Full Transcript

Welcome to Share the Word. With all the parables that are part of Mark chapter 4, Paul brings out the big idea that focuses on Jesus’ power and his ability not only to use it to provide peace to his disciples in the middle of turmoil, but also as an important lesson to them and us. Let’s listen in. Mark chapter 4: The only thing we have to fear. I was reminded yesterday that I have a birthday coming up soon. I won’t say exactly how old I’m going to be, but if I tell you I was born a decade after the end of World War II, you can probably do the math.

That seems unreal to me, honestly, because watching the herky-jerky black and white newsreels from the World War II era makes that time look like ancient history, not just 10 years before I was born. Speaking of those newsreels, when I was a little kid, there were a lot of movies and TV shows set against the backdrop of World War II and news specials too, like documentaries. One of my earliest childhood memories, in fact, is of being in our living room with my parents and watching a documentary about that war. It was clear who the bad guys were. They were the black uniforms. They marched weird.

They talked funny. They never smiled. The show was talking about atrocities committed by the Nazis and showed cities devastated from air raid attacks and so on. I was terrified because I thought, This is all going on right now. I was so upset and scared, I started crying. Now I remember my parents explaining, Paul, this was all in the past.

We aren’t in any danger. Nevertheless, for some time after that, I laid in bed at night thinking about if the bad guys came marching into my town and up the hill toward my house, what I should do. For me at the time, that was a real but unrealistic fear. People in many places in the world, though, not long before that, really did live through, or didn’t live through, the nightmare that was World War II. Leading up to that time, with things in the world darkening, the American president, Franklin Roosevelt, in his inaugural address, tried to steel the American people for what might be ahead. The most well-known part of his first inaugural speech was, and this became familiar in history, repeated over and over and over again, it seems like, The only thing we have to fear is—well, you can probably finish it, can’t you?

The only thing we have to fear, he said, is fear itself. Roosevelt was trying to prepare the American people not to cower in the face of threatening world circumstances. Now, I get what he was trying to accomplish with that speech, but if you think below the oratory, real scary things were growing on the horizon, things that ultimately cost over 400,000 American lives. The world has always been a pretty scary place. We just don’t like to think about the dangers we are surrounded by unless we’re forced to. The scariest things are the things that threaten our very lives, especially when we’re in a situation we feel helpless to do anything about it.

For example, the very first time I flew on an airplane, I was in college and was going from Atlanta to Mississippi to my older brother’s wedding. I was already nervous about flying, and then, wouldn’t you know it, we flew through a terrible storm that day, and I mean one of those storms with lightning cracking all around the plane, and it’s tilting this way and that and then dropping like the bottom fell out. People were literally screaming on this flight. Even the flight attendants had buckled themselves in and looked just as terrified as the rest of us. I honestly felt that plane was going down, and I felt helpless and scared. Have you ever been in a circumstances where you felt certain you were going to die?

Well, here in chapter 4, Mark writes about such a time that Peter told him about during the early period when Jesus and his disciples were in Galilee. Remember, as we’ve seen, Jesus’ popularity had risen very quickly and dramatically from the outset of his public ministry, as word spread of his demonstrations of authority, miraculous power, healing every kind of sickness, disabilities, casting out demons. People from throughout Galilee and beyond descended on the little town of Capernaum during those days. And whenever Jesus appeared in public, he was thronged. Everyone was hoping he would do something supernatural for them, or at least they would witness something for someone else.

Last time, where we left off, he had asked his disciples, several of whom were fishermen who had made their living on the nearby Sea of Galilee, to keep a boat ready for them in case things got too crazy and they needed to escape the press of these unruly crowds. On the day Mark is writing about in chapter 4, Jesus was at the shore of that sea teaching. By the way, there are some beautiful photos online of this body of water from the perspective of that town, Capernaum. This body of water, a large freshwater lake in northern Israel, is about 13 miles north to south and about 7 or 8 miles across. It was known by different names throughout history, depending on who the dominant power in that region were at the time. For example, the Romans called it the Sea of Tiberias after one of their emperors.

