SERVICE VIDEO: linkTEXT: Mark 4:35-41

Peace in the storm… that’s an elusive thing that sounds like something I’d like; maybe you, too? Today we are looking at the story that prompted that phrase. Jesus is asleep in the boat while a storm rages. The disciples wake him and he calms the storm; all is well. But there’s more to it than that. In some ways this story has everything that we’ve been looking at for weeks in our “Jesus Among Us” series – the Kingdom of God, miracles, teaching, and Jesus at the center of it. There are also a lot of interesting details that I’ve missed before but noticed this time around.

Rather than the usual two or three point sermon I want to highlight seven interesting details from this story. And since there are so many, I’ll try to make some application as we go.

#1 Rest (vv.35-36)

We talked about this two weeks ago when we talked about the Sabbath. Jesus took time out from work, from ministry, to rest and spend time with God. Early on the morning after he healed Peter’s mother-in-law he went off by himself to pray and be alone with God. And when the crowds gathered, he asked the disciples to put out into the water in a boat so he could teach from there. It was from that setting that he told them he wanted to go to the other side. In fact, in verse 36 we read that he went “just as he was” – that’s the prior setting of teaching from the boat. So they leave the crowd and head toward the other side. It becomes apparent that Jesus is going to rest because he lays down and falls asleep. We’ve already had a whole sermon on that, but don’t miss the fact that Jesus continues to make time to rest and pray even though his work is critical to so many people. Think your job is important? Jesus was healing people and teaching about things that last forever, and he took time away to rest! And God commands us to do the same! Rest.

#2 Seek Jesus (v.36b)

Here’s another interesting detail: I had always thought that Jesus and the disciples left in one boat. But the end of verse 36 tells us that “other boats were with Him.” Did you know that? The whole crowd couldn’t follow him, though one time after the feeding of the 5000 the whole crowd walked around the edge of the lake in order to find him on the other side. This time, though, there were some others who had boats and they followed along. That’s new to me!

What happened to them? They aren’t mentioned again after this. Did they sink during the storm? Did they turn back when they – awake – saw the storm start? Were they there, in fact, as witnesses to what Jesus said and did, seeing yet another miracle when he told the storm to be still? So many questions and we don’t know the answer. But it’s a reminder that some people really sought after and followed Jesus wherever he went. Whatever their motive – his message or his miracles – they wanted to be where he was. Would that we were so interested in Jesus! Seek Jesus!

#3 Seek Peace (vv.37-38a)

You know what happened next: a big storm suddenly came upon them. And Jesus was and remained asleep. Why was that? Maybe he was that tired, that he could sleep through a storm. I hate to admit this, but I slept through Hurricane Hugo. Or rather, I woke up at my normal time and looked out the window and things were raining and blowing sideways. I was a college student at Davidson, just outside of Charlotte and I guess I was tired enough to not wake during the night. It wasn’t just a little wind; we read that “waves were breaking over the boat and it was taking on water.”

Or maybe he was perfectly at peace as the Son of God, knowing that he was not at risk from any storm. I know stress and anxiety can prevent sleep; it stands to reason that peace is conducive to resting well. In either event, I wonder if you (and I) sleep well when there are ‘storms’ in life. My guess is probably not! Stress and anxiety usually win out over tiredness. In fact, sometimes when I can’t sleep because of stress or anxiety, I’