've got to be careful - because in the old days there was a trend to ALLEGORISE passages like this one. Jesus CALMS THE STORM. So WHAT'S THE STORM IN YOUR LIFE? He'll CALM THAT STORM TOO. You've lost your job and the car's broken down and your kids are yelling and the house payments are overdue and you JUST CAN'T HANDLE IT. Overwhelmed. And so you read about Jesus calming the storm, and some preacher gets up and says, HAND YOUR STORM OVER TO JESUS and he'll CALM IT.
Now I want to say you've got to be CAREFUL doing that sort of thing with the bible. Because it's not necessarily what it's saying. Just because JESUS CALMED A STORM BACK THEN doesn't mean for a moment he's going to FIX YOUR CAR and GET YOU YOUR JOB BACK and heal your backache.
But at the same time there's something here that's worth digging into just a little bit deeper. That goes SOMEWHERE in that same sort of direction.
And it means thinking back to the Psalm again; and maybe reading it a bit more closely. To ask the question WHAT IS THIS GOD LIKE... who speaks to the waves and they obey him. Because if you read the REST of the Psalm, it's saying this. That GOD is a God who SAVES HIS PEOPLE. And right through Psalm 107, you get the same idea over and over again. Give thanks to the Lord for he is GOOD... his LOVE ENDURES FOREVER. The Lord who redeemed his people Israel from their enemies. The Lord who feeds the hungry and thirsty; the Lord who saves his people. And there's a refrain. The Psalm says these words FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES. Verse 8. Verse 15. Verse 21 Verse 31. Word for word. THEN THEY CRIED OUT TO THE LORD IN THEIR TROUBLE... and he delivered them from their distress. Let them GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD for his unfailing love... and his wonderful deeds for men.
The picture of God in the Psalm, this is the GOD WHO SAVES. This is the God of UNFAILING LOVE. This is the God to GIVE THANKS TO for his wonderful deeds. This is the GOD TO CRY OUT TO in our trouble.
That's the GOD IN THE PSALM... and as Jesus acts it out, he's saying, I'M THE ONE. When you're in trouble CALL ME. No matter what. Hungry in the wilderness like Israel. Jesus says CALL ME. In bondage and distress like Israel. Jesus says CALL ME. Caught in a storm too big, CALL ME. Because Jesus is the GOD WHO SAVES HIS PEOPLE. And most SIGNIFICANTLY, he's going to DO THAT AT THE CROSS. That's what he's come for.
So call him. Whatever the waves are. Call him, especially... when you realise what you need MOST OF ALL, is that you need to be SAVED. And brought safe into the Kingdom of God. Which I guess is why Jesus says those words we saw in verse 40 back in Mark chapter 4, when he says to his friends on the boat, WHY ARE YOU SO AFRAID... DO YOU STILL HAVE NO FAITH? Because the God they're with is the GOD WHO SAVES.
I know this might cut a little deep for some of us at the moment. Because for some of you the waves are pretty high. And fear is right beside you whether you want it there or not. The disciples didn't quite get it - not for a long time. And I guess we mightn't get it right straight away either. But maybe it helps to see the picture again. The waves are so high that they're swamping your boat. And the God who saves says "QUIET. Be still."
And the wind dies down; and it's completely calm.