Jesus Cares

Scripture Passage

Mark 4:35-41

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 behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. ³⁷ A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. ³⁸ But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” ³⁹ And waking up, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Be silent! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. ⁴⁰ He said to them, “Why are you 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?”

Sermon Script

There is a word I hear you use a lot. OVERWHELMED.

You often say, “I feel overwhelmed.” Or, “I’m afraid I’ll get overwhelmed.” I’m sure a lot of you have been feeling that way these days. Writing exams and finishing up your school year.

I felt especially overwhelmed this week. June has been a month of go-go-go. But somehow, this week turned out to be the busiest of all. You’d think it was because of my ordination. Not at all. It had to do with everything else but the ordination service. Summer camp is approaching, so the Leadership Team and I’ve been busy planning for it. A member of our ESM congregation unfortunately passed away, so there was a funeral service yesterday morning. Some of us also had the mission training later that day, and we had to go to London and back for that. Lots of little things and details that built up to the weekend.

That wasn’t all. Towards the end of the week, something else happened. I was driving to church and a small object hit and cracked my windshield. It was beyond repair. I had to replace it – but it had to be before the weekend! I was scrambling at points, but it was a lot to handle all at once.

We feel overwhelmed when we feel like we are given more than what we can take all at once. When we are overwhelmed, we begin to panic and freak out. We have no calm.

That’s what we see in the disciples today. They encountered a deadly storm. As fishermen, they were used to dealing with storms at sea. But this was different. See how Mark describes it—

A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.

Mark 4:37

The disciples themselves were getting swamped by the storm. They didn’t know what to do. They became fearful. They lost all composure.

But he [Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

Mark 4:38

We can understand the disciples’ reaction. We would’ve done the same thing. They could not understand what Jesus was doing. He was not at all reactive. He was totally calm. They thought Jesus didn’t care.

When the storms come and we get overwhelmed, we feel that way. We ask ourselves, “Is God with me?” Does God see and care about what I am going through? The fear that we experience blinds and distorts our judgement. It makes us feel isolated and alone.

When the storms come and you feel overwhelmed, don’t try to deal with them on your own. You won’t be able to calm the storms. You will only get exhausted.

Remember that you are not alone. Remember that Jesus cares. You can hide and find shelter in his presence. Find your stillness in him. He will calm the storms, just as he did for the disciples—

And waking up, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Be silent! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.

Mark 4:39

Our ability to be calm in the midst of chaos comes from faith. In other words, from trusting in God. Trusting in God comes from knowing that he cares. Trusting itself can be difficult to do. We often doubt if the other person genuinely cares for us.

The way God cares for us may be a little different from what we think. We tend to expect God to show up and do what we expect him to do whenever we are in trouble – like genie in a bottle. The disciples were frustrated with Jesus because of that. He didn’t hold their hand when they were panicking. He didn’t move when they thought he should. How God cares for us is far greater than what we think.

There was one thing that the disciples failed to notice during the storm. Jesus never left the boat. He was right there with them. He was a calm presence for them. He made sure they got to the other side safely.

That is how God cares for us. There is never a moment when God is absent from our lives. Even in the midst of a storm, God is right there with us. God’s steadfast presence gives us the strength to be calm. God helps us get to wherever we need to be.

This wasn’t the only storm that the disciples faced. They faced many storms at sea with Jesus. You will find similar stories in the gospels. Then later, they had to face a different kind of storm. Not a literal one. But a time of violent scattering and persecution. Jesus said this to them—

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

The storms will always come. But don’t be afraid of them. Do not let your hearts be troubled or overwhelmed. Peter also wrote—

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

Find peace in God who cares for you. Peace that transcends all understanding. When you feel like you can’t handle it all, let God handle it. Experience God’s power that is greater than any storm. Find your comfort and strength in God alone.