little faith

Who Is This?

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35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”  – Mark 4:35-41 ESV

It had been a long and event-filled day for Jesus and His disciples, and as it came to an end, they sought to escape the constant pressure of the ever-present crowds. Jesus instructed the disciples to take Him by boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, but Mark indicates that “other boats were with him” (Mark 4:36 ESV). It seems that there would be no rest for the weary. Perhaps these additional boats were carrying home those who had traveled from other towns in the region to see Jesus. Or it could be that when some of those who had been following Jesus saw Him sail away, they decided to continue their pursuit by boat. They were not going to let Him out of their sight.

The interest in Jesus was at an all-time high. It’s obvious that His miracles had attracted many, but it’s also likely that His messages concerning the Kingdom had also proven to be a draw. There were already rumors circulating that Jesus might be the Messiah. And having witnessed Him heal the man with the withered hand (Mark 3:1-6), many had begun to wonder if those rumors might be true. These same people had seen Jesus heal those possessed by demons and had heard the demons shout, “You are the Son of God” (Mark 3:11) as He had cast them out.

But not everyone believed Jesus to be the Messiah. His own family members had claimed He had lost His mind (Mark 3:21), and the religious leaders declared that He was in league with Satan (Mark 3:22). The reviews were mixed. Yet the crowds continued to show up, day after day. And even as Jesus and His disciples made their way across the Sea of Galilee, there were those who followed in His literal wake.

But something significant took place as they made their way across the sea. As Jesus slept in the stern of the boat, “a great windstorm arose” that turned the placid surface of the sea into a boiling cauldron, with waves so high that they washed over the sides of the boats. The unique geography surrounding the Sea of Galilee makes it extremely susceptible to these kinds of sudden and violent storms. It was not uncommon for these kinds of extreme weather conditions to appear without warning leaving even the most seasoned fishermen fearing for their lives.

So, even though Simon, Andrew, James, and John were all professional fishermen, they were just as concerned as the other disciples. The boat was quickly filling with water and the risk of capsizing was becoming increasingly more likely. Yet, in the midst of all the chaos and confusion, Jesus remained in a deep sleep, a likely indication of His extreme weariness. But in the desperation, the disciples woke Him up and exclaimed, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38 ESV).

Whether they realized it or not, their reaction to the storm and their response to Jesus revealed much about the condition of their faith in who Jesus was. Notice that they addressed Him as “Teacher.” Unlike the demons, the disciples of Jesus didn’t address Him as “the Son of God.” They didn’t call out to Him as their Messiah. At that point, in the middle of a life-threatening storm, they saw Jesus as nothing more than a physically worn-out Rabbi who was sleeping while they were suffering.

But if you read the accounts of this event provided by Matthew and Luke, it becomes clear that at least a few of the disciples saw Jesus as something more than just a Rabbi. In the confusion of the circumstances, all of the disciples were shouting as they tried to make themselves heard over the howling of the wind and the crashing of the waves. But one of them cried out, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing” (Matthew 8:25 ESV). Another one shouted, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” (Luke 8:24 ESV). Those terms, “Lord” and “Master” do not indicate anything other than the fact that the men in the boat regarded Jesus as their official leader. They were turning to Him for guidance. They wanted to know what He thought they should do about their dire circumstances.

It’s important to remember that this whole scene began with Jesus making the rather innocuous statement: “Let us go across to the other side” (Mark 4:35 ESV). When He had spoken those words, the disciples had thought nothing of them. Most of these men had made the very same trip on countless occasions. But this time proved to be different. Yet, there was more to Jesus’ words than a mere suggestion. He was indicating a point of destination and, in essence, assuring their arrival at that destination. But the unexpected presence of the wind and the waves had caused the disciples to lose hope and to take their eyes off the objective of their trip. They no longer cared where they were going or why they had begun the trip in the first place. All they were interested in was their own physical safety.