But in the New Testament, it’s usually called the Sea of Galilee. In Mark’s describing in chapter 4, Jesus devoting time to teaching these curious multitudes on the shore. Because the crowd size had gathered so large, he climbed into one of his disciples’ fishing boats, and they pushed it out a little ways into the water. So the scene was the multitudes were lining the shoreline, many people deep, while he spoke to them from the boat. Mark records in this chapter some of the parables Jesus taught on that occasion. The first one was an all-important parable.

It actually kind of serves as a parable to set the stage for all parables. It’s the parable of the sower, as we call it, and it describes how God’s word strikes different human hearts when we hear it, like scattered seeds landing on different kinds of soil, Jesus said. The condition of the listener’s heart, their receptiveness to God’s word, determines, he explained, the effect that the word of God will have in their lives. We discussed this parable in detail in episode 30 of Share the Word, in the Gospel of Luke. We also previously discussed another parable Mark tells us Jesus said on that day, the parable of the mustard seed.

Jesus said that although the mustard seed was the tiniest of seeds, it would grow into a large bush, and he compared that to his spiritual kingdom, which was beginning very small with just a handful of devoted followers, but as we now know, grew into something very large, that is, the Christian movement. You can hear more about that parable in episode 35 of our podcast from Luke. But another thing Jesus taught that day from the boat that we haven’t discussed is recorded in chapter 4, starting at verse 21. Listen. Then Jesus asked them, Would anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket or under their bed? Of course not.

A lamp is placed on a stand where its light will shine. Everything that is hidden now will eventually be brought out into the open. Every secret will be brought to the light. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. Then he added, Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more you understand, the more will be given to you, and you’ll receive more and more.

To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given to them. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken from them. Did you get that? Jesus didn’t intend for his teaching to be limited to a handful of people. It’s the spiritual illumination that everyone needs. He came down out of heaven to tell us the truth.

Those who listen and receive it are like the lamps people used in their homes then. They weren’t for hiding under a bed, he said, but to be put on a stand where they would light others. So he went on to challenge his leaders, When you listen to God’s word, as you are now, by the way, Jesus said, be sure your mind is engaged, that you’re listening carefully, because the closer you listen, the more understanding God will give you. The more you understand, then the brighter your light can shine for the benefit of others. That’s what he wants to see happen, and it’s how his kingdom would grow. The application for us is to listen carefully to God’s word when we have the opportunity to learn it, and then to share it with others, all the things we’re learning.

It’s not to be hidden. Believers are to be lights shining in the world. I hope you are sharing the light of the truth God reveals to you through listening to our podcast or through reading His Word and urging others to listen as well. Well, these are just examples of some of the teaching points Jesus was making that day. It sounds, in fact, like He ministered all that day long. As evening was approaching, He was drained emotionally and spiritually and very tired physically.

He said to His disciples, Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake. Why did He want to do that? Well, honestly, to get away from the demanding crowds for a while. The east side of the Sea of Galilee was far less populated. And also, remember, He was aware that the religious authorities and their political allies were looking for a way to kill Him. That was no doubt an even more compelling reason to get away for a while.

As we said earlier, the east-west crossing was seven or eight miles. Normally, that would take them two or two and a half hours in one of their small fishing vessels. Interestingly, in 1986, during a drought in that area, the water of the Sea of Galilee, called now by the locals Lake Kinneret, receded several feet, and near Capernaum, two brothers saw what looked to be the hull of an old boat partially sticking up out of the now exposed muddy lake bed. It took archaeologists and local volunteers about two weeks to carefully dig it out and safely get it to a museum location where it could be cleaned, treated for preservation. Why that interests me is because it was dated to the first century and was found close to the fishing village where Peter lived, where our text is taking place.

