When the Storms of Life Come, Jesus Does Care

I wanna begin this morning by telling you that I'm a dreamer. Not in a John Lennon sort of way, when people say, "I'm a dreamer," or in a Martin Luther King sort of way, "I have a dream." No.

When I say I'm a dreamer, I have lots of dreams when I sleep. And it's one of those funny things that when I have those dreams, they can be at one time fun and adventurous dreams, and at other times, nightmares. I don't know if you've ever noticed this and whether you are sort of like me and have lots of dreams while sleeping, but there's a phenomenon that happens with me at least in my dreams where your mind becomes your own worst enemy. I often find that when I am having a bad dream, in that dream, I think to myself, nothing worse can happen now unless so and so happens. Lo and behold, what happens?

Exactly that thing. So I can be thinking, "Oh dear, it's so unfortunate that I am deathly allergic to bees." And then all of a sudden, a giant swarm of bees is hurtling towards me. I don't know if you've ever experienced that sort of thing. You're going down a windy mountain road and you think to yourself, "I hope my brakes don't fail."

And what happens? Your brakes fail. Perhaps you don't experience dreams in this sort of way. But what is more terrifying than a bad night's sleep is the thought that something in real life can become the very thing that you have always feared? The thing that you've always dreaded actually happening.

For a young person, that might be a fear of failing to get into a particular university course, or to follow a particular career path that you've always wanted. For others, it could be the fear that you find out your spouse is being unfaithful. What about the chilling fear of that knock on your door at 3AM? Or that phone call saying that something tragic has happened to someone you love? Perhaps for some of us this morning, it might be the fear that World War Three is breaking out.

Or that something tragic like what happened to Warnie this week might happen to you. What do we do when the thing that you've always dreaded actually happens? I'm indebted to preacher Sinclair Ferguson who, on this particular passage we're going to be reading, highlighted this particular thought when we get to Mark chapter 4 and the events that happened on the Sea of Galilee. Let's turn to Mark chapter 4 as we consider the fear of something happening that we've always dreaded: Mark 4:35-41.

Mark 4:35. "On that day, when evening had come, He who is Jesus said to them, the disciples, 'Let us go across to the other side.' And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling."

"But Jesus was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, 'Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?' And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Peace, be still.' And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. He said to them, 'Why are you so afraid?'"

"Have you still no faith?' And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, 'Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him?'" This is God's word. Well, we come this morning to our first point, and we see a very ordinary request by Jesus: an ordinary request.

The story begins in verse 35 with the words, "On that day when evening had come, Jesus said to them, 'Let us go across to the other side.'" "Let us go across to the other side" is going across the Sea of Galilee, the Lake of Galilee in the northern part of Judea. Now there was nothing particularly unusual about a request like that. The Sea of Galilee, which is technically not a sea the way that we call a sea (we call the ocean the sea), it was a lake.

The people of this time, the people that Jesus was with, they were fishermen. They were people that grew up on the coast of that very lake. Disciples like Peter and Andrew, James and John were all experienced fishermen. They grew up on that lake. It was their backyard, so to speak.

And so this request by Jesus isn't an unusual one. It isn't a particularly outrageous or scary one. The bible says that the disciples simply go when Jesus asked them to do this. Verse 36: "And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat just as He was." There was no extra preparation needed.

They just took Jesus, placed Him in the boat, and said, "Okay, we're crossing the lake." As for reading the weather conditions, however, you'd suspect that they would be proficient as well. Crossing the lake for them was like going down to the corner store to buy bread and milk. And they would have probably had a quick look and said, "Well, it doesn't look choppy out on the water and the wind is pretty good, so let's go." In other words, they would have known the weather patterns of that area.

They were fishermen; their fathers were fishermen. But today, things were going to be very different. I can imagine as Peter or Andrew or John were telling this story years later, they reflected on this moment. And they may have said something like, "We didn't realise it at the moment, but Jesus' request was no ordinary request. This didn't happen by chance."