Mark matter-of-factly states that Jesus “rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’” (Mark 4:39 ESV). And according to Matthew “there was a great calm” (Matthew 8:26 ESV). At the words of Jesus, the wind and the waves immediately subsided. The storm ceased. The danger faded away. The chaos and confusion were replaced by a great calm. Just picture the scene for a moment. The disciples stood in the boat, drenched to the bone. They were breathing heavily from all their efforts at rowing, bailing water, and trying to keep the boat afloat in the storm. But now, they were surrounded by placid waters that gently lapped on the bow of the boat. 

But these men were also dumbstruck by what they had just witnessed. When they had woken Jesus up, they had no idea what He was going to do. They had no preconceived expectations as to how He was going to get them out of their predicament. But He had spoken and the waves and the winds had immediately ceased.

But it would be the next words out of Jesus’ mouth that made the greatest impact. He looked at His disciples and said, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40 ESV). Luke seems to provide an interpretation of Jesus’ words by recording Him as saying, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25 ESV).

Jesus was addressing a pre-existing condition. The storm had not caused their lack of faith, it had only exposed it. Jesus knew that they had been struggling over His identity since the day they had first met Him. In spite of all the miracles they had seen Him perform and the messages they had heard Him deliver, they were still unsure of who He really was. They were filled with doubts and questions. Could He truly be the Messiah? Was there a chance his family was right and Jesus was nothing but a lunatic? What about the religious leaders? Could these learned men be telling the truth? Had Jesus been doing miracles by the power of Satan? All of these thoughts must have crossed their minds at one time or another. But in the heat of the moment, when the storm was pressing in and their lives were threatened, the disciples had begun to have some serious second thoughts about Jesus. And Jesus had been completely aware of the thoughts that had filled their minds as they faced what they believed to be their certain deaths.

And at the rebuke of Jesus, Mark describes the disciples as being “filled with great fear” (Mark 4:41 ESV). The storm was over, but their fear remained. But this was a different kind of fear. They were awestruck by what they had just witnessed. In a matter of seconds, Jesus had completely eradicated a violent storm with nothing but His words. And this never-before-seen experience had left them dumbfounded, but not speechless. Mark records that they turned to one another and said, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41 ESV).

Who then is this? This response sheds light on the nature of their limited understanding of who Jesus really was. Matthew reports that they said, “What sort of man is this?” (Matthew 8:27 ESV). This man, whom they viewed as their Rabbi, teacher, Lord, and master, had just done the unthinkable and inexplicable. He had exhibited complete power over the elements of nature. He had done what no one else had ever done before. The miracle they had just witnessed and lived through had been like something from the writings of Moses. It was reminiscent of the day when God had parted the waters of the Red Sea so the people of Israel could pass through on dry ground (Exodus 14). It was like the time God delivered the people of Israel by destroying their enemies with hail and prolonging the battle by causing the sun to stand still in the sky (Joshua 10).

What Jesus had done had been God-like. It had the handprints of God all over it. But all they could manage to say was, “What sort of man is this?” Was He a teacher, a prophet, a holy man, or could He possibly be who He claimed to be: the Son of God?

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Day 68 – Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-42

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The Sin of Unbelief.

Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-42

“Jesus said, to them, ‘You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.’” – Mark 9:19 NLT

After witnessing the miracle of Jesus’ transfiguration up on the mountain, Peter, James and John returned with Jesus to find the remaining disciples caught up in a heated argument with some of the religious leaders. There was a huge crowd gathered around them. It seems that these religious leaders had come in an attempt to test Jesus’ authority yet one more time. They had brought a young boy who was possessed of a demon and were going to see if Jesus would be able to cast it out. It was yet another test. This was evidently a particularly difficult case because the demon robbed the boy of the ability to speak and would cause him to have violent convulsions that would make him foam at the mouth. In these fits, the boy would throw himself into fires or even the water. This had been happening since he was a little boy. The boy’s father cried out to Jesus, “Have mercy on us and help us, if you can” (Mark 9:22 NLT).

