Why are you so timid? Why do you have no faith? Jesus lives!

Mark 4:35-41: And on that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them, "Let us go over to the other side." And leaving the multitude, they took him along with them, just as he was, in the boat; and other boats were with him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. And Jesus was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"

And being aroused, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And he said to them, "Why are you so timid? Why do you have no faith?" And they became very afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

There are two key sentences in the story about Jesus calming the wind and the storm.

The first is the question of the anxious disciples: "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"

And the second is the question of our almighty Lord:  "Why are you so timid? Why do you have no faith?

Jesus and the disciples went by boat to cross the lake. Unexpectedly the boat began to be rocked by the waves driven by a gale force wind.  The waves began to break across the boat. And the disciples were terrified. They thought that they were going to die.

Through all of this, Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat. He was not concerned about the wind and the storm.  The boat was not going to sink, because Jesus still had much to do, and because he put his trust in his Father.

1. The disciples, trembling with fear, put a harsh question to Jesus:  "Teacher, do you not care?  (v. 38b) Their cry to Jesus was, "Do something! Don’t you care that we are in danger – and afraid."

Jesus got up from his peaceful rest and spoke to the wind and the waves. "Hush, be still!" Jesus said, and the wind died down, and it became perfectly calm.

2. Then Jesus turned to his followers to ask them a question too - “Why are you so timid? Why do you have no faith?" (v. 40)  It seems as if Jesus never intended to calm the wind and the storm.  It seems that he expected his followers to have faith, to trust him and to know that he is in control of the wind and the waves, even though he did not intervene!   Jesus expected faith and not fear.

3. The disciples thought that Jesus didn’t care about their situation. That he was not concerned about their fear and the danger they encountered.  So he stilled the storm.  Yet, he rather wanted them to be secure in the storm and in spite of the storm, because they had faith. 

4. Sometimes Jesus will still the storm that makes us afraid!  He has the authority to do so. That is the first lesson of this passage. Jesus has the authority over everything and the power to calm every storm. Sometimes he intervenes, because he can - and because we are afraid and do not have the faith to be calm amidst the stroom.   He has the power to do it. He is able to do it. And sometimes, he will do it.

5. But the second lesson of the passage is that he sometimes will let the storms rage. Because of his plan for us, and for what we still have to learn and because of the strength we need to grow, Jesus will allow us to go through storms. Then it is a test of our faith.   It is good for us to able to sit through the storm, because we have faith!

6. If the disciples had faith, they could have been as peaceful and resting as Jesus was, who felt no need for the storm to be stilled.  We, like the disciples ask, “Jesus, don’t you care?” And sometimes Jesus answers, “Do you have no faith?”

The Lord cares for us.  We need no more than the cross and the open grave as a sign of his love and that he cares!  Because we believe in his resurrection, he does not need to calm the storm to convince us that he cares.  What we need to have is faith.  Even in the storm.  And even when he does not calm the storm, although he can!

7. Dear Lord, let me grow to be able to say with Psalm 23 - "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me."  This is a word of faith and this is where the Lord wants us to be.

Let the storms bellow! Let the winds blow and the waves toss us around. 

In Jesus we have peace and we are protected. The storms will refine our faith. The storms will help us to become more like Jesus! Filled with peace, and resting, like Jesus.