In our last time together we saw Jesus as not just the Creator of all things but also the “Master of Nature”. In the midst of a storm that was so fierce that it left even seasoned fisherman fearful for our lives, Jesus, awakened from sleep by His fearful disciples simply stood up, rebuked the storm and then said “Peace, be still!” to the waves and the storm ceased. Two of the thoughts we discussed were that the storm itself may have had demonic origins; it may have very well been an attack of the enemy against Jesus and His followers. Jesus rebuked the storm in the same manner that He had rebuked the unclean spirit that spoke out in the synagogue in Capernaum and then used the same words “Peace, be still” (translated “be quiet” in Mark 1:25) that He had spoken to the demon as He cast it out of the man that it had possessed. I believe that this is something that is revealed through the Word of God that was probably unseen and unclear to those that witnessed it. Jesus displayed incredible power over nature but also power over His enemy, we will see that even more clearly as we venture into chapter 5. The second thing we saw at the end of chapter 4 was that nature knows and obeys the voice of God. God spoke all things into being in Genesis 1, His voice is the reason for the existence of all things and so, all things continue to recognize His voice. Jesus speaking to the wind and waves and them obeying is not just a show of His power, it is a revelation of His identity. Nature knows Him as Creator and has no choice but to obey Him when He speaks. The voice of God didn’t just form the world it continues to rule the world. Let’s not make this vague or abstract, the Creator is the Sustainer and He does both jobs by the sound of His voice. When Jesus said, “My sheep the know my voice” He was not being hopeful or prophetic, He was stating a truth. This is why if man doesn’t praise Him that the rocks will cry out, because everything that He created was created by the sound of His voice and continues to respond to the sound of His voice. This is another reason that I believe Paul when He wrote in Romans 1:18-21 says “For the wrath of God is revealed form heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” You can only suppress something if you are aware of it. Man was made by God, in the image of God, we know God’s voice, it is not a matter of not knowing, it is much more a matter of not being willing to respond. In Mark 4 Jesus spoke to the wind and the waves and they obeyed because creation knows the sound of the voice of its Creator. We closed Mark 4 with the apostles in “great fear” over the revelation that even creation obeyed the sound of Jesus’ voice. How great He must be if the wind and the waves hear Him, know Him and obey Him.
Chapter 5 is truly an amazing account of three miracles of Jesus. Michael Card writes “Each individual described in Mark 5 is being held captive: one by demons, one by disease and one by death.” Jesus will be approached by a man possessed by demons, He will be touched by a woman that has hemorrhaged for 12 years with no hope apart from Him and He will be pleaded with by the father of a dying little girl and then followed by the same father, no longer desperate, now disappointed at the news of the death of his daughter. In each person’s life they sought out Jesus out of desperation, out of bondage and out of a recognition of not just His power but His compassion. I don’t want to try to stretch this too much, but why do people, in desperation seek out Jesus? In Scripture we have these three examples and many others, but in our own lives, we see people seek God in times of desperation. After 9/11 churches were full. Diagnosis’ of disease often lead to the request of prayers, death leaves us often considering not just our mortality but the immortality of God. I was visiting my parents in Virginia last week when my Mom told me that the local high school had had two students die within a couple of weeks of each other. The school allowed the local churches to work together and hold a service at the school gym, over 850 people came to the service. People often seek God when they are desperate, why is that? I think it goes back to what we talked about earlier, we know God, we often reject Him and hide from Him and even try to hide Him but the reality is, again a Paul wrote it, “although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God”. In chapter 5 of Mark man’s desperation seeks out Jesus and Jesus’ compassion overflows to man.
**Due to the personal nature of a question that was asked that there was some editing that was done to the recording near the 10 minute mark.