It seems that the disciples who had been left behind had tried to cast out the demon, but had failed. This must have been a shock to them, because earlier, Jesus had given the twelve power and authority to heal and cast out demons (Matthew 10). They had come back from that experience amazed and a bit prideful that they had been able to heal people and rebuke demons just like Jesus. But now they found themselves unsuccessful. Evidently, in Jesus’ absence, the disciples had attempted to cast out the demon, but they had been unable to do so. Which is what must have started the heated argument. The father of the boy was disappointed. The crowd was frustrated, because they had come to see Jesus and were looking to see a miracle. And the religious leaders were excited because they thought they had found a chink in Jesus’ armor. I’m sure part of the argument that was taking place was between the disillusioned disciples and the religious leaders as they argued over whether Jesus really was the Messiah. The disciples probably felt like they had let Jesus down, and the religious leaders were whipping up the doubts of the crowd.

Jesus stepped into this mess and immediately wanted to know what was going on. His response was less than flattering. “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me” (Mark 9:19 NLT). This was addressed to the religious leaders and the crowd, who had come demanding and expecting a sign. They wanted further proof from Jesus that He was who He claimed to be. All that He had done up until this point had not been enough. They wanted more. They would not believe until they were convinced, to their own satisfaction, that Jesus was truly the Messiah. Jesus refers to them as “apistos” in the Greek. It means non-believing. This was all about belief or, in their case, unbelief. They refused to believe in Jesus. And at the core of all sin is unbelief. The problem was NOT that they needed more proof. It was that they refused to believe. The reality is, most of them would refuse to believe even after Jesus resurrected from the dead. It’s interesting that when Jesus talked to the demon-possessed boy’s father, He said, “Anything is possible if a person believes” (Mark 9:23 NLT). I don’t think Jesus is saying that anything is possible if you believe in the outcome. Jesus is not espousing a name-it-claim-it theology. He is saying that anything is possible if you believe in Him. Jesus is to be the object of our belief. The father, desperate for a cure for his son, cries out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 NLT). This man believed Jesus was who He claimed to be, but he was still wrestling with doubts. His son was still possessed. The disciples had failed to help him. The Pharisees and religious leaders were feeding his doubt with lies and false propaganda regarding Jesus. So he asks Jesus to take his struggling belief and strengthen it. As a result, Jesus healed his son. This man, even in his doubt, had come to Jesus and placed himself at His mercy. Jesus responded to this man’s faith with compassion and power. He restored his son to health.

Then later on, when they were alone, Jesus turned His attention to the disciples.When they inquired as to why they had been unable to cast out the demon, Jesus told them, “You don’t have enough faith. I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible’” (Matthew 17:20 NLT). Mark records another statement from Jesus. “This kind can be cast out only by prayer” (Mark 9:29 NLT). So it was a lack of faith and an absence of prayer. Jesus seems to be telling the disciples that their faith was less than that of the man who had brought his demon-possessed son. His plea to Jesus was a form of prayer. He cried, “Have mercy on us and help us, if you can” (Mark 9:22 NLT). He called out to Jesus in his time of need. The disciples didn’t. When they were unable to cast out the demon, it left them confused and questioning what was wrong. They had been able to cast out demons before, but why were they not able to do so now. But what Jesus seems to be exposing is they panicked rather than call out to Him for help. They let doubt set in. Rather than turn to God the Father for help, they did nothing. Their cry should have been the same as that of the father, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” When they hit a roadblock, they gave in, when they should have looked up. They had placed their faith in the outcome instead of in Jesus. They had fully expected to cast out the demon, and when they couldn’t they lost faith. They began to disbelieve. It’s interesting that the very first person to call out to Jesus when He arrived on the scene was the father, not the disciples. They didn’t run up to Jesus asking for His help. They didn’t acknowledge their unbelief and ask for assistance. The father did. And as a result, his prayer was answered. His son was healed. He called out to Jesus with his meager belief and his mountain was moved.

Jesus, I can be so guilty of unbelief. I say I believe and trust in You, but then when I face a difficult circumstance, I start to have second thoughts. I begin to waver and doubt. And rather than call out to You, I do nothing. And then, as a result, I fail to enjoy Your powerful presence in my life. You told us we didn’t need a great deal of faith, we just needed a little. But that little faith needed to be direct at You, not at the outcome. We need to believe You are who You say You are. We need to come to You in our time of need. We need to bring out little bit of faith and trust You to do what only You can do. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org