In the Storms of Life
TWO separate instances first of Jesus calming the stormy sea with a word after the disciples woke Him thinking that the boat was going to sink, and second of Jesus later coming to them in another storm, walking on the watercaused early Christian artists to picture the church as the Twelve in a tiny boat on a storm-tossed sea. By Kent Hughes
The symbol is so right and beautiful that the ancient church saw it as such, for the English word "nave", which describes the main part of a church building where the congregation meets, comes from the Latin word for ship.
I think they are right. And so I want you to keep this symbol in mind as we consider Christ's ministry to the church as it goes through the storms of life and the church's response thereto. It is a symbol that we all ought to relate to because life is a voy
age with many storms, dangers and difficulties, and this symbol gives us wisdom for navigating through life's uncertain seas.I. Jesus' Ministry to the Storm-Tossed Church
In verses 30-44, Mark 6 has shown us the great miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. Then in verse 45 it says:And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.On the surface that seems to be a strange thing for Him to do. Telling the disciples to stay around and take advantage of the ministry opportunities afforded by the miraculous feeding would seem to make more sense. But in the parallel account in John, we read: "Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone" (6:14,15).The crowd had been dangerously fueled with fervor after the feeding, wanting to make Jesus their human king by force. It was to keep the disciples from fueling the fire even more that He got them out of there.
Presumably, the disciples did want to stay. Like children who are having a good time and don't want to get in the car to go home, they were reluctant. Jesus therefore had to constrain them to get into the boat. The word "constrain" is a strong expression that implies urgency and pressure. So, keep this in mind: Jesus purposely wanted His disciples to go out on the sea.
Jesus praying. Verse 46 reads:
And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.Jesus, realizing that the multitude wanted to forcefully install Him as king, went up to a mountain for solitude and prayer with His Father. Though Christ was one with the Father, He lived in constant prayer. What did He pray for? The Bible doesn't give us any details, but among other things, He no doubt prayed for the strength to live out His mission, especially His eventual ordeal at the cross. And in the context here, we can be sure that He also prayed for the disciples, knowing that they would soon be battered by a storm.Jesus praying up in the mountain for His people is a picture we ought
to hold close to our hearts. It reflects a spiritual truth that concerns us right now. From the ultimate of heaven, our Resurrected Lord prays for us while we go through the storm-tossed seas of life. This is present reality. It is underscored by Hebrews 7:25: "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." The risen Christ, now in heaven, is constantly making intercession for us.Cost of obedience. Down on the shining lake, the tiny dot of the church is now struggling. Verses 47,48a:
And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them.Having been constrained to go into the ship, the disciples had dutifully set out for their destination. When evening came, a wind came howling out from the Northeast, driving them out to the middle of the lake. The Gospel of John reveals that they had rowed "about five and twenty or thirty furlongs" (6:19), or about three or three-and-a-half miles, which is quite a long distance to row against the wind. They weren't in danger so much as they were exhausted and miserable.What we see here then is that the disciples were in misery because they had obeyed Jesus by boarding the ship and going out into the midst of the sea. Had they not gone out, they would probably have enjoyed a full stomach, a warm bed in someone's home, and an opportunity to regale their hosts with stories of Jesus. It was obedience that made them so uncomfortable. What a lesson for the church!
It is a fact. If you submit your life to Christ in obedient commitment, you will expose yourself to an index of sorrows scarcely comprehensible to the disobedient heart. Your caring, your commitment to biblical living will make you vulnerable to things which the uncommitted heart will never experience. To be sure, disobedience will have troubles of its own, but not the same kind.
Incidentally, this experience of the disciples is surely the coup de grâce to the so-called Prosperity Theology. The idea "name it and claim it!" just doesn't go with this account.
Attendant blessings. We must say, nevertheless, that while obedience will bring contrary winds, it will also bring great joy. Never climb a mountain and you'll never bruise your shins, but you'll never stand on its peak exulting in victory in the alpine air. Never play baseball and you'll never strike out, but you'll never hit a home run either. Never obey Christ and you may miss some of life's contrary winds, but then you will also never know the winds of the Holy Spirit in your sails bearing you on in service and power.
