| I like to call miracles like this one "parables
in action." Often in the life of the Lord upon the earth there are
historical events which almost certainly are like parables that teach us
about the ministry of Jesus long after the "days of his flesh" and even
into our own time in history. And it seems to me that it is likely
that the Gospel writers were led by the gift of inspiration to include
them in the Gospels because they are so illustrative of who Jesus is and
what he does in the spiritual realm. Among them is the Lord's healing
the blind, casting out demons, feeding the five thousand and this one here
on the calming of the tempest.
I won't ask you to raise your hand, but how many of you clearly see
a connection to your own spiritual experience when you read or hear this
historical event? In what areas of your life has the Lord Jesus calmed
your tempest?
I. THE EVENT ITSELF WAS ONE OF GREAT DRAMA.
1. The circumstance of crossing over the sea of Galilee was
a common one for these fishermen/disciples. And the raging storm
was a common occurrence. It has always been said in the historical
geographys that this sea (or "lake" -- they used the 2 words interchangeably
when referring to this particular sea) is especially liable to violent
storms, probably because of the steep hills all around it. Luke's
description of the storm uses a word that sometimes means a tornado but
the word is also used to describe a violent storm. To make it worse,
-- v.37 -- Jesus was asleep after a long day of preaching and dealing with
individuals.
2. The disciples wake him in haste just before all of them would surely
be hurled into the raging sea, or so they thought. The disciples
seemed somewhat disrespectful to him but all of us are sometimes that way
when a crisis arises. Jesus awoke and presumably for the disciples’
benefit -- so they would know in the confusion and howling wind that the
calming of the storm was his miracle, not a happenstance -- he loudly proclaimed
"Peace! Be still!" And there wasn't a mere slowing down of the storm.
No, the wind and the waves stopped immediately and there was a "great calm"
where there had been such a violent storm. And the awe and wonder
of the disciples is recorded! (v.41)
II. TRULY THIS IS NOT ONLY AN HISTORICAL INCIDENT BUT IT IS A "PARABLE
IN ACTION," AS I CALL IT.
1. There is the reflex action of the believing Christian in
time of trouble: "Help, Lord!" "Master! Master! We are
perishing," Luke records them as saying in his account. Matthew says
that they said, "Save us Lord! We are perishing!" In all probability
they were saying all of these things all at the same time and a lot of
other things too as they screamed out in terror.
2. In the same way Christians have always called out to the Lord in
time of trouble. I remember when I was in seminary the minister of
the huge Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, a Dr. Noble, right
in the middle of the Sunday morning service just after he had performed
a baptism had a fatal heart attack and cried out: "Lord, help me!" and
fell down dead! It is a credit to the individual's true faith that
he cries out to the Lord for help in situations where the unbeliever often
dies with a curse on his lips or a taking of the Lord's name in vain.
True Christians are in the habit of calling on the Lord for help through
their singing of psalms and hymns and in their frequent calling upon the
Lord in prayer in non-emergency situations.
III. BUT MY CONCERN THIS MORNING IS THE APPLICATION OF THIS TO OUR OWN
TIME AND LIVES.
1. Because, in fact, we do experience great storms that sometimes
are of the magnitude that they would seemingly sweep us away to our death
and we call out (either in a literal voice or the cry of our heart) to
the dear Lord who we know has saved us and is the protector and Lord of
our life.
2. In beginning faith, classically, Christ stills the tempest of the
wrath of God as we call out to him in faith in his atonement and regeneration
and claim the Father's justification of our needy souls. Looking
back on that event, the Scripture (Romans 5: 1) assures us that "Since
we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ." And that lack of peace we had before our justification -- if we
were truly aware of it -- was far more terrible than any storm that there
has ever been on one of earth's oceans, small or great!
But thousands of people who no doubt are truly justified but do not
have the benefit of that peace which they truly possess but do not experience
due to unbelief, psychological disposition, or inadequate theology experience
a terror like unto the terror of a terrible storm in the middle of a raging
sea. And anyone who has gone through the experience of dramatic awareness
of his standing before God and in that context discovers his justification
has surely a sense of GREAT calm, far more dramatic that the physical calm
on that day so long ago on the sea of Galilee when Jesus calmed the raging
storm!
