Enduring The Storms
On the Path of Obedience
Mark 6:45-56
Last week we looked on as Jesus taught his men that if they were going to follow him they would have to be both Obedient and Attentive. In other words they would have to listen to God for direction and obey, but they must also keep their eyes on him in case he takes a turn or moves in another direction.
So even though Jesus brought his disciples to the other side of the lake for a little R and R, the game plan changed as thousands of people followed them and showed up at their retreat site. Rather than being upset or inconvenienced, Jesus had compassion on the crowd. According to another gospel he taught them about the Kingdom of God and healed their sick.
The apostles also learned another invaluable lesson about following Jesus that day. It was a lesson we need to learn as well. IF we are going to follow Jesus we must exchange Self-Sufficiency for God-Dependency.
It was getting late in the day and the apostles, still thinking about why they were supposed to be there to begin with, came to Jesus and counseled him to send the people away to buy some food. But Jesus surprised them again by saying, “You give them something to eat.” The apostles estimated it would take 8 months of a man’s wages to buy enough food for all these people. So Jesus asked them how much food they had on hand. They came back with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.
With their Self-Sufficient mindset, they thought, “game over.” But what Jesus wanted them to understand was that he was the all sufficient one. In him all things are possible.
So Jesus thanked God for the food and proceeded to feed everyone more than enough that day. In fact there were 12 baskets filled with broken pieces left over.
As long as we operate our lives based on what we can do, or figure out, or handle, we cannot go where God is leading us. God is taking us on a journey through a land where impossibilities are made possible.
What are you facing today that seems irreversibly hopeless?
What obstacle is blocking the road on your journey of faith?
Listen! God is calling you to trust him enough to obey him—pay close enough attention to him to adjust when he changes course—and depend on him for everything. He is more than sufficient to accomplish what concerns you today!
As we continue to press on through the book of Mark this morning, I want you to be impressed by the continuity of this book. The flow is perfect.
If you need to hear and learn the same lessons the apostles did about obeying, continuing to be attentive and depending on God through it all, then what Jesus is about to teach his apostles will be right up your ally. Because class is still in session for these men and they have much to learn, as do you and I.
Let’s continue in Mark, beginning in chapter 6, verse 45.
Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified.
Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid." Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.
Mark tells us as soon as Jesus finishes feeding the multitude of people he sent his disciples on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
Two words grab my attention right off. The first word is immediately. Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat. There was a sense of urgency in Jesus’ actions here. He went from demonstrating patient compassion for this crowd of people, taking the time to make sure everyone was fed, to immediately dismissing the crowd.
Mark also says,
Jesus made the disciples get into the boat. The word Mark uses here for MADE is a strong word in the Greek. It means to constrain someone by force. In this context it suggests compelling someone in a moral sense as by authoritative command. In other words, this was not a suggestion. Jesus commanded the disciples to get into the boat and take off ahead of him to Bethsaida.
He then dismissed the crowd. But why? Why the urgency. What had happened that caused this sudden change. True it was getting late in the day, but I think there was more to it than that. I believe John’s gospel gives us some insight into what was going on.
In John chapter 6, verse 14 he writes,
“After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus knowing that they intended to come and make him a king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.”
Jesus knew what was brewing in the hearts of these people. They were tired of the Roman oppression that had plagued them for so long. In Jesus, they saw all of the prophecies that declared the deliverance of Israel coming true. He was their ticket to freedom.
So Jesus sends the disciples on ahead, I believe because they had not yet come to the place where they truly understood who he really was and why he really came to this earth. Jesus would be the King, but not in their timing, in God’s. And not in their method, but God’s. His disciples could have easily been swept up into the political frenzy, so he sent them on ahead.
He then dismissed the crowds and went up onto a mountaintop alone to pray.
Mark only records three specific times in his gospel where Jesus went off alone to pray.
Once in Mark chapter 1, verse 35 after a particularly busy Sabbath day in Capernaum.
Once here in Mark chapter 6 after he feeds the multitude.
