Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome to Coronavirus. We've got a great story today. We're in March chapter 4 and we're gonna read from verses 35 to 41. That day, when evening came, He said to his disciples, let us go over to the other side, leaving the crowd behind, they took him along just as he was in the boat. There were also other boats with him.

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boats. So that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in a stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, teacher, don't you care if we drown? He got up, repute the wind and said to the waves quiet.

Be still, then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He sent to his disciples, Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? They were terrified and asked each other. Who is this?

Even the wind and the waves are banging. If you haven't been joining us so far this week, and in the previous weeks, we've been we've just come to the end of this section where Jesus has been teaching in parables, and he's been teaching us in every parable about the power of his word. So you've got the word of god, which is like a sea, which brings life and falls on different soils. You've got the word of god, which ought to be put on a stand and shared with others. You've got the word of God, which is God's words.

In other words, he is sovereign, and he will grow it as we sow it. And then you've got the power of the word which although looks small and insignificant, in the end, produces a life giving harvest. And so Jesus has been teaching about the power of his word, And now there's gonna be a story -- Yeah. -- which is gonna show the paradox is worked. You know, not in parallel form, but in in in in On the ground.

And what a story it is. Yeah. I mean, we we've only you know, we haven't got that long in these chrono chronicles. And we're at risk of like -- Yeah. -- of going very long because there's so much here.

But just first off to say, that that teaching that he was doing is obviously nattering to it. You know, he's he's he's wasted, isn't he? You know, he's he's in the boat sleeping. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. As as they take him across the lake, Yeah. So so, you know, he's teaching these people all day long. And and and all he wants to do is get his head down.

Get his head down. Right. And, you know, that's that's just just to point out, you know, Jesus, he he was the son of God, but he was also fully mad. He he he, you know, he got tired. Spend in energy.

And just to think about that, here's a man. And that's why people wanted people wanted to kill him. It didn't believe that he was the son of god, but his word was the thing that was, you know, supposed to show them who he was. They didn't wanna believe it. But we've got in this story, another example of the power of that word.

Yeah. We have. And and I think it as you say, you know, he's asleep and this storm is coming. Yeah. And, you know, the the the the dishonesty can imagine it.

I mean, apparently, this particular part or, you you know, this this sea of Ganity was was famous for its stalls. Yeah. Winds whip off the mountains, I'm thinking, generate these furious scores that could come quickly. So, I mean, I mean, it's interesting because Jesus is the 1 who initiates this journey. It's let us go, and he knows what's gonna happen.

Yeah. But it was possible to get caught out on this lake when he stormed. So you could set off when things were carm at the sun does apple. Yeah. Yeah.

And in a short period of time, you could be in some pretty serious trouble. That's clearly what happens. And the disciples are are just at their wit's end. You know, the boat is nearly swamped. By the way, they're fishing.

Right? I mean, ocean. Yeah. Not a walk with us. So you would know a few of them are fishing.

Yeah. So they knew what, they maybe knew what was capable of, but also this was a particularly bad storm. Yeah. And, you know, maybe the next story down will sort of point this point is to the fact that it might not just have been natural things going on here, but supernatural things. But, you know But either way, these these you know, experienced fishermen are, you know, rock to their core, aren't they?

They they think we're gonna we're gonna die. This is it. And that's what makes them shake Jesus out of his sleep. Yeah. Yeah.

Don't you care. We draw out. You know? Yep. With with honors.

Yeah. And then he gets up, doesn't he? Then rebukes the wind and the waves -- Yeah. -- as that sort of ties in what you're saying about spiritual element. Yeah.

It helps as well. But Yeah. That's another thing, I suppose. But he wrote and he says, quietly still, and then the window down, it was completely cold. Just, you know, it's 1 of those things you read, isn't it?

You think, like, say, you know, just to be trying to put yourself there and to think about what that would have been like. Just with 3 words -- Yeah. -- he turns this disastrous situation. Yeah. So we can't build.

I mean, you see you see those videos then on YouTube, like the power of nature. You know, when you see us or a tsunami or even just a surfing massive wave, and you just think, goodness me, creation you know, they call it mother nature sometimes. Yeah. It is a phrase. He is a Yeah.

Yeah. It should strike fear into you. Yeah. But here's Jesus. And the authority of his word with, you know, calms of stone and what, you know, with a word.

Amazing. It is, and I think as on that point, as as we take it back step and think about where we are in Mark, you know, this is 1 of the things that the gospel is trying to do, is just show us, particularly in these first 8 chapters, is who Jesus is. Yeah. And authority of sick, that's what we've seen. Authority over death, we've seen authority over nature, this is what we're seeing -- Yeah.

Yeah. -- and and actually all of this is building up a picture of the authority of Christ. Even though he sleeps as a man, Yeah. He is the authoritative. Yeah.

And and that's that's actually where they end up, isn't it? Is is he tells them off. For having little, you know -- Yeah. -- no faith. Yeah.

Because they're scared of creation. And it ends up what are these they're actually in the end. They are terrified. And, you know, of him, of who he is, you know, who is this man is the question they end up asking. Even the wind and the waves obey him.

Yeah. You know, they go from sort of being scared of this natural, you know, this natural disaster that's about to perform them. But in the end -- Sorry. The the 1 the 1 they're afraid of is the 1 that actually has shown his power over that that, you know, that that that nature. I love the way the King James trans translates this verse.

And they say they're terrified, they ask, and then they say what manner of man is he. Yeah. And I love that because it's like they know all different types of men. You know, we know there's this sort of matter, this sort of matter. This They've got these categories for interpreting men.

And Jesus doesn't fit into any 1 of Yeah. What manner of man is this? He doesn't belong in any other category of man. He he is he is Who who is this? You know, and and his his word.

And and, you know, so this is this is a challenge, isn't it, to us? Yeah. You know, as disciples, really, to to make sure we keep knowing Christ and listening to his word and trusting in his power. But it's also it's also a, you know, a challenge to people that might not be, you know, follows of Jesus. Yeah.

You know, doesn't this story make you question, who is this? That's that's the that's the question we wanna put to you. Who is this? And that doesn't this person deserve to be bowed before and worship you know, don't you want this kind of power in your life to, you know, to to overcome the storms that that come against us? Yeah.

You know? This is what this is what Christian is. Great question and leave it with me.