More and more, I am being
challenged to jettison the term “Christian” and talk about being a follower of Jesus. Isn’t that what it really means to be a
Christian? Only as we follow Him can we
know Him, experience Him and hope to become like Him.
This is wonderfully illustrated
in the lives of the twelve men who heard Jesus say, “Follow Me,” and did just
that. Join me in following with them
through an amazing night and day of their journey. As we do so, we will see Jesus as they saw
Him, as the Christ for Every Crisis.
In
the Crisis of the Storm
“On that day,
when evening had come, He told them, ‘Let's cross over to the other side [of
the lake].’” (Mark 4:35)
Jesus had spent a long day
sitting in a boat and teaching people gathered on the northwest shore of the
Sea of Galilee. In this natural amphitheater, He had used stories to
communicate vital truths about the Kingdom of God.
Jesus was teaching His followers
that they were not with Him just to
receive blessing. They had been called so that they could become channels of
blessing. He was equipping them to be servants. They were being entrusted with
a powerful, revolutionary message about the King and His Kingdom.
Now, Jesus decided that it was
time for an object lesson. He had business to do on the eastern shore of the
lake and on the way His men would learn faith in the grip of fear.
“So they left
the crowd and took Him along since He was [already] in the boat. And other
boats were with Him. A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over
the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But He was in the stern,
sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him up and said to Him, ‘Teacher! Don't
you care that we're going to die?’” (Mark 4:36-38)
It is easy for me to imagine this
scene. In 1978, our son, Rob, was with me in Israel. We had enjoyed a good meal
at our hotel in Tiberias, on the south shore of the Sea of Galilee. Before going back to our room, we walked out
onto a pier to watch the moonlight on the water and the lights on the Golan
Heights. Then, we stretched out on our backs and marveled at the brilliance of
the stars over Galilee. Not a breeze was stirring. The sky was clear. The only
sounds to be heard were music and laughter from the hotel, and the gentle
sloshing of lake water against the sea wall. We retired soothed by the
tranquility of such a night.
At about 2:30 a. m., I was jolted
from sleep by the crashing of thunder, the howling of wind and blinding flashes
of lightning. Sheets of rain were being driven against the hotel’s windows. I
had washed a pair of Rob’s jeans before going to bed, and had laid them on our
balcony to dry. When I rushed out to retrieve them, I was stunned to see the
lake, which had been so quiet a few hours earlier, now churned into angry
crashing turbulence. I thought, “This is what happened on that night that Mark
wrote about.”
Most of the men who were with
Jesus were experienced fishermen. This lake was home to them. They had been in
storms before, so this one must have been the mother of them all. The boat was
filling with water. They were powerless against its fury. They were afraid…and
Jesus was asleep.
Have you ever been afraid? Sure
you have. Show me a man who says that he has never known fear, and I’ll show
you a man who is either lying, or he doesn’t have a clue about the realities of
life.
Here’s the test. What do you do
when you are afraid?
King Jehoshaphat of Judah was
faced with an overwhelming invading force. In 2 Chronicles 20:3, the
Bibles says that he “was afraid, so he resolved to seek the LORD.”
When he stood before His people
to pray, he said, “We are powerless before this vast multitude that comes [to
fight] against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to You.” (v. 12)
Here is the answer to His prayer:
“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast multitude, for the
battle is not yours, but God's.” (v. 15)
This is the lesson Jesus was teaching
His disciples and us during that threatening storm. In their fear, they cried out to Him. He woke
without alarm. When he spoke, an immediate calm fell on the lake; no wind and
no rain. The danger, that had been so real, fled at His command.
“Then He said to
them, ‘Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?’" (Mark
4:40)
In retrospect, it is easy for us
to say, “Hey, guys, why were you afraid? Jesus had already told you that you
were going to the other side. Your destination was guaranteed. He was with you,
and He was perfectly at peace in the midst of the storm…so, no problem!”
