Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders.              Psalm 119:2

“The Power of God”

Mark 4:35-41

Second Sunday after Epiphany

Mark 4:35-41: On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” ³⁶ And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. ³⁷ And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. ³⁸ But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” ³⁹ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” ⁴¹ And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?”

            The word power invokes many different images. Perhaps when we think of the word power, we envision an influential position or role in a company like CEO or director. Those in these positions have the power to influence and direct a company, its employees, shareholders and customers. Or maybe when you think of power your first thought is of a large piece of machinery. A piece of machinery that is able to lift or exert force that is impossible to do by the human hand. You could say that such a machine is powerful.

            A couple of years ago, Jennifer gave me a photograph that depicts a different kind of powerful action—the power of a Father’s love. This black and white photograph contains two hands—the hand of an infant and the hand of a man. The infant hand is resting in a man’s hand. The tiny fingers and bones are at the complete mercy and grace of the man’s hand. The infant hand is helpless and needs constant care. He can do nothing by himself. His hand is resting in an unfamiliar place yet it is relaxed and at ease.  Many years of labor have weathered the man’s hand and it is apparent that the hand has amazing strength. However, it is clear in this picture that the hand has chosen to grasp and protect the infant’s hand with a loving embrace of power and protection.

            This photograph has a special meaning for Jennifer and me.  Jennifer gave this to me as we were awaiting the final steps in the adoption of Josiah. We would look at this photograph and remember that not only does God have us in the palm of His loving hand, but he also had Josiah in his hands, protecting him until he could be brought home and to the Baptismal Font where, through the Water and the Word, God said on July 1, 2006, “Josiah Josué David, you are My child.”  The last several months of the adoption process were very difficult, being over 1600 miles away from our son. However, we were blessed to know that he was well cared for and loved by his foster mother. Still, the greatest comfort we had and still have to this day is the assurance that Josiah was and still is resting in God’s powerful hand.

            In our text from Mark we don’t see a photograph and we don’t have parents awaiting an adoption.  We have disciples in a boat in the middle of a storm – but in this text we also have the assurance that we rest in God’s powerful hand. Mark has given us a very vivid picture of our God and Savior Jesus Christ in action, in which Jesus has demonstrated His power over creation. Jesus commanded the waves and the wind to “be still”, and they obeyed Him. At Jesus’ command the wind and the waves were calm.

            Up until this point in our text, we can see from Mark’s account that the disciples have witnessed some aspects of the power of Christ. They saw his power over the evil spirits as they witnessed Jesus drive out many evil spirits. They have also seen Jesus’ power over disease and sickness, first hand watching Jesus healing people of various diseases and sicknesses. 

             Mark does not tell us the disciples’ reactions to their witness of the power of Jesus Christ. They have seen Jesus demonstrate his power over evil spirits, disease and sickness. All Mark tells us is that “the people” were amazed by the miracles of Jesus. We can only imagine that the disciples’ reactions mirrored those of the people. They were left wondering who this Jesus was that commanded evil spirits with such authority.

            Imagine the situation with me from a disciple’s point of view. It had been a very long day. Their teacher, Jesus had been teaching them and the crowds of people all day. The crowds listening to Jesus had became so large that Jesus moved to a boat and was teaching from the water as the people were gathered at the water’s edge. Jesus was teaching them using parables. When Jesus was done teaching, He told the disciples to go to the other side of the lake. The day was over. The disciples are tired (like we often tire after long meetings). Jesus was tired as well. As the disciples are rowing across the lake, Jesus was in the stern or back of the boat. Jesus has fallen asleep on a cushion.

            As they are rowing across the lake a storm came up and the disciples were in a panic.  Keep in mind that many of the disciples were experienced, sea-faring men who had probably spent much time on the sea, so for them to actually panic about their predicament did not happen without reason. The waves are crashing over the boat and the boat is filling with water. The disciples believed they were going to drown. They are in the middle of this lake in the midst of a powerful storm.

            There must have been complete chaos on this boat. The disciples were probably frantic. They were doing everything in their power to keep the boat upright and simply stay in the boat. They were out in the middle of the Sea of Galilee . The storm and the waves were overpowering. Some of the disciples were probably barking orders, screaming, trying to speak over the loud cracks of thunder, the hissing of the wind and the crashing of the waves. Others probably frantically but silently worked.  They all thought they were going to drown. They thought this was the end.

             In the midst of this chaos and doom, someone probably had the realization that Jesus wasn’t among those barking orders or working frantically – and so they looked for Jesus, only to see Jesus sleeping on a cushion!!! In all this turmoil—Jesus was asleep. They hysterically woke him up and said “Teacher! Don’t you care if we drown?”

            Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!!” Immediately the wind and the waves died down. The looks on the disciples’ faces were probably priceless when there was an immediate calm! Their teacher had been sleeping amidst all this mayhem.  He woke up commanded the waves and the wind to be still, and they obeyed him. They had just witnessed the Power of God!  

            Jesus then said to his disciples, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The disciples had seen Jesus heal people of diseases and cast out demons. They had been listening and meditating on his teachings. Now they had witnessed Jesus take command of the wind and the waves. Yet with all that, they were still in unbelief. They still did not fully grasp who Jesus was.

            The disciples are in the presence of God Almighty, who with the Father created the heavens and the earth. They were sitting in the very same boat as their creator. There in that boat they were protected, amidst all the chaos and mayhem that ensued that evening. All the time amidst the storm, they were resting in God’s powerful hand.

            Think back to the picture I described earlier. The man is holding the infant’s hand. The man knows that he needs to protect the infant hand from all the danger and turmoil in this world. This world is full of suffering and pain and the man is going to do everything in his power to protect the infant from that suffering. As parents, we do everything in our power to protect our children from harm and danger. We tell them to look both ways before crossing the street, don’t talk to strangers, We have the instant “mom reflex” when we slam on the brakes in our car to shield our child and loved ones from danger as we swing our arm in front of them to shield them. Amidst all our efforts to protect our children, they still get hurt. They still fall and scrape their knees, they still make wrong choices. We cannot protect them from everything.

            We are just as helpless as an infant when we are compared to Christ. No matter how many years we have under our belts, we are all helpless infants who can do nothing to help ourselves.  We cannot do anything to gain the favor of God. 

            The disciples had Jesus, the very Son of God, in the back of the boat with them while they feared and panicked for their lives.  They had the all powerful God in their boat with them. Even in the presence of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, they still feared for their lives.

            Like the disciples, we also fear for our own lives. We fear this season of winter which has already brought a lot of cold, snow, and ice wondering how bad it could actually get. We fear that we might be victim to another vicious and cruel terrorist attack. We fear that the government is going to squander away the rest of social security and we will be left with nothing when we retire. We fear for our brothers and sisters in Kenya suffering from rioting over a disputed election. We fear that our company is going to lay us off and leave us without a job. We fear that our marriages cannot stand one more fight. We fear future doctor appointments and those health issues that never seem to go away. We fear that our children will not make good choices. We fear that we will not make the right choices for our careers and future. We are all filled with fear. Whether it be matters as large as creation or the nation or as small as our personal thoughts, we encounter situations where we are filled with fear.

            We have an advantage over the disciples. We are able to see the entire story of our Savior Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus is true God and true man. On Good Friday, Jesus died on the cross for you and for me. He took on our sins, imperfections and our fears and He paid the price for them. Jesus paid the price of sin and death on the cross at Calvary . Even on the cross, when your Savior Jesus was nailed to that tree, you were still resting in His powerful hands. Jesus gave up His life to save you and me, so that we might live and not die. Jesus died for you. Jesus took your sins and washed you clean. Three days later, He did something more to seal his victory: Jesus rose from the dead! Jesus is alive today and has opened the gates of heaven for us. You are still in the hands of your powerful Creator and Lord. Jesus conquered death and the grave with His power. We didn’t do anything to deserve it. Jesus did it all for you by His grace.

            We don’t need to fear for our lives or wonder what will happen to us. We have an all powerful God holding us in His hand who is there to help us through every trial, trouble and tribulation in our lives. The all powerful creator of the universe is with you to help you through all the challenges in this life.  Even more, as the icing on the cake, He has given you eternal life and salvation. Just as the familiar Bible passage says: “For God so loved the world that He gave his only son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have eternal life!” So you can rest assured that when your life here on earth is over, your life is really just beginning - a new life with Christ forever in heaven.

            The powerful hand that protects us is the same hand that was nailed to the cross on Calvary . That hand was pierced, and now is marked by a nail wound. That wound was put there for you. Out of divine love and mercy, Christ allowed his hands and feet to be pierced. Just as Isaiah stated, “He was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our sins”. Christ hung on that cross for you, and he took all your sins to that cross and paid the price of death and sin for you.

            Let’s think back to that list of fears I mentioned earlier, and all the other fears that can pervade our lives. We all will continue to struggle with those fears—we have no idea why they happen. The fears will never leave us this side of heaven. However, we can remember and cling to the exhortation and promise in I Peter 5:7: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. The next time that you find yourself in fear over your future, your job, your family, or your health, you can rest assured that you have not been forgotten. God will always be with you. God will never forsake you. No matter where you find yourself in this life, you will never be out of the reach of your Savior Jesus Christ’s hands. Because of God’s divine love for you, you are resting in Jesus’ nail-marked hands.

                                                AMEN

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