And all the things that Peter and the apostles experienced with Jesus in the three years with Him, they would know that nothing that happened with them alongside Jesus was ever an accident. With Jesus, nothing happens accidentally. Now, firstly, I wanna say to us, friends, it's easy to accept that for the disciples, what is about to happen here is part of some cosmic plan for them. And we put them in that category and believe that that's not true for us. "God has a plan for the disciples."

"God doesn't have a plan for my life. God is working all things for their good, but not necessarily for mine." We might think that because they were going to be the apostles, that God had to be extra involved in that process. But that is a terrible theology to have. We misunderstand the almighty nature of God completely if we think accidents happen in our life.

The bible tells us that God is completely in control over every aspect of our life, over every power, over every event. And so we must believe that as present as God was in that moment on the lake, that present He is with us in our daily moments. Nothing in our life, both good or bad, bright or dark, happens accidentally. That is not to say that the confusion that comes from those events is not entirely ours. That is not to say that the implications of bad decisions which we make, which God allows us to make, are not completely ours to own up to.

If we make a choice, it is still on us and yet, at the same time, in the providence of a sovereign Jesus Christ, it has not taken place without the nod of the King who says, "I will allow it." May KJ learn a great lesson from this. May the plan I have in store for the Ukraine, for Russia, happen? I think we see in our passage a remarkable glimpse of Jesus' self understanding of His own sovereignty because what was about to happen to Jesus and these disciples on the water is so unsurprising to Jesus that He is asleep in the boat. I don't think we understand the humorous reversal that is happening right here.

These expert fishermen should be unsurprised by a storm. Meanwhile, they don't spot this storm brewing. Perhaps they can't. It's a supernatural one. And yet, the man from landlocked Nazareth, Jesus, the carpenter's son, not a fisherman, He is asleep in the boat.

I can imagine a grey-haired Peter, years later, thinking back on that moment with a smile and saying, "We had no idea. But Jesus was setting us up to learn a powerful lesson by making a very ordinary request to cross the lake." And that leads us to our next point: the core issue of the heart is exposed in this moment, the issue of the heart in a crisis.

And the question is, does God care? Panic is the evidence that you believe something in your life is out of control. Panic is evidence that you believe something in your life is out of control. It's panic that these fresh new baby disciples had in their hearts when they asked their leader in the midst of the storm, verse 38: "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" It's the most instinctive response to a crisis, isn't it?

It doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter whether you believe in God or not. You could hear it from people who have said to you a hundred times that they don't believe in God, that they are not Christians, and yet, when a disaster strikes, they will ask you, "Does God not care about me? Where is God in this?" Perhaps you found yourself asking that question.

While in pain, you have wondered, "Does God care about my pain?" Have you ever been anxious and wondered, "Does God see my fears?" I think that's exactly the type of question Jesus wanted His disciples to ask Him in that moment. Notice the question that He gives back to them in verse 40. He says to them, "Why are you afraid?"

And you're like, "We're about to drown. I think that's a pretty good reason to be afraid." In fact, the question that Jesus asked them is so out of order that it hits you like a truck. You sense a disconnect here. Either the missing link is that Jesus doesn't understand the reality of drowning at sea, or the disciples don't understand who is with them in the boat.

And that, of course, is the point. In fact, it's the point of the whole gospel of Mark. It's what bible scholars point to as being the main question Mark is setting his readers up to ask and answer: "Who is Jesus? Who is Jesus?"

And remarkably, in this passage, we are getting that question asked in miniature form. It is the entire gospel of Mark placed into one event. That's how the evening finishes for these disciples with that question on their lips: "Who is this man that the sea and the wind and the waves listen to Him?" And that is why Jesus asked them the question, "Why are you afraid?"

And the answer is, "It's because you don't know who I really am. It's because you don't understand the significance of My presence with you." It's why Jesus asked that second, deeper hitting question, "Do you still have no faith?" You see, the purpose of this crisis, as well as perhaps the crises we might face, a crisis masterfully orchestrated by God, it was to expose the reality of the disciples' hearts. When life was going well in the ministry, when Jesus was driving out demons and healing people's withered hands.

