I'm going to be doing Men's Bible study for the next couple of week's while Louie is gone. This morning we looked at Mark 4:35-41. This is the account of one evening when Jesus and his disciples went out on a body of water (assuming the Sea of Galilee known for its sudden changes of weather) and got caught in a storm. Jesus had fallen asleep and was not wakened by the storm but instead by fearful disciples. After being woken Jesus commands the wind and sea to become calm and it does.
What is interesting about this passage is it ends a section of parables that deal with faith in one form or another. Mark 4:1-9 is the Paraple of the Sower and it's explanation is found in 13-20. In verse 20 Jesus says "But these [seeds] are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit." They believe in it and act on faith. Mark 4:21-25 is where we find the Parable of the Lamp Under a Basket. How can anyone who has faith hide what they truly believe. The Parable of the Scatter Seed is found in verses 26-29 where Jesus speaks of the faith a farmer has in plants growing from seeds. Verses 30-32 talks about the Kingdom of Heaven being likened to a mustard seed. The same object used in conjunction with faith.
Whether these accounts are in chronological order or not the point should be clear. Jesus not only did miracles before his disciples but he also taught them about faith in general. This situation gives them the perfect chance to put faith into practice, but notice what they do/say: "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Do you even care that we are going to die?
This question doesn't sit well with my spirit. Granted, I probably do the same thing, but just because I do doesn't make it right. Fear for their lives prompted them to accuse Jesus of not caring. How many times do we do the same?
Now I realize that Jesus is human at this point. He is probably exhausted from all he was doing, but you would think that if there were any real danger he would have woken up. He didn't though. Why? Because everything was under God's control. We sometimes have the impression that God is paying attention to our particular dilemma, and this can lead to us thinking that he doesn't care. The truth is he does.
He is God. He sees more then we do (he knows all things). He has more power then we do (he is the most powerful being). He has more control then we do (all things are under his control). Perhaps most importantly, he loves more then we love (his love is unconditional). When we are in the mist of the storm we need to remember these things. If God isn't "awake" then it should be a sign that everything is under control. We should never get the impression that he doesn't care. We have no right. If we say we have faith then we need to exercise it.
What is interesting about this passage is it ends a section of parables that deal with faith in one form or another. Mark 4:1-9 is the Paraple of the Sower and it's explanation is found in 13-20. In verse 20 Jesus says "But these [seeds] are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit." They believe in it and act on faith. Mark 4:21-25 is where we find the Parable of the Lamp Under a Basket. How can anyone who has faith hide what they truly believe. The Parable of the Scatter Seed is found in verses 26-29 where Jesus speaks of the faith a farmer has in plants growing from seeds. Verses 30-32 talks about the Kingdom of Heaven being likened to a mustard seed. The same object used in conjunction with faith.
Whether these accounts are in chronological order or not the point should be clear. Jesus not only did miracles before his disciples but he also taught them about faith in general. This situation gives them the perfect chance to put faith into practice, but notice what they do/say: "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Do you even care that we are going to die?
This question doesn't sit well with my spirit. Granted, I probably do the same thing, but just because I do doesn't make it right. Fear for their lives prompted them to accuse Jesus of not caring. How many times do we do the same?
Now I realize that Jesus is human at this point. He is probably exhausted from all he was doing, but you would think that if there were any real danger he would have woken up. He didn't though. Why? Because everything was under God's control. We sometimes have the impression that God is paying attention to our particular dilemma, and this can lead to us thinking that he doesn't care. The truth is he does.
He is God. He sees more then we do (he knows all things). He has more power then we do (he is the most powerful being). He has more control then we do (all things are under his control). Perhaps most importantly, he loves more then we love (his love is unconditional). When we are in the mist of the storm we need to remember these things. If God isn't "awake" then it should be a sign that everything is under control. We should never get the impression that he doesn't care. We have no right. If we say we have faith then we need to exercise it.
1 comment:
We've had to rely on faith for our futures more than ever lately, as we watch day after day how the stock market is tumbling - taking all our savings with it. Does God care? Of course He does, and He is Jehovah Jirah, whether we believe it or not. He Is. Living a life of faith is hard, but Praise God we have His word and His promises to hold us fast. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, right? And He never changes.
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