Put that to the test the next
time you get a bad report from the doctor or the bottom falls out of the
economy. Then, paraphrase Jesus’ response to His men like this: “Okay, you were
a little slow making the call and a little shrill when you did, but you made
the right call. Count on this, storms will keep on coming, all kinds of them.
Some are going to be a lot worse than the one you have just been through. When
they come, remember tonight. And remember this; your faith is only as strong as
its object.”
John may have whispered under his
breath, “Whoa! Who is this?”
Staring at the glass-like surface
of the lake, Peter may have said, “I think that’s what He’s trying to tell us.”
- Being
in a storm does not always mean that you are out of God’s will. Jonah got into a storm because he was
disobedient. The disciples got into
a storm because they were obedient.
- Jesus
told the disciples that they were going to the other side. He did not promise an easy trip. He did promise a safe arrival.
- Because
Jesus is the Master of Circumstances, His followers can say, “I will both
lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, Lord, make me live in safety.”
(Psalm 4:8)
- The
greatest danger was not from the storm, but from the unbelief in the
hearts of the disciples. Our
greatest problems are within us, not around us. We must beware of “an evil heart of
unbelief.”
In
the Crisis of a Broken Life
In the first light of a new day,
the dark mouths of the caves along the lake’s southeastern shore may have
greeted Jesus and His disciples like the eye sockets of the dead. In reality, this place, on the edge of the
region of the Gerasenes, was a graveyard. That stark reality would have added
to the shock of what was about to happen. The adrenalin rush of the stormy
night had left the disciples shaken. Now, they were all but wiped out by the
screaming of a naked man who was running straight at them. Again, Jesus showed
no surprise.
“As soon as He
got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met
Him. He lived in the tombs. No one was able to restrain him any more—even with
chains — because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had
snapped off the chains and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to
subdue him. And always, night and day, he was crying out among the tombs and in
the mountains and cutting himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a
distance, he ran and knelt down before Him.” (Mark 5:2-6)
In our “civilized” Western world,
encounters with demon-possessed people are the stuff of Stephen King novels and
Hollywood horror films. However, in much of the world these fantasies pale in
the face of reality.
In 1979, my dear friend, Jimmy
Hodges, and I arrived in Uganda just as the madman Idi Amin was about to plunge
that country into eight years of unimaginable carnage. Before we went into the
bush for two weeks of village ministry, Missionary Webster Carroll gave us his
“this isn’t a game” field orientation. One segment went something like this:
“Fellows, this is a place of darkness; a place where the devil and his demons
have had free reign in the minds and hearts of people. If you go out there
carelessly, thinking that you know all the right words and moves, you will not
only get surprised, you might get hurt. Don’t attempt anything in your own
strength. Go in Christ’s strength, completely dependent on Him.”
Since then, I have had encounters
in Africa, Central America, Brazil and Haiti that I can’t explain. I have seen
people in the grip of something that unmasks the folly of our civilized
skepticism.
That morning, Jesus was
confronted with a man who was out of control. He couldn’t control himself. His
family couldn’t control him. Society labeled him as a hopeless menace. Its
answer was to isolate and bind him. Even that didn’t work. He was destroying
everything he touched and he was being destroyed. He was a walking dead man,
existing in a graveyard. He was a horrifying example of Satan’s plan for man.
Jesus said in John 10:10, “A
thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy.”
In 1 Peter 5:8-9, we are
warned, “Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling
around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm
in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your
brothers in the world.”
Describing us before we were
drawn to Christ, Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1-3, “And you were dead in your
trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to this worldly
age, according to the ruler of the atmospheric domain, the spirit now working
in the disobedient.”
Amazingly, while the disciples
were still wondering who Jesus was, they heard it clearly confessed by demons.
Having been ordered out of the man, the unclean spirit “cried out with a
loud voice, ‘What do You have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I
beg You before God, don't torment me!’” (Mark 5:7)
Satan and his demons know who
Jesus is, and they fear Him. In James 2:19, we are told,
“You believe
that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.”