The boat was between 27 and 28 feet long, about 8 feet wide with a flat bottom, and with sidewalls about 4 to 5 feet tall. It was set up with one mast to sail, and when there was little wind, two sets of oars could be used to row it. This was exactly the type boat the disciples and Jesus would have been in that night to make this crossing, the kind of boat Peter and the other fishermen there on that lake had worked out of for years. As they shoved off from the western side of the lake, it’s growing dark. Should be a peaceful crossing, and one these seasoned fishermen had made many times. As for Jesus, he was so spent from his recent pressure-packed days of ministry and this very long day of teaching, he just wanted to rest.

The disciples understood that and left him alone. He curled up in the stern of the boat, likely under the platform where the coxswain would usually sit, and used his seat pillow for a head pillow. As the disciples rowed out into the quiet lake, Jesus quickly fell into a deep sleep. When they got out a ways into the Sea of Galilee, the winds began to pick up. At first they probably welcomed that. Perhaps they could sail now instead of row, they were thinking.

But the Sea of Galilee is susceptible to sudden storms, being almost a thousand feet below sea level and surrounded by hills. The wind sometimes channels and funnels between these hills out onto the lake under the right barometric circumstances and creates sudden vicious storms, which is what happened that night. By the time they were in the middle of the lake, miles out into the open water, the wind grew so strong the sail came down, and they were trying to row, but they were getting nowhere. And the waves grew so high, water was coming over the side of the boat, Peter told Mark. Remember, these were seasoned fishermen, very familiar with this body of water, and yet the storm grew so strong that night that they were afraid. You know that point you hit between this is ridiculous and you’re laughing at your bad luck, and then realizing this is out of control and you begin to panic.

They reached that point. They were actually fearful that their small ship could capsize and they could drown. Jesus was so exhausted, he was still in his spot at the back of the boat when they reached him and shook him and cried, Teacher, don’t you care? We are perishing here. We’re in great danger of capsizing, they meant. I think there was probably a smile on Jesus’ face as he pulled himself up, and he grabbed the side of the boat and he looked out into the face of the violent storm.

The wind was very, very strong. The waves were tossing that little ship around. Hush, be still, Jesus called out, and the storm quieted and the sea became still, as if he had just shushed a rowdy child. He then turned to his drenched, hyperventilating disciples and asked, Why were you so afraid? You still not have any faith? In him, he meant.

After all, they had witnessed his authority several times recently. Mark concludes the narrative by saying, Then they became very much afraid and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and sea obey him?’ Jesus’ first question to his traumatized disciples was, Why were you so afraid? Jesus felt by now, I guess, that after the many displays they’d already seen of his power, that they by now should have more trust in him. I’ve not counted, but I have read that do not fear or fear not in one form or another is the most often recorded commandment in the Bible. God’s people from cover to cover are told not to be fearful over and over.

Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, do not fear. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Yea, though I walk through the valley of death’s shadow, I will not be afraid, for thou art with me. Over and over and over, just like his disciples, we are told, Don’t be afraid, but we still are. What struck me most from reading and thinking about this narrative is, and we have to believe Mark is conveying Peter’s firsthand experiences and Peter’s firsthand feelings from that night, is that those men in the boat with Jesus went from being very afraid of the violent storm to being very relieved when it quieted at Jesus’ command, to then being overcome with a completely different kind of fear when they asked one another, What kind of person commands the wind and the sea and it obeys him? The ramifications of Jesus’ authority, even over the wind and the sea, over nature, that scared them.

The Jews certainly believed that the Creator God had control over the forces of nature, but when the disciples were confronted with the idea, Whoa, that’s Jesus, for Jesus just demonstrated that kind of authority. They just witnessed it. It’s then that they were struck by this very different kind of fear, what the Bible calls the fear of the Lord. Throughout the Bible, when people come into contact with the holiness and majesty of God, they always become very afraid. And they should, because God is incredibly awesome. And I don’t mean cool like awesome.

