Trinity 8, on Mark 4:35-41

(There were some technical issues today with the video. The sermon is provided below.)

“PEACE, BE STILL”

The prophet Jonah went the opposite direction from where God wanted him to go, to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh. Jonah got into a boat and the Lord sent a storm. The lives of everyone in the ship were in great danger. That’s when they found Jonah down below, fast asleep.

Jonah told them to throw him into the sea, and “then the sea will become calm for you.” That’s just what happened. Jonah being cast into almost-certain death, into the depths, is how God created a great calm. We know He also sent a giant fish to swallow Jonah, and after three days – which is a preview of Jesus’ rising from the dead on the third day – the fish spit Jonah out so he too was saved.

We’ll hear now about another storm at sea, where Jesus was asleep in the boat, and He created a great calm. Of course Jesus wasn’t disobeying God like Jonah; He never ever sinned against God. But we do hear about how God actually creates a great calm, through Jesus’ person and by His Word.

Sermon Text, St. Mark 4:35-41. 35 On the same day, when evening had come, [Jesus] said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
Lord, this is Your Word and these are Your words. Sanctify us by the truth. Your Word is truth. By Your powerful Word of truth, create a great calm in our hearts and bring us to rest in You. Amen!

Dear fellow redeemed in Christ, through whom we pass through the valley of the shadow of death and cross over to the other side, with Him in heaven:

The main action in this story shows each nature of Christ on full display. Why do you believe that Jesus Christ is true Man? Because we see Him having a human body with human needs. Sleep overtakes Him in spite of the stormy skies. Why do you believe that Jesus Christ is true God? Because we see Him doing something only God can do – ordering the winds and waves and being obeyed by them instantly. When He speaks to them there’s an immediate calm.

Jesus’ divine nature and His human nature are united in one Person, as the disciples say: “Who can this one be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” The wind and sea aren’t obeying only a divine nature. They’re obeying the Word made Flesh! These are the A-B-C’s of Christianity: who Jesus is.

But while we know this about Christ, often, especially in a crisis, our faith seems to fly away. Where is this knowledge? Like Jesus in the boat – asleep.

Think of the times you act like you don’t know this. Think of when you feel angry, perhaps someone hurt you, laughed or mocked someone/something important to you. You stewed about it, held onto it, it grew and grew, you couldn’t think or say anything good about them – isn’t it a storm that grows?

Or, think of when you brood over some sin, something only you know; you get terrified at anyone finding out, and you have guilt that makes you feel unworthy and gets worse – isn’t it a storm that grows inside?

Or if you grieve for someone you’ve lost, sometimes it breaks on you suddenly, throws you down and all is dark – isn’t it a sudden storm that thunders?

Or it might be a worry that you have, about yourself or about a loved one or even our nation; it gnaws at you, keeps you up at night, and as you fear the worst everything gets dark and cloudy – like a storm that grows and grows?

At such times, where is your knowledge about Jesus being true God and true Man? What about God? He seems far away. You might say, as the disciples did to Jesus, “Don’t you care?” Isn’t our (my) distress a concern to You?

All the more reason, then, that we should treasure St. Mark’s version of this miracle. The others tell us that Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea, but Mark tells us more. He tells us what Jesus said, he gives us the words:

“Peace, be still!”

Matthew and Luke tell the story without these words. But it must have made quite an impression on Peter, from whom Mark got the details for his gospel. Peter – the experienced fisherman who probably led the others in complaining to Jesus that “we are perishing, dying!” – he is in awe as he hears Jesus say, “Peace, be still!” and in that instant everything is silent and calm.

For this is what “Peace, be still” means: Jesus tells the stormy winds and the stormy sea to immediately be quiet and stay that way. It’s as if He puts a muzzle or a gag on the stormy winds and sea. But not only them. What do you think happens inside of Peter, James and John, Andrew and the rest? Suddenly there’s fear, love and trust in Him. Suddenly they’re calm. He was speaking to themtoo.

This is why these are words for us to treasure: “Peace, be still.” For just as Jesus knew that the greatest storm was not the one rocking their boat, but it was the fear in their hearts, He knows that the worst storm for you isn’t all that is piling up against you. It’s what’s happening inside. The anger and resentment, the bitterness, the guilt, the worries and fears.

We would like to see our problems go away in an instant like that storm did. But to whom does Jesus direct His words, “Peace, be still?” To you! He is telling your guilty feelings, your worries and fears, your hateful thoughts, everything inside you that is dark and gloomy, to be quiet.

But before we hear His words addressed to us, we must hear – within the conversation of the Holy Trinity, in the heavenly council – His words about wanting to save the whole human race. Not only did God the Father so love the world and want to send His Son. But the Son of God wanted to come down and save us. He saw us swallowed up, being drowned by death and hell because of our sins. He had compassion. He came to redeem us. He came down to suffer and die.

It’s as if – like Jonah to the sailors – the Son of God speaks to the Father and says: “Throw Me into the sea” – the raging stormy sea of sin and death – “then the sea will become calm for them.”Christ willingly came down to suffer and die. In one hymn we sing of Jesus’ death: “Into death’s jaws Thou springest, deliverance to me bringest from such a monster dire” (P. Gerhardt, ELHB 205:7).

Jesus came to swallow up death by means of His own death. He had Himself cast into the depths so that you wouldn’t be, for the sea to become calm for you. He had Himself cast into the depths on the cross, where He was forsaken by God and suffered the torments of hell; and He had Himself cast into the depths in His tomb, where He was seemingly held by death, in deepest darkness. But on the third day, like Jonah, He burst the bonds of death. Death did not hold Him. Jonah needed God’s help for this. But Jesus defeated death and rose to life Himself and came forth from the tomb.

In doing this, He gave you His victory over death. And now His Word is a life-giving, death-destroying, sin-forgiving Word, that sin, death and devil must obey.

So first you acknowledge from this miracle in Mark 4 that His word has the power to do this – trust that He actually does muzzle these stormy thoughts and feelings, and accusations, and keep them from beating against you. You may still have a hard time with them, but won’t you trust Jesus’ word to do what He says?

If you still struggle with these thoughts and feelings, don’t despair, don’t think you’re an experienced sailor in life and should do better, but that He is here to calm it for you. As often as you need, in His Gospel He says “Peace, be still!” to you.

Second, learn that He says this to you because He loves you. It means He does care. He wants this storm of guilt, fear, worry, sadness, anger, whatever, to be quiet. He doesn’t want it to overwhelm you or keep beating against you. He is not sleeping. He desires your peace. He still says these words to you.

Where does He say them? In the absolution. You confess your sins to Him. You tell Him you’re sorry. You tell Him you can’t get rid of your guilt, you can’t outrun these storms. You tell Him your sins, all those storms beating down your conscience. And when you hear the words of the absolution, “I forgive you all your sins,” Who is speaking? Jesus! He is saying, to your conscience, “Peace, be still!”

He also says this in the Lord’s Supper. You come to the Lord’s Supper with your sins. You come here utterly drowning in your sins. Nobody knows your storms, but they all have them too. When we hear Jesus’ words, “This is My body, given for you … This is My blood, shed for you and for many, for the remission of sins,” what is He saying? “Peace, be still!” And you are drowning, no more.

“Who is this one,” indeed! The one who creates a great calm – in you. Amen!