As this pitiful man trembled
before Jesus, it is interesting to note that the multitude of demons possessing
him did not know what Jesus was about to do. They were begging Him not to cast
them into the pit of hell. They knew His power, but they couldn’t read His
mind.
We often give the devil more than
his due.
- He
is not present everywhere.
- He
is not all powerful and all knowing.
- He
is a fallen creature.
- He
cannot do anything that God does not permit.
However, in their arrogant
rebellion against God, men choose to cooperate with Satan’s destructive plan
for their lives. Because of this, our neighborhoods and campuses are full of
people who are out of control. Even though they may not be possessed by a
legion of demons, sin has accomplished the same terrible work in them that we
see in the Gerasene madman.
- Like
him, they have lost everything; homes, families, friends and decency.
- They
are bound by the chains of addiction.
- They
are without peace and purpose.
- They
desperately need to an encounter with Christ!
When Jesus gave the demons
permission to go into a herd of pigs, we see the finished product of the Thief,
death and destruction.
When people from the nearby town
heard that something was happening by the lake, they came running. One would
think that they would have rejoiced to find a man made whole, clothed and in
his right mind (5:15), sitting before a Man with power over demons. Instead,
the Bible says, “They were afraid. The eyewitnesses described to them what
had happened to the demon-possessed man and [told] about the pigs. Then they
began to beg Him to leave their region.” (Mark 5:15b-17)
Given a choice between people and
their needs over against anything that might have a negative impact on the
economy, it’s always the economy.
Jesus
is a gentleman. He does not stay where He is not welcome. The King landed
on their shore and they asked Him to leave.
We
should tremble as we see America doing the same thing. His name is the
most offensive word that can be spoken in our nation. Over and over, He is
being told, “You are not welcome in our courthouses, our libraries, our
classrooms and boardrooms.”
However, where Jesus has touched
and transformed a life, there is an undeniable witness to His saving power. Men
may treat the Bible with contempt. They may belittle the churches and scoff at
God’s law. But they cannot explain a new man. For as long as he lived, there was
a man among the Gerasenes announcing the good news about Jesus.
Every person who had known
anything about him before his deliverance knew that he was the proof of what he
was saying.
In
the Crisis of Desperate Need
Early that afternoon, the Christ
who had been rejected by the Gerasenes was enthusiastically welcomed back to
the shore near Capernaum. Jesus both repels and attracts.
“When Jesus had
crossed over again by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him
while He was by the sea.” (Mark 5:21)
In that crowd were two people with great need. One was a respected and wealthy religious leader
who was discovering that position and money could not save his dying daughter.
The other was an unknown woman who
had already lost all of her money and health. Now, she saw Jesus as her only
hope.
Before she could press her way
through the crowd, Jairus, the synagogue leader got Jesus’ attention and laid
claim to His time.
“He fell at His
feet and kept begging Him, ‘My little daughter is at death's door. Come and lay Your hands on her so she can get
well and live.’
“So Jesus went
with him, and a large crowd was following and pressing against Him.” (Mark
5:22b-24)
Jesus was on an urgent
mission. A young life was slipping away.
There was no time to be lost. No distractions could be allowed.
“Hold my calls. Cancel all of my
afternoon appointments. Don’t let anyone bother me.”
That’s how it is done when
important people are doing important things.
With Jesus it was different. He
is never surprised and He doesn’t wear a watch. When someone showed up without
an appointment, there was no waiting. When He was “on His way,” look out!
Something unexpected and good was about to happen!
As He walked through the streets
with the anxious Jairus, He was being thronged
by many, but He was about to be touched
by one. That timid touch got His undivided attention.
“A woman
suffering from bleeding for 12 years had endured much under many doctors. She
had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she
became worse. Having heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and
touched His robe. For she said, ‘If I can just touch His robes, I'll be made
well!’ Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she
was cured of her affliction.
“At once Jesus
realized in Himself that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the
crowd and said, ‘Who touched My robes?’
“His disciples
said to Him, ‘You see the crowd pressing against You, and You say, 'Who touched
Me?'
