“Are You Afraid? Jesus Cares” Mark 4.35-41 Pent.4B June ‘21
1. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The only one who is truly worthy of fear shows He cares for His disciples and desires to save them. Not only them, but all who are perishing. The message from God’s Word for this 4th Sunday after Pentecost is taken from Mark 4:35-41, it’s entitled, “Are You Afraid? Jesus Cares,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. I want to open the message from God’s Word today with a question. But, I don’t want you to look in the bulletin for the answer. The question is this, in Mark’s report of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee here in Mark 4, when were the disciples most afraid? As the storm raged and the hurricane-force winds filled their boat with water? Or, when Jesus calmed the storm and set everything at peace? The answer is after Jesus had calmed the storm. Like a Kindergarten teacher who claps her hands twice to silence a noisy classroom, Jesus spoke two words and the storm obeyed. I can’t imagine He had to yell. That is when things got scary. Upon seeing Jesus exercise absolute control over creation, Mark tells us the disciples, “feared a great fear (Mark 4:41)” (ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν).
3. This text invites a reflection on the things which cause us to be afraid. You have got the regulars—fear of heights, fear of flying, fear of spiders, fear of snakes. There are also fears of failure—fear of public speaking, fear of not getting accepted to a school, fear of underperforming at work. Despite our collective wealth, we also suffer financial fears—fear we will not have enough to retire, fear that our medical bills will bury us, fear of taking on more debt. Other fears are social—the fear of being alone, the fear of losing our reputation, the fear of missing out. Then there are fears we have for others—that our children will not turn out right, that our parents are failing, that our spouse is uninterested.
4. Now today I want you to consider what scares you most. What is your greatest fear? Now I have to be careful about doing this, because the last time I did this in my previous parish at Christ Lutheran Church, Weyauwega, a bat came flying out of the bell tower scaring all of the parishioners sitting in the pews and the balcony. But, I don’t think that’s going to happen here. The ultimate problem is that we are afraid of the wrong things. Martin Luther teaches us in the 1st Commandment, “You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” The problem is that we create other gods for ourselves than God Himself. We put our trust in the things of God’s creation rather than God Himself.
5. The disciples’ fear on the lake that night was entirely legitimate. Have you ever been out on a lake at night? Have you ever been out on a lake at night in a boat with no power—no motor, no lights, no radio? Have you ever been out in a boat on a lake at night with no moon or stars and hurricane-strength winds crashing waves into the boat and filling it with water?
6. If there is ever a time for fear, this would be it. Yet, Jesus rebukes them. “Why are you so afraid?” He asked. Then he asks that stinging question, “Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40). Jesus did not say it in this text, but His words from Matthew 10:28 come to mind: “Do you fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell.”
7. The storm was scary, but the worst the storm could do would be to end their lives. Financial trouble is scary. Family problems are scary. Heights and snakes and chemo and legal trouble and addictions and loneliness—these are all scary. But there is something much more worthy of fear than these. Standing face to face with the God who made the universe, the God who knows all things, who has power over all things, who rebukes hurricanes like kindergartners is ultimately the only true reason for being afraid. Encounters with this God in the Scriptures rightly terrified Moses, David, Isaiah, Peter, and Paul. Job’s time with God in the appointed Old Testament reading from Job 38 is a ready example.
8. Which reminds me of the disciples’ question in Mark 4:38. “Do you not care that we are perishing?” It was a legitimate question. His answer, given through rebuking the storm, was unambiguous. Yes, Jesus cared. The only one who is truly worthy of fear shows He cares for His disciples and desires to save them. Not only them, but all who are perishing.
9. This Sunday is Father’s Day. You can be certain there are dads and grandpas in the congregation who suffer fears. They are afraid they are failing. They are afraid of being unable to provide enough. They are afraid they have neglected their children one too many times. They are afraid they will look back on life and be overcome with regret. Some of these fears are legitimate.
10. Now, as Christians, you may never become as vocal as the disciples were that night on the Sea of Galilee in Mark 4. But in your hearts, how often have you wondered, “Does God care?” Has sickness visited you? Do you find yourself wondering, “God, don’t you care?” Family problems? “God, don’t you care?” Business difficulties? We want to know if God cares. That’s how our fearful hearts think. Whenever any tragedy, hardship, storm of life or hurt appears, the question comes up: “God, don’t you care?”
11. But, Jesus’ message today for us from Mark 4 is this. Do not fear the wrong things. There is plenty in this world that can and will hurt us, and such things cause concern and spur us to seek help. But when compared to the One who rules over all creation, they are entirely unworthy of our fear. Jesus, the only one truly worth fearing, has shown He is willing and able to save us from perishing. He showed it to the disciples in this text, He showed it to us when He died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, and in His resurrection from the dead. Jesus’ rule is absolute, and He cares for us and will save us.
12. Be sure about this—Jesus cares. He cares about your financial problems. He cares about your child’s cough. He cares whether your car will start in cold weather. He cares about the water you drink and the food you eat. He cares about whether you love and are loved. He cares about the events recorded in the News each day and about how you sleep at night. There is not an aspect of your life or anything so small that it escapes. Jesus’ caring heart (Mt 6:25–30). If Jesus knows and cares about the hairs of your head, he will also care whether his disciples drown in a storm or whether you feel you are sinking under problems. Jesus cares and in words and actions says, “Don’t worry. If I can conquer death, heal a leper, and bring somebody back from the dead, I can and will take care of your problems.” Jesus cares, even when we have fearful hearts. Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:7, “7casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
13. As God looked at us in our weak and weary state, as He saw our fears, He did the unexpected. Looking at the human race caught up in worries and doubts, Jesus left heaven and came down to earth. Here, on this earth, the Lord of all creation took our place. He came to us, became one of us, got dirty with us. 2 Cor 5:21 says, “21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus felt the pain that is part of us and faced the fears that terrorize us.
14. This day it is quite possible that the Lord finds you in fears and tears. Is it possible that your heart is breaking? Are there worries that make you feel alone and deserted? Is it possible that every waking hour is spent keeping those fears from being exposed? Although you may contain the fears and tears of your heart, God sees and cares. Jesus is willing to listen to you and take charge of your problems. Turn those problems over to him. Turn them over to the God who can control wind and wave. Turn them over to the great Creator. He has taken care of problems for you in the past. Let him do so again, today. The psalmist invites you to, “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you” (Ps 55:22).
15. The triune God, ruler of the universe, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has the pleasure to inform you that your problems are being taking care of. God sends His Son Jesus to you with this message: “God, the Creator of the universe, sends his Son to inform you that all is well. Even the wind and waves obey him. Put aside your fearful heart and believe that all is well.” Believe it, because all is well. We are new creatures through our baptism and the hearing of His Holy Word. Our fearful hearts pass away and we are reborn—courageous Christians in the service of a caring God.
16. Are you afraid? Today Jesus, invites you to bring those fears before the One who has all authority. As the hymn writer says: “Lo, the hosts of evil round us, scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways! From the fears that long have bound us, free our hearts to faith and praise. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the living of these days, for the living of these days.” (Lutheran Service Book, 850 verse 2). Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting. Amen.
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