When Jesus was making a mockery of the Pharisees who were so arrogant and self-righteous and against the common man, things were great. It was easy to follow Jesus. It was wonderful to be on His side. But here, in the middle of the lake, in a tiny little boat, in the midst of a storm, there is no place to hide.

"What do I really believe?" And so Jesus leads them into that storm to expose the reality of their hearts and to uncover their true spiritual condition: "Why do you still have no faith?" There are no cheering crowds anymore. There are no enemies to distract them. It's you in a boat, in a crisis with Jesus.

And He shows these disciples who they really are deep, deep down. They don't know whether Jesus cares. Friends, this is the piercing question you and I are asked to think about this morning: that when the thing that you've always dreaded actually happens, do you know if Jesus cares about you? And if you say, "Yes, I believe He cares."

"I know He cares," I wanna ask you, how will you tell your doubting heart that this is true when that thing happens? When church activity or spiritual experiences fade away, when the spiritual rock in your family passes away, that mom, that dad, that grandmother, when the deepest crisis in your life hits and all your crutches are removed and it's just you in a boat in a crisis with Jesus, when the thing that you dread the most actually happens, how do you know that Jesus actually cares for you? Well, here's a perspective for our crisis.

A storm has been settled for all time. In verse 39, we're told that Jesus rebukes the wind and says to the sea, "Peace, be still." And we are told that the wind ceased and the bible adds, "There was a great calm." It's a wonderful little detail that Mark decided to add. It wasn't just stiller or quieter; it was exceedingly calm.

It wasn't that there was now a little bit of choppiness that these experienced fishermen could ride out and get to the shore. The lake becomes completely still. There's not a single wave found on the water. I don't know if you've ever seen the movie The Truman Show, the Jim Carrey movie, but right at the end, there is this great scene where he's escaping this horrible situation that he's on and the director that's directing his life turns off all the mechanics that causes a storm on the water. Anyway, the sea becomes clear as glass, smooth as anything.

That's the image that I have here. It is just the light, the sun comes out. The water is easy to row in. We are told at this that the disciples were filled with great fear. So they were afraid before, but now they have even greater fear.

But it's not quite the fear in the sense of being afraid; it's a fear in the sense of awe. They turn to one another, they're awestruck, and they say, "Who is this that the wind and the waves obey Him?" Do you understand what they are saying? They are asking, they are saying to one another, "This is no other than the Creator Himself. This is the One who spoke and gave these winds and the waves their form and their energy."

When He speaks, they listen. And so to the question, "Who is this man?" comes this implied answer: "He's the One we must go to." Why does Jesus calming the storm imply that we need to go to Him? Does knowing that Jesus has power change my situation? Does that knowledge change my situation?

No, it doesn't. Does it automatically mean that Jesus cares for me if He has power? No. Being powerful, being the Creator, does not necessarily mean He loves me. So how can I be sure that He's not only able to change my situation through power, but that He is willing to change my situation?

The answer, friend, is because Jesus was ultimately going to rescue these disciples from a fate far worse than drowning at sea. And that is what Jesus was showing here. You see, the calming of the storm in Mark 4 is not some sort of sideshow gimmick. It is not simply to show that He is powerful. It is no mere accident that surprises Jesus.

The miracle on the Sea of Galilee is setting up the disciples to understand the power of the cross, to understand what's about to take place. "Teacher," they asked, "do you not care that we are perishing?" And the answer from Jesus calming the sea is obvious: "I do. But dear Peter, dear Andrew, I care more than simply saving your temporary short life here on earth. I care more deeply than you even care about yourself."

"More than saving you from the chaos of a natural storm, I'm about to save you from the overwhelming chaos of eternal hell." And so to the question, "Does Jesus care?" comes the answer: "Absolutely, but in a way that will blow you away." It's the reason the apostle Paul would later write to the Christians in Rome. He says in Romans 8, "What then shall we say? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

"He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also graciously along with Him give us all things?" Paul says, "Can tribulations, distress, persecution, famine, danger, or sword separate us from the love of Christ? No," he says. "Through all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." If God the Father did not spare His own Son, if Jesus Christ did not cling to His deity in heaven, if He went willingly to the cross bearing the punishment for our sin, friend, where is the reason for us to fear World War Three? Where is the reason for a heart attack out of nowhere?