“So He was
looking around to see who had done this. Then the woman, knowing what had
happened to her, came with fear and trembling, fell down before Him, and told
Him the whole truth. ‘Daughter,’ He said to her, ‘your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be free from your
affliction.’” (Mark 5:25-34)
Jesus didn’t have to be told what
had happened when the sick woman touched Him. It was done. She was well. Still,
He did not allow her to slip away. He called her out of the crowd. Why?
He
wanted her to have more than a healing experience. He wanted her
to know Him and have a relationship with Him.
If she had touched Him and gone
away healed, she might have seen what happened as the magic result of a
superstitious action. He wanted her to know that she was the object of God’s
love. For as long as she lived, she would remember Him calling her “daughter”
as much as she would remember being healed. She probably talked more about Him
than she did about her health. One day,
she would lose her health again. In Him she had something that could not be
lost.
Can you imagine the turmoil in
the mind and heart of Jairus while Jesus was stopping in the street to deal
with this unclean woman? Then, his worst fears became reality.
“While He was
still speaking, people came from the synagogue leader's house and
said, ‘Your
daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?’” (Mark 5:35)
Just when it seemed prayer was
going to be answered, everything was lost! What if someone had stopped that
woman from distracting Jesus? Those precious lost minutes might have made the
difference between life and death. His shoulders sagged and the light of hope
went out in Jairus’ eyes.
“But when Jesus
overheard what was said, He told the synagogue leader, "Don't be afraid.
Only believe." (Mark 5:36)
Literally, Jesus was saying, “Go
on believing.”
He was telling Jairus, “It took
faith and courage for you to come to me in the first place. I know that your fellow synagogue leaders
would not approve of you asking me for anything. You saw what just happened
when that woman reached out to me. Now, don’t give up. Stay with me and keep
believing.”
After telling everyone else to
stay put, Jesus took Peter, James and John (Rocky and the Sons of Thunder) with
Him and followed Jairus home. Long before they entered the house, they heard
the wailing and warbling of the professional mourners. Everyone in the
neighborhood knew that the girl was dead. That reality gave what Jesus said
next a ring of absurdity.
“He went in and
said to them, ‘Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.’” (Mark
5:39)
Something is not
dead until Jesus says that it is dead.
Ignoring the mourners’ laughs of
derision, Jesus cleared the house of everyone but the grieving mother and
father and that trio of men on whom He was staking so much. He never conducted
a healing crusade or advertised His next big miracle. He was stirred with
compassion for broken hearts, and He was teaching vital lessons about
Himself. From the storm until now, this night and day had unfolded according to
His agenda.
Speaking in her mother tongue,
Jesus took the girl by the hand and said, "Little girl, I say to you,
get up!"
Here Mark used his favorite word.
He was inspired to write, “Immediately the girl got up and began to walk.”
In less than 24 hours, Jesus had
calmed a violent storm, delivered an out of control demon-possessed man, healed
a desperately sick and ostracized woman, and given a dead child new life. At
the end of all of that, He demonstrated simple, practical, common sense.
Turning to the girl’s “utterly astounded” parents, He said, “Give her
something to eat.”
When Jesus
brings life out of death, feed that which is now alive.
Back out on the street, James,
shaking his head, might have turned to Peter and John with, “And we thought the storm was something!”
Perhaps the Apostle Paul had
heard his first mentor, Peter, talk about that extraordinary night and day with
Jesus. No doubt, he had remembered it
time after time during the crisis of shipwreck, beatings, rejection and
sickness. He may have been thinking
about it when he was inspired to write:
‘In all these things we are more than
victorious through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor
life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor
powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will have the power
to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!’” (Romans
8:38-39)
It was true then, and it is true
now.
- Storms
will rage.
- The
devil will take his best shot.
- Health
will fail and death will come.
- Through
it all, He is more than enough.
- He
is the Master of Circumstances.
- He
is never dismayed.
- He
is always in control.
- He is the Christ for Every Crisis
All scripture references are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.
© 2010 Wayne Bristow
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