“Calming the Sea and Rocking the Boat” 7-16-23
Overview
Jesus Calmed the Sea—and Rocked the Boat
There's a popular bumper sticker worth pondering: "Jesus not only calmed the storm—He also rocked the boat." That little phrase actually gets the Gospels right. In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus and His disciples set out across the Sea of Galilee—a body of water nestled 690 feet below sea level among hills and cliffs, where violent storms sweep down without warning. Matthew describes the squall using the Greek word seismos, the root of our word "seismology." It was no ordinary gale. Yet Jesus, fully human and fully divine, slept on a cushion in the stern—until the disciples, terrified, woke Him with the cry, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"
Jesus does indeed bring calm. With a word—"Peace, be still"—the wind ceased and there was a dead calm, because He is Lord of the sea. The Psalms had long testified to this: "You silence the roaring of the seas" Psalm 65:7 and "You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them" Psalm 89:9. The disciples' awe—"Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"—is the right response to the One who commands creation.
But the same Jesus who calms also rocks the boat. Earlier in Mark, He scandalized the religious establishment by eating with tax collectors and sinners Mark 2:15-17 and by healing on the Sabbath Mark 3:1-6. He still rocks our boats today. Through His Word, He holds up the mirror of the Law and exposes the sin we'd rather normalize—the words, deeds, and omissions we'd prefer to forget. We want our ears tickled; He tells us the truth. And sometimes, in His sovereignty, He allows the waves themselves to hit—not to harm us, but to mature us, pulling us out of self-sufficiency and reminding us that we are sheep, utterly dependent on the Shepherd. He never wastes a moment of suffering He permits.
Rembrandt's 1633 painting Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee captures this beautifully. Look closely and you'll count fourteen figures on the boat—twelve disciples, Jesus, and one more: Rembrandt himself, painted into the scene, eyes locked on the viewer. He's drawing us onto the boat too. And here is the pastoral assurance: whether Christ calms, rocks, or allows the waves, the One in the boat with us is the very One who went to the cross for our sins, who claimed us in baptism, who speaks forgiveness over us. So when we're tempted to cry, "Don't you care?"—be assured. He does. Fear not His will.
Transcript
Let us pray together, please. 3s
Grace is Heavenly Father, we are indeed a people who buy your grace, sing the words that you 6s
are our Redeemer. 13s
Lord Jesus, we praise you for the cross and for the empty tomb. 15s
And is upon the sure foundation of the word upon which we stand. 19s
The solid rock upon of Jesus Christ, who is our bedrock. 25s
And so, O Lord, receive the praise of your people that very praise that you, 32s
by your grace, bring forth in Jesus' name. 39s
Would you open your Bible's please with me to mark the fourth chapter for our study today? 46s
If you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture, that will be found on page 33 in the New Testament. 50s
Mark the fourth chapter. 58s
We are continuing our summer series, and in fact, we've reached the halfway point on the summer series of bumper sticker theology. 61s
We're exploring each week a different bumper sticker. 70s
We oftentimes will see bumper stickers that have a theological message to them. 74s
Some of them are really good, aren't they? 80s
And some of them are really, really bad. 83s
Well, we're looking at a different sticker each and every week, and we're examining it critically 86s
through the lenses of Holy Scripture. 91s
So today's the halfway point in our journey through this sermon series. 95s
We've studied bumper stickers such as God, Jesus, bumper sticker. 100s
God is not angry. 105s
Sin posse. 107s
And there's a whole host more coming in July here and in August. 109s
So we look forward to that. 115s
The sticker I want to explore with you today is this. 118s
Jesus not only calmed the storm. 123s
He also rocked the boat. 128s
It was 1990. 145s
And it was an incredible theft that occurred. 150s
12 famous paintings were stolen from an art museum in the world. 155s
And Boston. 161s
And to this day, not a one has been recovered. 163s
The most famous of the 12 was a painting by Rembrandt. 170s
It was simply entitled, Jesus, in the storm, on the sea of Galilee. 176s
The most famous of those 12. 185s
Rembrandt painted it in 1633. 189s
He was about 29 years old. 193s
It was his only seascape. 197s
And that painting is a powerful portrayal of our text this morning 201s
from Mark IV chapter. 208s
Look at it with me, please. 212s
Verse 35. 213s
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, 215s
let us go across to the other side. 220s
Now the other side that he's talking about is the eastern side 226s
of the sea of Galilee. 230s
On the eastern side of the sea of Galilee, there's no cities there. 232s
So the population is much, much less. 238s
They're going to the eastern side so that Jesus and his disciples 242s
can have some rest here. 248s