But maybe you have discovered all this in retrospect and have appreciated
the terror and calm in a much more detached way. But even that is
better than not having discovered it at all.
3. But another analogy in our lives as Christians is to have faced circumstances
beyond our control either in other brute forces of nature, the cruel turns
of history or the effects of seemingly vicious and deadly actions of humans,
either individual or corporate. They certainly can be far more violent
and threatening than the worst possible storm on a Galilean lake.
It is a regular disappointment of life here in the flesh on this side
of the millennium. These terrible storms may be the result of personal
relationships, social structures, financial difficulties, political realities.
In regard to the forces of nature we are well aware of how fearful they
can be. As far as the second of these is concerned, just look at the toll
that the breakdown of the family, marriage and other such things has cost
us; as for the third, read about some depression or economic downturn and
see the difficulty and suffering it produces among people who had absolutely
nothing to do with it; and as for the fourth, look at the effect of warfare
and bad politics that is going on right now in the world on some of our
Christian brothers in those same places. Many people who are in the
midst of such things would see a terrible storm on the sea of life as an
apt description of their situation.
4. But the Christian discovers in the sovereignty of God over human
history, society -- and even over the heart and action of the human individual
-- a calm -- a peace -- that, even if it is not absolute, it bears a striking
analogy to the calm after that storm on the Sea of Galilee that day so
long ago.
In this case it is a peace and calm in the midst of the larger context
of trouble and sorrow. Perhaps this is what the Lord meant when he
said "Peace, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives peace give
I unto you." -- Perhaps that means "not as the world understands
peace" but Christian peace, that is, peace in the midst of difficulty and
turmoil but a profound peace nevertheless.
Perhaps you will have a peace analogous to the calm that night on the Sea
of Galilee but it will be mixed with a permanent difficulty that might
be seen as an impediment to complete peace. Life is like that and
the life of the Christian is like that. But in his case, the guarantee
of the Lord's sovereign watch care over him is a peace analogous to our
being in the boat with Jesus just moments after the miracle, rejoicing
that they had been delivered for the present but not knowing whether the
storm might arise again at any moment. It was only when they got
to the other shore that the peace was complete.
5. And yet another analogy is in our Christian walk -- not
in our dealing with people and society and politics and the physical life
but with the spiritual aspect of our Christian lives. Some times
we endure storms that -- in the midst of them -- the tempestuous waves
on the Sea of Galilee seem calm in comparison.
For example, waves of conscience in the person ill at ease in God's
justification and doubting as to whether God has forgiven him. And
the Lord comes and speaks his ever-blessed words "Peace! Be still!"
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus."
And there is a great calm!
Waves of doubt as to how God can possibly be working in the confused
situation in which the individual finds himself. And yet when he
reckons with the fact that God is in control and at work he experiences
the effect of the Savior's blessed "Peace! Be still!" "The
Lord is my shepherd; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his
name sake!" And there is a great calm!
In the case of many other instances of self-doubt, of weakness, of consequent
disobedience, of inability, the Savior quells them or gives grace to overcome
them as the case may be and there is a calming of the storm. It may
be a relative calm or a profound calm but we recognize his voice saying
with the authority of his sovereign command "Peace! Be still!" "All
things work together for good to them who love God." And there is
a great calm.
Do you recognize in these or in other areas the analogous, blessed-peace
of our Savior over your life, all as a result that he has become your Savior
and will surely be your Lord? It is not only analogous to the miracle
that day on the Sea of Galilee but it is the mark of true Christian faith
and a part of the grace of God that he is bringing into your life and mine.
The main reward and benefit of Christian faith is the everlasting life
we will experience in eternity with indescribable blessedness in the presence
of our Savior. But it is not a small benefit that even here and now
we experience amid the earthly affairs of our life the peace of God --
a peace that describes our relationship to God but also our dealing with
the mundane affairs of life. May our Lord, the Prince of Peace, increase
that peace in each of our lives who know him.
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