I mean fearsome. And this is what the disciples came face to face with that night. That’s why they marveled and their faces said to one another, What kind of person does this, commands the forces of nature? Well, answer: the divine Son of God, and He alone, the One who was with the Father in the beginning through whom all things were created, the Son of Man that Daniel’s vision saw, given all glory, authority, and dominion. That’s who. Those soaking wet, terrified disciples in the boat that night hadn’t fully wrapped their minds around this yet, but it was experiences like this that were dragging them to the scary conclusion that this person next to them was not just a teacher sent from God or even the Messiah of Israel.

It was, in fact, God Himself veiled in human form that was in the boat with them. Here’s the application, one really big idea from Mark 4. Even with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, do we have any better answers to Jesus’ questions about, Why are you so afraid? Do you not have any faith? Believe me, I’m talking to myself now as much as anybody else. Well, first, let me clarify something.

If you’re listening today and you are an unbeliever, you’re not a Christian yet, you don’t have a relationship with God that’s real, that you know of, you have every reason to be afraid. Life certainly is scary. There are scary storms, and they will suddenly come on you, things you’re helpless in the face of, and we all know death looms large ahead of us. If you’ve never given your heart to Christ and your life to Christ, and you’re not under God’s protection, man, it is scary. But listen, you don’t have to stay in that situation because Jesus came to reconcile us with God, and you can receive the Savior God sent for you by calling on Him in sincere faith. But until then, that’s where people without God, in fact, are: exposed, exposed to a lot of danger.

They’re in danger both from the threats of this life and even more so of the reality of what comes after it. But for those of us who have been born into God’s family through faith in Christ, we are under His providential care. Jesus once asked these same followers, Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s knowledge. You’re of much more value than birds. That doesn’t mean nothing scary will ever happen to Christians, that we won’t suffer, that we won’t physically die one day.

We will. But what it does mean is that nothing can touch our lives that God is not aware of and does not allow. And it does mean that God’s going to protect us until we finish what He has for us here to do. I love the way the Apostle Paul put this in a sermon recorded in Acts 13. He was talking about King David and his purpose in God’s plan when he said, Now David, after he had served God’s purpose in his generation, fell asleep and was buried among his fathers. The truth is, the disciples weren’t going to perish that night because God still had important things for them to do in their generation.

The purposes Jesus was preparing them for, to serve Him and to plant the church. And the same is true for us today. This is why God’s people throughout the Bible are told time and again not to be afraid, to have faith in God. Because until God says our time is up, no lesser power can touch us without His permission. So, while being very afraid in scary circumstances is our first and natural instinct as human beings, Christians should quickly remember just whose we are, and that the fear of men and the fear of circumstances and even the fear of death is the opposite of faith in God. We need to remember that.

The only thing we have to fear is God Almighty, and only then with a kind of awe that sees the disciples that night when they realized just who was really in the boat with them. This is Paul for Share the Word. Thanks, Paul. What a great focus about an emotion that has plagued humanity going back to Adam. Fear can be healthy and unhealthy, but when it comes to God, healthy fear is a respectful awe of God, while unhealthy fear is rooted in doubt of God’s power and goodness. And today, Paul showed us how fear and doubt showed itself in the middle of the storm.

Think about the storms of your life. Are you in a storm now? And my question is this: How strong is your faith? Is your fear healthy and rooted in trust that Christ is standing with you and will remove the storm? And if not, ask yourself why. Because if you’re sitting in doubt, you’re sitting in uncertainty, hesitation, unbelief.

And throughout Scripture, Jesus has shown His love and power. Where’s your doubt coming from? Jesus’ teachings are certainly powerful, but his exousia is the power he possesses as the Son of God and ultimately rule over all creation. What are you afraid of? From all of us at Share the Word, our blessings and prayers go out to all of you.