As we see from the context of Scripture, Jesus has been very, very busy. 251s
So they head to the eastern side for 36. 256s
And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat. 260s
Just as you was, other boats were with him. 264s
On the sea of Galilee, then going over to the eastern side. 268s
Sea of Galilee, 13 miles wide, a 13 miles long, seven miles wide. 274s
It's all fresh water. 280s
It's 690 feet below sea level. 282s
In fact, it's the lowest body of fresh water in the world. 288s
Around the Sea of Galilee, our hills and cliffs. 295s
So what happens? 299s
Windle come like a fast roller coaster down the side of the hills, 301s
down the side of the cliffs, and storms can come up violent storms, 308s
rather suddenly. 315s
So it's no surprise that we read verse 37. 317s
A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, 322s
so that the boat was already being swamped. 329s
In Matthew's account of the same story, he describes the windstorm, 335s
and he uses the Greek word, seismos. 341s
Can you guess what word we get? 344s
seismology. 346s
It is violent earthquake like storm that has come upon the disciples and Jesus on the sea. 348s
Next verse. 360s
But he was in the stern asleep on the cushion, 361s
and they woke him up and said to him, 368s
teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? 371s
Do you not care? 379s
What is it that they longed for? 388s
They longed for calm. 392s
Jesus fully human, fully divine. 396s
A hundred percent divine, a hundred percent human. 401s
Not 60, 40, not 37, all the kind of ways that an our limited human thinking, 406s
we try and make it work. 411s
No, he's a hundred percent divine, and he's a hundred percent human. 413s
That means being a hundred percent human, 418s
along with being a hundred percent divine, 422s
that means that hundred percent human part means that Jesus got hungry, 425s
that Jesus got tired, that Jesus needed to sleep. 434s
Rembrandt in his portrayal of this, 447s
it's a painting, or I should say it was a painting, 453s
a painting of five by four, dark clouds, 458s
the main sail of the boat ripped. 467s
The boat pitched at a 45 degree angle, 472s
as it was fighting the waves. 477s
And when you look at those on the boat, 483s
when you look at the disciples on the boat, 485s
three of them are trying to fix the main sail. 489s
What one of them is hanging on to a wire for dear life? 492s
Another one is leaning over the side of the ship. 498s
He's sick. 504s
One of them is staring just blankly into the darkness, 506s
and there are two of them right in front of Jesus, 511s
who's now awake, they're angry at him. 515s
Do you not care that we are perishing? 521s
What they wanted was calm, calm. 531s
Jesus sometimes brings calm. 547s
Doesn't he? 552s
Look at the very next verse, verse 39. 554s
He woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 559s
peace be still, then the wind ceased, 564s
and there was a dead calm. 568s
Absolute stillness because he is Lord of all, 573s
and he is Lord of the sea. 577s
Psalm 65 tells us this, 582s
by awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, 587s
O God of our salvation. 590s
You are the hope of all the ends of the earth, 593s
and of the farthest seas, 596s
by your strength you establish the mountains you are girded 599s
with might, you silence the roaring of the seas, 604s
the roaring of the waves. 610s
Psalm 89, 614s
you rule the raging of the sea when its waves rise, 616s
you still them. 622s
Verse 40 of our text, 626s
He said to them, 630s
why are you afraid? 632s
And they were filled with great awe 639s
and said to one another, 643s
who then is this, 645s
that even the wind and the sea, 648s
Obey him. 654s
Jesus brings calm. 659s
However, sometimes Jesus rocks the boat, 671s
doesn't he? 675s
Turn back please to chapter 2 of Mark, 678s
verse 15, 682s
Mark chapter 2 of verse 15. 686s
As he said at dinner and Levi's house, 690s
many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus 692s
and his disciples, 696s
for there were many who followed him. 698s
When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating 702s
with sinners and tax collectors, 704s
and they said to his disciples, 707s
why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners? 708s
When Jesus heard this, 714s
he said to them, 715s
those who are well have no need of a physician, 716s
but those who are sick, 719s
I've come to call the righteous, 721s
not the righteous, 724s
but sinners. 725s
And the one who comes, 728s
rocks the boat. 732s
Why over in chapter 3, verse 1, 736s
again he entered the synagogue and a man was there 741s
who had a withered hand. 744s
They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath 746s
so that they might accuse him. 750s
And he said to the man who had the withered hand come forward. 753s
Then he said to them, 758s
is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath to save life 759s
or to kill? 765s
They were silent. 768s
He looked around at them with anger. 771s
He was grieved at their hardness of heart 773s
and said to the man, 775s
stretch out your hand. 777s
He stretched it out and his hand was restored. 780s
The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired 784s
with the Herodians against him how to destroy him. 788s