And the final incident recorded by Mark takes place immediately following the Lord’s supper, in the garden of Gethsemane.
I’m sure Jesus went off alone quite regularly to pray and hear from his father in heaven. But, I think it’s significant that each time Mark records Jesus going off alone to pray is accompanied by a powerful temptation Not to carry out God’s mission—a mission that would take him on the road of suffering, rejection and death.
In Mark chapter 1 Jesus is tempted to continue to minister to the crowds. Remember as he is praying, Peter finds him and says,
“Where have you been? Everyone is looking for you.”
But remember Jesus’ response? “Let us go somewhere, to nearby villages so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”
Jesus might have been tempted to stay right where he was. The crowd wanted him to stay. They were amazed at his teaching and his miracles. But Jesus overcame the pressure to please the crowd in order to get about the business for which he came to this earth.
Here, in this passage, the people are desiring to take him by force and make him their King. But before they are able to take any action, Jesus dismissed the crowd and goes off alone. He avoids the temptation to prematurely set himself up as king. His time would come. It just wasn’t now.
Then in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is faced with the most intense struggle of his life. Will He go all the way to the cross for these unfaithful, undeserving, unworthy people. They’re still living in their sinful rebellion against God. They’re going their own way and following themselves.
Are you sure you want to go through with this Jesus?
Are you sure you’re willing to take the unbearable physical pain?
Are you willing to beaten till you’re unrecognizable?
Are you willing to endure the insults and mockery?
Is it worth it Jesus? The crown of thrones, the fists, the nails.
Jesus are you willing to take upon yourself every sin of every human being and pay the penalty for their sins yourself? Even the sins of the people who are going to do this to you?
Are you willing to be completely cut off from your Father, God.
The temptation Jesus grappled with that day was so intense the anguish was so great, the Bible says Jesus’ sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
But the greatest news of all is that Jesus never gave into his temptation. His final words were,
“Lord, if there is any other way, show me. But if not, “Not my will be done, but yours.”
For Jesus, it was always about his Father’s will. And when the temptation to go his own way, to give in to his own desires was the strongest, he got alone and prayed.
What does that tell us about the power of prayer?
What does that tells us about the importance of praying?
What does it tell us about the priority of doing things God’s way.
We don’t know exactly how long Jesus was up on the mountainside praying. All we know was that it was already late in the day when they began feeding the multitude.
It must have take quite a bit of time to get everyone fed and then pick up the leftover pieces.
Look down at verses 47 and following:
When evening came the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land.”
“ He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he went out to them, walking on the lake.
Now it’s evening. In fact by the time Jesus comes out to the disciples in the boat it’s already the fourth watch of the night.
What was the fourth watch of the night? The Hebrew people divided the night into four watches. Originally, watches were the periods of time people were assigned to keep watch from the towers to guard against dangers. Eventually watches were used to track time. Even today we refer to the time piece on our hands as a watche.
The first watch of the night was 6-9 PM
The second watch was 9 – midnight
The third watch was midnight to 3 AM
And the fourth watch was 3-6 AM.
So, sometime between 3 and 6 AM Jesus sees the disciples out in the middle of the lake straining with their oars against the wind.
They’ve been out there for quite some time. Many hours have passed and the disciples are still struggling to do what Jesus told them to do.
I want you to take note of a couple things here that are so important for us as believers in Jesus Christ to hear.
First, The Storms of Life Often Rage Against the Path of Obedience.
The only reason they were out there in the first place was because Jesus told them to go. They could have turned around. They could have stopped struggling against the wind and gone with the wind and the waves. They could have made it to shore and waited out the storm. I’ll say this for those disciples. What they lacked in faith and understanding, they made up for with courage and commitment. Nothing was going to stop them from obeying.
Maybe it was the forceful way Jesus commanded them. Maybe it was the urgency in his voice, or the devotion they felt for him. Whatever their motive, they were still at it, even hours later. Obeying Jesus. And it was their strong commitment to obedience that brought them into a headlong collision with the circumstances of life.