Where is the reason to fear the death of a loved one? It's incredible that in the book of Revelation, at the end of the bible, chapter 15, we are given a picture of the peace that Christ establishes on earth through the victory of the cross. It's told to us in a visual symbol depicted as the ocean. In Revelation 15, we are told that God has now finally dealt with all His enemies, all those who have opposed Him. Once and for all, He judges the wickedness on the earth.

And then this is how we are told the victory is shown. Revelation 15:2. John says, "I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire. And those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, i.e. the enemy, those who had conquered were also standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands and they sung the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb saying, 'Great and amazing are Your deeds, O Lord God Almighty.'"

"'Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations.'" Why is the sea of glass in this vision? What is that referring to? Well, it's a depiction of the peace that God has established in His kingdom, when all the chaos of the universe has been destroyed.

After the final judgment, every trouble, every concern, every wave that threatens to capsize has been removed from the kingdom of Jesus, now fully established. We are told that earlier, God's enemies come out of the ocean, roiling waves, billowing waves, bring forth God's enemies and the enemies of God's people. And now, the sea is like glass, quiet and calm. And this sea of glass shows that every storm has ceased for those who have now entered God's kingdom. And so what we see in Mark 4, when Jesus calms the winds and the waves and it becomes exceedingly calm.

It's a foretaste. It's a story about us and our future. And so friends, I wanna finish by encouraging you with this: in the storms that may come tomorrow, and with warning, we see that it can come anytime, you and I can rest assured that Jesus is with us. And so when hardship comes, understand that there are no accidents.

There is a Lord who is sovereign. Something bigger is being played out in our lives. There is a purpose even in the hurt. When the storm comes and we pray for a reprieve, Jesus may grant a reprieve. He may calm that storm.

He may spare us from the pain and we are encouraged to freely ask Him to do that. But He may also not spare the pain. The pain of death or sickness or suffering may still come, but this is your ultimate comfort: that the storm over your eternal peace has been calm forever. Our eternity is a sea of glass, a future without a single ripple.

So when the thing that you've always dreaded actually happens, you and I can say with confidence, "The worst can happen, because the genuine worst thing will never reach me." I wonder if the question that was asked of Jesus pierced His heart when He was asked, "Teacher, do you not care?" Because with the cross laying ahead of Him, the thought would have been, "Child, I care more than you will ever know." Let's pray.

Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your heart that we see in this event. We thank You for Your power so beautifully and visibly displayed for us. We thank You that this illustration, this depiction, gives us hope for our daily living. Help us, Lord, with hearts of faith to believe that this is not something that happened only at a certain time, for certain men who were called to do incredible things, but that this was written for us, for us to know You and Your character.

And so I ask that for each one of us here with futures that are always uncertain, no matter how well we plan it, no matter how much we try to ignore it, our futures are always uncertain. Yet the one certainty we have is that Jesus loves us. And so we pray, Lord, give us hearts of faith. Where there is doubt, where You might ask us, "Do you still not believe?" Help us this morning to decide, to set our hearts in faith towards You.

And so for those of us who are sitting here who may never have made that decision, I pray, Lord, that today may be that day. Forgive us for our unbelief. Forgive us for a life that has been lived in unbelief. And Lord, help us to desire the peace, the salvation from the chaos of an eternity without You. Help us to have that urgency today.

And then those of us, Lord, that have walked a long path with You and perhaps even over the years experienced many crises and placed our trust in You each time, Lord, help us to not fail when the next one comes. Help us to be faithful to You. Help us not to fall into sin or temptation in any way. Oh, give us the comfort again today and in that day that our Saviour cares for us because He's shown it most fully in the cross.

Thank You, Lord, for that, and we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.