And the one who can calm, 796s
rocks the boat. 802s
Jesus, 807s
not only calm the storm, 809s
he also rocks 814s
the boat. 818s
And there are times when the one who calms the storms, 825s
rocks our boats, 832s
He rocks our boats with regard 836s
to the awareness of our sinfulness. 840s
He rocks our comfortable nature 846s
that we can get with sin. 849s
Like a baggy shirt and loosely fitting sweats, 853s
we can get rather comfortable with regard to our sin. 858s
In fact, we can even normalize it. 863s
Why we can get comfortable? 867s
And why we can justify anything. 870s
And the Lord Jesus comes through his word 878s
and he rocks the boat. 881s
And the mirror of his law is held up to us. 886s
And we see in that mirror the sinfulness. 889s
And we see the extent of it, 892s
the height and the depth and the breadth and the width of it. 895s
He exposes the word that was shared. 900s
That maybe we just want to forget, 906s
but the Lord Jesus says that didn't glorify me. 908s
He speaks to us continually through his word 912s
and he reveals the action that was taken. 916s
And he reveals and says, 920s
that doesn't glorify me. 921s
It's all the thoughts and all the words and all the deeds 927s
and all the things we should have done, 929s
but we didn't do and all the things we did, 931s
but we never should have done. 933s
And Jesus rocks our boat as he exposes our sin. 935s
We so desperately want our ears tickled 943s
with someone to tell us just how wonderful we are, 947s
just as we are. 952s
But Jesus tells us what we need to hear. 955s
He tells us the truth. 959s
And he says, you're a sinner. 964s
You transgress my ways. 967s
And what you deserve, 971s
left yourself is my wrath. 973s
And when he nakedly exposes us through his word, 980s
he rocks the boat. 990s
The one who comes, 999s
the one who rocks the boat in revealing of our sin, 1002s
he also sometimes allows the waves to hit our boat. 1013s
For in so doing, he matures us. 1022s
He moves us out of the kinder garden. 1028s
He never, ever, ever, 1035s
wastes a moment of suffering 1038s
that in God's sovereignty he allows. 1042s
And when in those times he allows those waves to come 1049s
and to hit the boat. 1054s
When he allows those waves, 1057s
he pulls us away from our self and grand diesement, 1061s
from our self dependency. 1066s
And he reminds us who we are, 1069s
sheep, sheep, 1074s
absolutely dependent upon him 1079s
for everything. 1085s
And when he allows the waves, 1092s
we are humbled, 1098s
because we understand. 1102s
He is God. 1106s
And we're not. 1110s
We're not. 1112s
The one who comes, the storms, 1119s
also rocks the boat as he reveals our sin, 1125s
and the one who comes and rocks, 1133s
sometimes allows the waves, 1139s
and he accomplishes his purposes, 1148s
even amidst the most difficult of circumstances, 1155s
as we're chiseled to be more and more, 1162s
like Jesus. 1168s
In that painting by Rembrandt, 1176s
you would expect that there would be 13 people on the boat, right? 1182s
Twelve disciples and Jesus, you'd expect that there'd be 13 people. 1188s
But when you count, there's 14. 1193s
There's 14 on the boat. 1198s
You count again. 1201s
You come up with 14, you count again, and there's 14. 1203s
Well, there weren't 14 on the boat. 1209s
There were 12 disciples, and there were Jesus, 1212s
and so why in Rembrandt's painting, 1214s
are there 14 people on the boat? 1218s
There's one person on the boat. 1224s
That's looking straight at you. 1226s
So as you see now, a picture of that painting, 1230s
there's one on the boat, only one. 1234s
That's looking straight at the people that would be looking at the painting. 1237s
And the eyes of that person locks in on you. 1243s
You can't avoid it. 1249s
Once you see it, that's really just one of the things that just grabs you. 1250s
That that 14th one on the boat looks right at you. 1257s
And the face looks so familiar, so familiar. 1266s
It's Rembrandt's face. 1273s
We know that because of his self-portrait that he painted. 1277s
We know it's his face. 1282s
And so Rembrandt has painted himself into the scene. 1285s
He's put himself on the boat. 1293s
And so as you look at it, you see the 12 disciples and Jesus. 1297s
And the 14th is Rembrandt. 1303s
And in so doing, he draws you as the one who is studying the painting. 1309s
He draws you onto the boat. 1316s
Whether Jesus comes or rocks the boat as he reveals our sinfulness, 1328s
or allows the waves to hit, 1340s
but love would be assured. 1347s
Amit's our pension to cry out and say, 1353s
don't you care, be assured. 1359s
For the one who comes and the one who rocks and the one who allows the waves to hit, 1370s
it's the very one who went to the cross to die for you and me. 1381s
The very one that took upon himself, 1386s
your sin and my sin and the sin of the entire world. 1389s
The very one that has redeemed us through his blood, 1395s
the very one that turns to us and says, 1399s
I forgive you. 1403s
The very one who has claimed us in the waters of baptism. 1404s
The very one, the Lord Jesus Christ. 1412s
And he is in the boat. 1417s
The sticker has got it right. 1430s
And whether he comes or rocks or allows the waves, 1440s
fear not his will. 1459s
Fear not his will. 1466s