Jesus knew what he was doing when he sent them off to Bethsaida. He wasn’t caught off guard. He allowed them to experience the storm, because there was something he wanted them to know. Something they would need to know. Because the physical storms on the sea of Galilee were nothing compared to what they were going to face in just a very short amount of time, and they had to be prepared for what was ahead.
Notice what it says in verse 48 again. In fact underline this verse.
“He saw the disciples straining at the oars because the wind was against them.”
There is no sense of urgency or panic in this verse. Jesus saw the disciples straining at the oars. It wasn’t as if He was laughing at them, or getting a kick out of their trial. He was keeping an eye on them. And listen to me. He sees you today as well. There is nothing happening to you or me that Jesus isn’t aware of. The very fact that he is allowing it to take place, should give us a sense of security.
God sees everything from an eternal perspective. The temporal crises we are experiencing right now are in his gaze. The see of Galilee was only about 4 and a half miles wide. They were in the middle of the lake. From his high vantage point, Jesus could see the disciples plainly. But let me tell you this. From his vantage point in heaven he can see you a whole lot better and he is in a position to take whatever measures are necessary to protect you spiritually and form you into the person he wants you to be.
What storm are you smack dab in the middle of today. Maybe you are obeying Jesus and striving to know and do his will, but the storms keep coming. Listen, that’s OK. Because the storms you are facing today, are only allowed by God’s sovereign will. Keep your hands on the oar. Keep pulling against the wind and the waves. Don’t give up. Don’t turn around. You’re right where you’re supposed to be.
You just need to know that the storms of life often rage against the path of obedience.
The second thing we need to take note of here is that
The Storms of Life Also Rage Against the Path of God’s Power.
Look at what it says in the second half of verse 48,
About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified.
Jesus comes down from the mountain walks right out onto the water. He walks out to where the boat is and literally the Greek says, “He was desiring to pass by them”. This is not describing Jesus’ intention, but rather what it would have looked like to an eye witness describing the scene.
Mark tells us that they all saw Jesus, they all were terrified, and they all cried out.
This is a lot like the last time we saw the disciples in a boat on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of a storm. Only last time they were afraid for their lives because of the storm itself. This time they are terrified because something is walking on water in the middle of the night. Something that looks like a ghost.
The storm was raging against Jesus too, but it didn’t slow him down.
The water was crashing all around him too as the wind tossed the waves, but for Jesus it merely constituted the pavement for his victorious footsteps, all the way out to the disciples.
Jesus speaks right into the midst of their fear and terror. He says,
“Take Courage. It is I. Do not be afraid. Then he climbed into the boat and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.”
Sandwiched between “Take Courage” and “Don’t Be Afraid” are those three huge words, “It Is I.”
Jesus didn’t walk out onto the lake to rescue the disciples from the storm. He could have calmed the storm from the shore. Jesus sent them out onto that sea, and into that storm, so that he could reveal himself to them. It was an Epiphany. A revealing of God. A disclosing of the true nature of who Jesus really was. Somehow they had missed it. Jesus was God. The ruler of the universe in human flesh and they still had not full understood. He fed the multitude that they might see his all-sufficient power and dominion over all creation. But somehow they missed it.
Mark says Jesus was about to pass by them.
I don’t want you to miss the significance of this moment. It doesn’t say Jesus walked on water out to meet the boat. It says he was about to pass by. If you’ve been in God’s word for some time that ought to bring you back to another time and another place when God decided to pass by.
Remember back in the book of Exodus, chapters 33 and 34. Moses had brought the people up out of Egypt. He left them and hiked up the mountain where God spoke to Moses and gave him his laws on two stone tablets. When Moses returned he found the people were worshipping a golden calf they had made and God
Moses went to the Lord on behalf of the people and he said,
But, now please forgive their sin, but if not, blot me out of the book you have written.
