08/12/2011 – Archived Post from Salvation Soldier Blog
Last week we had our Vacation Bible School at the York Salvation Army, with the theme “Jesus to the Rescue.” Our Scripture came from Mark 4:35-41, and the focus was Jesus calming the storm. It was a ton of work putting it all together, but with a lot of help from Salvation Army church members, staff members, and other volunteers we had a blessed week, the kids had fun, and many were challenged to choose and follow Jesus.
After such a busy week I took on the task of bringing a scripture that we used so thoroughly with a child audience, into the realm of adult ministry when I chose Mark 4:35-41 as the scripture to preach on that Sunday. Our VBS material was filled with the foundational teaching that Christ followers need, and that was shown in the story of Jesus calming the storm. The storm rages against the boat Jesus and His disciples are in verses 37 and 38 and the disciples were uncertain whether they would survive until they ran to Jesus and in verse 39 and He made the storm calm down. These verses exhibit foundations for anyone who wants to follow Christ. We need to know that Jesus is bigger than any storm of life, and any problem we face. We need to know we can always turn to Jesus and he will never ignore the prayers of the faithful. He is God Almighty.
Something I found very interesting though, is that Jesus was not satisfied with the disciple’s response, which was, put simply, to run to Jesus. This is the response that we teach the kids in VBS, and it’s the response that Christ followers teach themselves, Jesus is that answer, and we should run to Him in times of trouble. In Mark 4:40, Jesus is not satisfied with that response to the storms that were raging around the ship. Jesus says to His disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” As I prepared my sermon last week I questioned, why does Jesus want more from these disciples than running to him when the trouble of this storm came? Isn’t it what they should have done?
A few thoughts went through my head as to why Jesus would be upset. I know if I was as tired physically as Jesus had been after preaching all day, a storm would not have waken me from my slumber either, I know this from experience, and I definitely would have been pretty grumpy with any poor soul that had to wake me up. I don’t believe human tendencies, however, to be the reason Christ wants more from the disciples here. In John 6:38 Jesus tells us that He came to do the will of God the Father. He had a mission from God, and being as inspired and close to the Father as He is, there was nothing in any world that would be able to stop Jesus from completing the mission that God gave Him to do. The result of that mission was that all of mankind would be offered the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, and resurrection from the grave. He could not be stopped. No storm, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual could have succeeded against Him.
This is where Jesus expected more of the disciples. Although they did not yet know the full meaning of the mission of Jesus, He wanted from them obedience to and faith for that mission. Understanding that as a disciple of Christ, they should never fear anything, whether it would be earthly or spiritual, whether men or demons are the source, because God has made them part of a mission. If they have faith for that mission they can’t be stopped by any trial or storm until their part in the mission has come to fulfillment. This doesn’t mean life won’t have pain or trouble, this doesn’t mean that everything will be easy, but it does mean that Christ has already won the victory for His followers, and we have nothing to fear, even if there are storms that threaten to kill your body! Jesus died so that we can face every storm in life, and see right through it to the cross. The disciples soon would be called to carry on the mission of Jesus, even without Him physically being with them. Today followers of Christ continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit. What do we have to run from when the Holy Spirit is with us?
So the question this passage leaves for you and me today is, what is our mission, and do we have the faith to see the cross beyond the waves?