God there for you. God here for you.
St. Mark 4:35-41
21 June 2015 – Redeemer
Proper 7 B
That boat had at least four professional fisherman in it – James, John, Andrew and Simon. Four men who had fished the Sea of Galilee numerous times – who had weathered storms and returned to shore, who were familiar with boats and sails and squalls.
So that must have been some storm. Surely they studied the skies and observed the sea before they set out. They knew the lake, the weather patterns, the skies – that’s what good fishermen do. They checked the radar on their smart phones and it was all clear. They wouldn’t have set out across the lake if there was even a hint of a storm.
And what do these experienced men of the sea do when gale force winds strike and their boat is being swamped? They wake the preacher, which tells us two things: 1) this storm was of such a magnitude that these fishermen immediately realize their skills are no match, and 2) they thought, for some reason, Jesus might be able to do something about it. Amazingly he was asleep. Who could sleep at a time like that? Who yawns in the face of terror and dozes off in the face of death? Well, no one except perhaps God – which is precisely the point of Jesus calming the storm.
Let me pause the sermon here to ask you a question. Where do you think this sermon is going? How is this account from Mark’s Gospel applicable to your life? Let me tell you the #1 sermon that flows from this text – and I myself have preached this sermon. You have storms in your life. Jesus is with you. He calms the storms. Don’t be afraid. Have some faith. Amen. And I know that sermon would be fine with you, especially since it was under 10 seconds long.
But that isn’t perhaps the most faithful way to preach this text for a number of reasons.
First, you and I both know baptized Christians who never seem to escape the storm until death, whose grown children cause them all sorts of trouble, whose souls are assaulted by the doubt and despair of the Devil and his demons, who grieve as they lose children and grandchildren to unbelief and death, who never seem to have a calm and peaceful way.
Second, this isn’t simply an allegorical text – although it lends itself nicely to that – the boat is the church, you’re in the boat, Jesus is in the boat – don’t worry. That work’s for a sermon, but it misses the main point – this story actually happened – it wasn’t an allegorical boat with the spiritual presence of Jesus in it. It was an actual boat, on an actual sea, with real men expecting to die and Jesus was actually asleep.
Third, everything isn’t calm at the end of the text. The disciples were filled with great fear – the Greek says, “they feared with great fear” – they had 200 proof fear when it was all over. They weren’t afraid of the sea outside the boat – they were afraid of the guy inside the boat with them. Why? Because the Disciples knew from God’s Word – there is only One who can say to the sea, “Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed?” “Who is this?” they asked. They were beginning to realize that the One in the boat with them, the preacher they awakened from His nap, is none other than the God who created the earth and the heavens.
Do you understand why the Disciples were afraid with great fear when they realized God was in the boat with them. A storm comes up in the middle of the sea of Galilee and these fisherman roust God from His sleep. Then they question Him as if He doesn’t know what’s going on and as if He doesn’t care? Don’t you care about us, how can you just lay there, snoring away, without a thought about us? And then He rises and with a couple of words – tells the sea to cut it out and knock it off – and immediately the sea does what He says. Then I think Jesus lowered His head, looked at His men standing there and says, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” Good grief men, you had God in the boat, why did you even bother waking Him? Even if you died, God was with you.
Do you fear God? I don’t think we do. Perhaps the reason we have no fear is that we don’t think God is near at all. Every now and then when I approach a conversation people go quiet. I have even overheard people say, “Watch it – hear comes the preacher.” Really, you’re afraid of me overhearing your crude jokes or your backstabbing your brother. Have you forgotten what the Psalmist declares, “The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man;” (Psalm 33:13, ESV) All means you. I wouldn’t worry too much about me – I just work here. He is God and He sees all. So He sees when you’ve acted just like the disciples in the boat – there’s some great trouble in life, some unbidden storm, some life-threatening, fear fomenting tragedy, and you doubt, you worry, you try to roust Him with your prayers, questioning His heart and His presence. And Scripture declares – He’s there. He hasn’t gone anywhere. Oh sure, we like to keep Him out of mind when we’re over our head in sin, but when we’re drowning in suffering, we expect Him to be right there.
God is in the boat with those disciples,with waves pouring faster than buckets can bail it out. When the Disciples realized that truth they feared with great fear. God has witnessed their unbelief, their cowardice, their worry in the face of death. What if God had been with you, right beside you, when you committed the sins you brought to confession this morning? Oh wait, He was. So what will God do in the presence of sinners who sin? He is gracious in the boat with His disciples. He rebuked them for their unbelief, but He didn’t let them drown. That’s what they deserved, isn’t it? They had seen miracles. He taught them about the Kingdom of God. But they had failed the test of faith that Jesus is God. They flunked and deserved to drown. God was there and He saw it, but God showed them grace in Jesus. Jesus used His Divinity, His Godness, for these men.
The disciples likely thought that the storm was the Devil’s work. Throughout the Bible the sea is thought of as the dwelling place of evil. Leviathan, the great sea monster, lives in the deep. When Jesus cast out the demons who then possessed a herd of pigs, remember where they ran? Into the sea. So what happened in the boat, in the disciples eyes? Jesus stood up, with His word, faced the hounds of hell, and said, “Muzzle it and keep it shut.” Remember Jesus had told the Scribes that you had to bind the strong man (Satan) to plunder his house (that is to free people from His oppression). With His Word, Jesus had silenced the destructive force of the devil and His evil intentions – bound Him up with a Word.
God was there for the disciples in Jesus and God is here for you in Jesus. Jesus is the Lord of Creation who can tell the wind to zip it and the wind obeys. You see Jesus isn’t only God Almighty, but He is God Almighty for you. With His Word at the cross, “It is finished” He put the whole evil mess of sin, Satan, and death in its place. God was there for you. There in the flesh of Jesus. There in the boat. There on the cross. There resurrected on the third day. There ascended into heaven. And He is here for you – here in the Water of your Baptism, here in His body and Blood in His Supper, here in the absolution and Word and sermon to deliver to you these truths – you are forgiven all your sins. Death cannot drown you in its depths. Satan cannot flood you with shame over your sins, because God was there for you and He is here for you. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Pr. Bruce Timm
20 June 2015 anno Domini