Do you see the distress and discouragement in Moses’ words? God, forgive these people for their sin, but if you won’t then be done with me. I don’t even want eternal life.
There were many times when Moses had had it with the Israelite people. He felt over his head and defeated. Even after all of the miracles, the plagues, the crossing of the red sea, and receiving the ten commandments, Moses was depleted.
So what does God do? Look down in Exodus chapter 33, beginning in verse 19.
I will cause my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, The Lord, in your presence.. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Then in verse 22,
When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
Then in chapter 34, verse 5
Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."
God passed by Moses and revealed his true character and nature to Moses. And Moses was encouraged.
Let me show you one more time when God passed by Elijah the prophet. Turn in your Bibles to 1 Kings 19, beginning in verse 10
The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Elijah had just won a major victory over the prophets of Baal in one of the greatest showdowns in history. When the King’s wife, Jezebel, heard what Elijah had done she sent a messenger to tell him she was going to come after him and take his life.
The bible tells us Elijah was afraid and so he ran. He finally stopped running and prayed to God that he might die.
And right in the midst of Elijah’s discouragement, God chose to pass by.
He didn’t come in the powerful wind, or the earthquake, or the fire. God showed up in the form of a gentle whisper. Last week we said you have to be attentive to see where God is going. Listen, if you do not stop the presses once in awhile and wait on the Lord, you will miss what he wants to say, and what you need to hear.
When Elijah heard the voice of God in the gentle whisper he ran outside. Look at what it says in verse 13
Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put you prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
And God encouraged Elijah saying, I have reserved seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."
Elijah came off one of the greatest victories in his life. It was amazing. He was tired. He was depleted. He told God, I just want to die. But God passed by. God gave Elijah a glimpse of his glory. He showed him just enough to pick him up, dust him off and send him on his way again.
Do you ever feel that way? Do you ever feel like Moses? Tired of the mission. Tired of leading. Tired of doing what’s right.
Do you ever feel like Elijah? You just can’t do it any more. You’re the only one who really cares, and if no one else is going to care, then why should you care.
Well that’s where the disciples are at. The picture of them straining against the oars because of the wind, was only an illustration of the reality in their lives.
They had just come off an amazing time doing ministry in the power and authority of Jesus. They were so excited as they shared with Jesus all the things they had done and said. They were the apostles of Jesus. And then everything began to go south. The plans changed. Instead of rest, they got more ministry. When they saw the hungry crowd, they asked the Lord to send them away.
And then when Jesus asked them to give the people something to eat, they immediately thought about what they could accomplish.
They were in the company of God himself, and yet, all they could think about was how much it would cost them and how little they had.
When the storm is raging and they’re straining against the oars. Jesus passes by. They don’t recognize Jesus. But when he gets into the boat and the waves die down. The Bible says
they were amazed for they did not understand about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.”
These men were obeying God, but they were exhausted. They were tired. They were struggling against waves for hours, unable to make headway
Do you ever feel like that? I do. Studies show that many pastors preach great sermons on Sunday, only to be met with great discouragement on Monday. Many letters of resignation have been written on Monday mornings.
When we become discourage and unfocused. When we feel like giving up, we lose sight of the glory of God and the Kingdom mission we are on. We lose sight of the big picture. And sometimes, God passes by. But remember Jesus didn’t pass by to rescue the disciples in the boat. Jesus passed by for an entirely different reason altogether. He wanted them to get a glimpse of his greatness, to remember who he is and the great journey he called them to.
When we lose our perspective in the middle of the storm, Jesus says, Take Courage, it is I, Don’t be afraid. When Jesus says, It is I, what he means is, It’s OK. I am here. I am sufficient for you. Whatever temporal problem you are facing in this world today, it’s nothing compared to the eternal glory of my plan for your life.
God shows us himself so we can remember what he’s called us to and how much greater it is than our problem right now. He is greater than the waves. He’s greater than the crisis. He is sufficient for you. If you are in the storm and you’re not making headway, Jesus is saying to you today, “Don’t be afraid, It is I.”