When we are in the midst of our struggle, it would be so easy for us to second guess our obedience. Wouldn't we have been better off had we, instead of trusting and obeying God, tried to tackle the problem our way? And we wonder if God even cares that we are struggling. Well, this passage says that "He saw them" toiling in rowing. Yes, He sees us when things are going against us.
Did Jesus really see in the night with His human eyes three miles out into the sea, or is it an example of His divinity? We do not know. But the point is clear, Jesus' focus is upon
those who are undergoing difficulty on account of their obedience to Him. This ought to bring great comfort to those of you who are having trials because of your commitment.Jesus comes. Mark then tells us in the second half of verse 48:
and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.It is an eerie scene. It was a chilling sight. It was the "fourth watch"about three o'clock in the morning. In other words, they had been struggling for seven to eight hours. Apparently, He came walking after them, and then catching up, turned parallel as if to pass them so they might recognize Him. This approach of Jesus seems to be a conscious appropriation of the description of God in the Book of Job: "Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not" (9:11).Just as He so often comes to us, Jesus came to the disciples in the darkest part of the night when they had exhausted their energies and were in deepest despair. As the disciples would learn later, He does this so that we might learn the futility of our own strength and the importance of total dependence upon Him. His power is so transcending that the very waves that distress the believers became a mere path for His feet. That His feet is upon the waves bespeaks His familiarity with our plight. He not only sees, but enters the human struggle and overcomes.
II. The Church's Response to Jesus' Ministry
Mark goes on in verses 49 and 50:But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.The exhausted disciples were in abject terror. They were troubled and cried out, they literally screamed. The Greek says that they thought he was a phantasma, a phantom, a specter, or in today's terms a plasmic ghost.Why did they think this? Why didn't they recognize Jesus' form? Evidently, it is because they were not expecting to see Jesus! Though they had seen the feeding of the 5,000, they had not pursued it to its logical end. They had not yet truly come to see the secret of Jesus' person. As verse 52 explains:
For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.At this point, they had a defective doctrine of Christ. So it is with us. So often, when Christ comes to us in our misery, we reject Him because we do not believe that He will really come to our aid. We don't think He is fully aware of our situation and, overwhelmed by our circumstances, we forget that with God all things are possible.In the perverse pathology of our hearts, we may even reject God's help when it comes because it does not come in the way we would have expected it. We would say, "Christ, you can't do it that waynot through this circumstance or that person!" We push away the very hand that would heal us.
But our heads clear once we hear Him cry out, "Be of good cheer: it is I;
be not afraid." Then often comes a response of faith. Though Mark does not record it, Matthew tells us about Peter's venture:And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?Peter did it. Peter-bashing is tempting for us preachers. Like all humans, he made some mistakes. Besides, he's not around to defend himself. But though we may chuckle at Peter, how many of us have hung a leg over the side and stepped out on the water? Sure, he fell, but he walked first! In fact, he's the only man in history beside Christ who ever did it!When we see Christ come and meet us in our troubles, we grow in faith, and sometimes we even take a step or two on the water. Then, deliverance by Christ brings enlarged understanding and faith. "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee," says Job (42:5).
How did it end? Mark and John and Matthew give us a piece of the puzzle each. Mark says in verse 51:
And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.John concludes, "Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went" (John 6:21). Did they get there supernaturally? Perhaps.Worship. Most importantly, Matthew tells us how they responded. He writes, "And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God" (Matthew
14:32,33). They bowed before Him. They ascribed to Him His proper title. Their lives moved forward toward a deeper commitment.Friends, if we are obedient to Christ, there will be plenty of storms. There will be danger and difficulty and weariness and anxiety and dread and sorrow. But take cheer, you who are in the boat, He sees all. When you feel that you are alone and no one knows, or cares, He prays for you. And He comes to you in the midst of the storm, stepping on the problems that afflict you with perfect understanding.
Jesus constrains all of us to get into His boat and to follow His course. With eyes wide open, will you commit yourself to sailing where He directs? Will you commit yourself to following that course when the inevitable storms come? Those who keep their lives pointed in the direction that Christ dictates will encounter contrary windsbut they will also experience the wind of the Holy Spirit in their sails bearing them on in power as they bring healing and blessing to a needy world. o
Dr. Kent Hughes is pastor of College Church in Wheaton, 330 East Union, Wheaton, IL 60187.