Sermon on Mark 4:35-41

4th Sunday after Pentecost | WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS THIS? | by Pastor Paul C. Sizemore |

Based on King James Version (1613)

³⁵ And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.  ³⁶ And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.  ³⁷ And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.  ³⁸ And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?  ³⁹ And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.  ⁴⁰ And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?  ⁴¹ And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS THIS? Mark 4:35-41, Proper 7-B, June 20, 2021

My friends, many more people living in our 21^st century world today, have a much greater understanding of “ACRONYMNS,” and of their proper usage, in their everyday speech, than the American people have ever had before.

Take for example, the acronym “YMCA,” which is an acronym for: “YOUNG MAN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION!” Or how about the acronym “FBI” that stands for the “Federal Bureau of Investigation;” or even the acronym, “LOL” that is a part of our Internet lingo that means to: “Laugh out loud!”

Certainly, many soldiers returning today from foreign wars, are often diagnosed years later as suffering from PTSD: POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.

And why is this true? Because in the more recent decades of International Warfare, many soldiers are now made much more aware as to how very great and large the horrors may be that they are egregiously experiencing, upon their first returning home and throughout their later lives.

Not that there were not a great many soldiers in both Grey and Blue Uniforms who later experienced PTSD in their lives, because a great many of them most certainly did!

Hopefully, today, those skilled doctors, nurses, and physical therapists, in the medical community have developed better methods and more successful ways to treat these soldiers’ horrendous physical and psychological afflictions. And this has especially been true, ever since our wounded soldiers started coming home from the War in Vietnam.

 

How grateful we should be as a nation too, for the Wounded Warrior Project that is a charity and veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs; services and events for wounded veterans of the military actions, that began soon at the September 11^th Terrorist Attack that took place in the State of Pennsylvania, and on the Dual Skyscrapers of the World Trade Center, and on even on the Pentagon way back in 2001, 20 years ago this coming September.

My friends, when it comes to Jesus of Nazareth, we may still find ourselves asking the big question today: “What manner of man is this?” And while there are many answers I could give to you in response to this very large question, I want to share only three of my answers with you.

WHAT MANNER OF MAN WAS JESUS, AND STILL IS JESUS, IN OUR WORLD TODAY?

(I).TOO FREQUENTLY, HE IS STILL OFTEN A MAN WHO IS TAKEN DEEPLY FOR GRANTED BY PEOPLE TODAY. Like the disciples of old, we can take Jesus along with us without a full awareness of who he is, what he can do, and why he is even along for the ride!

We can hear the Word about this Jesus but still lack the trust that would lead us to bow to him as our Lord and Savior. This is a partial reason for St. Mark including this account from Jesus’ life in his Gospel account!

Recalling the various aspects of our Gospel lesson today, it has been a busy, busy day for Jesus!

Our Lord had been teaching to the multitude of people gathered around him the Word of God even as he had been healing the sick and infirmed from most every affliction.

Now evening had come, and Jesus was ready to move on! There were other people and other places–always the call of the unreached and the untouched, the need to bring the Word to other areas of distress and ignorance. So, Jesus left the crowd, for after all, he had not come into our world to live solely completely off their adoration, but to serve them. So, it was now time to set out for the “other side.”

These disciples were fishermen, at ease with all that was involved in navigation on the Sea of Galilee.  They let Jesus fall asleep, probably feeling confident both in their ability o handle the boat and in Jesus’ presence. There was no apparent reason to bother him when all was going so well, and everything seemed to be under control; or so these gentlemen thought!

As does not this seem to describe our approach to things spiritual, too?  So long as we seem to have matters underneath our control, we are willing to let Jesus sleep. We don’t want him out of the boat, but we so often fail to remember that everything depends on him. So, the disciples let him sleep. After all, he had worked hard and deserved some time off. JESUS, HOWEVER, HAS A GREATER PURPOSE THAN GOING ALONG FOR THE RIDE OR BEING A PART-TIME LORD TO A HALF-FAITFHUL FOLLOWING OF SO-CALLED DISCIPLES!

Then a great storm of wind arose, so intense that the waves beat into the boat, filling it with water. How great the storms of our lives can become, almost to the point that it seems we will also perish. In their moment of anguish, the disciples recalled that JESUS WAS WITH THEM. AND THIS IS NEVER A BAD THING FOR ANY OF US, AT ANY TIME FOR US, TO RECALL!

PROBABLY, THE BIGGEST MISTAKE THEY WERE MAKING IN THOSE CHALLENGING MOMENTS, HOWEVER, IS THAT MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, THEY WERE TEMPTED TO BELIEVE THAT JESUS NO LONGER CARED ABOUT THEM! HOW TRAGIC! HOW SAD, INDEED!

WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS THIS?

(II). THESE DISCIPLES WERE ABOUT TO DISCOVER THAT THIS WAS A MAN WITH POWER.

Well, St. Mark tells us next, remembering that St. Peter was on that boat, and shortly after this, Mark became St. Peter’s personal secretary, that JESUS AWOKE FROM HIS SLEEP, REBUKED THE WIND, WITH THE SAME WORD USED HERE, AS WHEN JESUS REBUKED DEMONIC SPIRITS TO COME OUT OF AFFLICTED HUMAN BEINGS (Mark 4:39)!

What manner of man is this? Jesus wanted them to know. He wanted them o trust that he could handle the problems and situations, that the disciples of Jesus would be facing anew every day!

They would need to recall in time, just as we need to recall, in time, all that Jesus, by the power of his Word, was not able to do!  Although we may perceive that there are situations in life which are out of our control, the are never out of our Promised Messiah’s control!

What manner of man is this?

(III.) THIS MANNER OF MAN WAS A MAN WHO COULD ALWAYS BE TRUSTED AND RELIED UPON.

The next thing we know is hat Jesus acts to calm the storm in order that his people might trust him!  Jesus moves into action to bring about a renewed power of faith within his disciples! He keeps on moving in a positive direction towards us so that we do not perish, but rather instead so that we might turn back to him.

Our Lord and Savior wants to arouse a desire in us for him. He wants us to cry out to him in order that he may hear and answer us. He wants to hear us in order that he may save us. In this way, he teaches us to distrust ourselves and put our whole and ultimate confidence in him.

This MAN–JESUS–always acts with the power and the intent of the Heavenly Father.

For all that Jesus did to save us from sin, death, and the power of Satan, his great move was his move toward the cross of Calvary, whereas our Good Shepherd, he laid down his life for all of us whom he were called upon by his Heavenly Father, also, to be numbered now among his sheep!

Jesus calls us from fear to faith and furthermore teaches us that both tenets are mutually exclusive!  Fear must give way when Christ is present. The disciples should have known this but in the trying situation they were in they lost sight of Jesus, even though he was with them in the boat.

Their fear overcame their faith, and unfortunately, this can too easily, and too quickly, happen to us in the trying situations we find ourselves up against, in life too!

As fearful as all of Jesus’ first disciples were from that first Good Friday afternoon to late that first Easter evening, and even to one late Saturday night, after that, he came to them with words of peace.  “Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give to you!”

Then he breathed on them to fill them with the Holy Spirit, so that their joyful confidence could become powerfully renewed.

 

I am not sure about all congregations everywhere, but I am sure that the congregation I am presently serving, in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA, has many members old enough to remember those old television shows that aired each Friday night entitled: “THE LOVE BOAT” back in the 1970’s.

Every week, by the design of this very popular show, one poor lonely soul, be it a man or a woman, would find their love connection.  Sometimes life feels more like a one-way cruise on the Titanic, when we cry out: “Lord, don’t you care that we are about to die? If you are onboard, help us!”

When the disciples faced the vicious storm on Lake Galilee the must have felt that way. Fortunately, Jesus heard their desperate cries and stilled he empest and heir raging fear.

Their boat, seemingly bound for oblivion, became the LOVE BOAT BECAUSE JESUS IMPARTED THE PEACE OF HIS PRESENCE TO ALL WHO WERE ON THAT BOAT THAT DARK AND EERIE NIGHT!  Amen

—

Pastor Paul C. Sizemore

Trinity Lutheran Church

1205 Ridgewood Avenue

Daytona Beach, Florida, USA 32117