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On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. 37And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Mark 4:35-37 NASB
And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. Mark 4:39 NASB Where did this storm come from? Who stirred up the wind to cause the sea to begin to roar against the boat that Jesus and His disciples were in? While we don't know the origins specifically, we do know that Jesus gets up, rebukes the wind, and uses the words "Hush, be still." This combination of words and actions are used elsewhere when Jesus casts the demon out of the man in the synagogue. But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm. Luke 4:35 NASB When Jesus rebuked the demon, it is the same Greek word to describe what Jesus did when He rebuked the wind. When Jesus tells the demon in Luke 4:35 to "be quiet" it is the same Greek word when Jesus tells the sea to "be still". I believe there is a connection here. It seems that Jesus is handling this storm the same way He would a demon or a demonic influence that was at work. To dive deeper, read Job 1:19 and see that one of the attacks that Satan brought against Job (under God's authority) was the wind. Let's assume that this storm came from Satan to afflict or try and prevent Jesus and His disciples from getting to the other side. Satan is using the wind and sea as a way to bring about fear, anxiety, and worry with the hopes that they would turn around; or even better, perish. Satan had something on the other side of the sea that he did not want Jesus touching; namely dominion and influence. The wind and sea became instruments that Satan was using to afflict and cause pain. Satan's work has not changed since then; he still uses things of this world to afflict God's people. One of Satan's primary tactics is to render God's people useless by causing them to be paralyzed by fear. This is the reason for the enemies afflictions, trials, storms, and temptations that we all face. He is no match for the Spirit within us; so he afflicts with the goal of getting us to surrender our power and authority we have been given through Christ. What we are about to see in Mark 5 is that Jesus is going to take something that Satan is using and turn around to demonstrate His power; namely the sea. He is going to turn the sea of trial into a sea of triumph; a sea of bondage to fear into a sea of freedom. The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” 13Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea. Mark 5:12-13 NASB The same Sea of Galilee that was being used by the enemy to afflict and bring about fear, has just been used as an instrument of God to bring about freedom to a man. The enemies attempt to bring bondage did not succeed, but our God always succeeds. When we say "what the enemy meant for evil, God will turn it for good", we mean that our God is so much higher, more majestic, so mighty that even the plans of our enemies are used and turned for the purposes of God. My wife and I went through a horrible trial in 2015. Our marriage was on the brink of divorce and I could not see how God could restore. The enemy had come in between us with the purpose of bringing about death and pain for generations to come. The trial was unbearable. Yet, one year later God worked in me and my wife's heart and restoration began. It was a miracle of God! But that wasn't all God was up to. God had used that trial from the enemy as a way to teach me personally the importance of sowing into my wife and kids more than I was sowing into others through ministry. God had taken the potential divorce, the pain, the sleepless nights, and the heartache that the enemy wanted us to drown and perish in, and used it to drown my apathy towards my family in. Without the storm I would have never experienced the freedom that God brought. My God turned a sea of trial into a sea of triumph. Are you facing a trial from the enemy right now? That trial and storm is not unique. But what is unique is realizing that there is no safer place to be than in the boat with Jesus. He will bring you through; but if you set your mind on things above, He will use that trial as a means of freedom and growth that you may not even recognize you need. Trust Him; He is better at navigating and reversing the storms of life than we could ever be. Questions to Consider: 1. Have you ever experienced freedom that came as the result of a trial? How did that come about? 2. Think of some of the things that Jesus has set you free from. Take sometime to thank the Lord for His deliverance.
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And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? 31“It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, 32yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE.” Mark 4:30-32 NASB
How large does this little mustard seed become? Jesus says that when this little seed has grown it will be larger than all of the other garden plants with large branches that will provide shade to the birds of the air and a place for them to nest. As we read the parable of the sower of seeds we come to realize that Jesus is talking about the hearts and minds of people, not actual wheat. What does Jesus mean by "birds" here in verse 32? Two times in the gospels Jesus uses the term birds to describe two different things. One is in reference to human affairs and worrying, and the other to describe spiritual, satanic entities. The first is found in Matthew 6:25-26: “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? In the verses, Jesus is demonstrating the care-free lifestyle of birds in comparison to worries that humans face. Jesus is trying to get us to see how birds do not worry, yet they have all that they need, so why do we worry. The worries and cares of this world are experienced by everyone to different degrees. But a constant state of worrying or anxiety will often reveal a double-minded heart, or will lead to double-mindedness which will choke out the life of Christ in us. When we worry or have anxiety, it is usually because we do not fully trust in the good and all satisfying God of creation. A life of constant worry cannot be endured for a long period of time. If worry and anxiety are not dealt with, it will eventually lead to isolation which leads to depression and eventual death; spiritual or physical. This is why we as a church need to understand what Jesus is trying to show us and how important these verses in Mark 4:31-32 are for those who do have the seed of God growing in them. The word that Jesus uses for “nest” in verse 32 means to take up quarters or set up camp; to find a place to dwell. There are many people in this world (maybe even you reading this) that need a place to come and dwell and camp-out for a while. The scorching sun (see Mark 4:5-6) is beating down on them and they cannot endure it any longer. They are afraid, worried, anxious, and they feel alone. They are about to wither away if they cannot find a place of shade to dwell under. This is what the church is meant to be. A tree that has grown with large branches for the "birds of the air" to come to when they need rest. The beautiful thing is once they experience that type of rest, they will no longer desire to leave the secure branches of the shade tree. Jesus, Himself is our example in this. He made it clear who He was calling to Himself in Matthew 11:28 when He said: "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." That heart of Christ and mission of Christ is now being continued through His church. Have we allowed the seed of God in us to grow to such an extent that we now are a place of shade and refuge for those facing the scorching trials of this world? But that's not all that Jesus describes these beautiful, large trees as being. He says that the birds of the air will be able to nest "under" us. The word for “under” in verse 32 means to come under the authority of someone as a subordinate; to come under and remain under someone else. Jesus is saying that when this seed has been sown, and when it has become fully grown, it will be a place for the birds of the air to come up under and experience shade. This is a great picture of what we call discipleship today. Not only are we to be a place of rest from the worries of this world but we are also to lead, direct, encourage, and teach those that have come up under us. We are to direct them to God's word and show them what God says about the bombardment of lies from the devil and this world. Lucifer is raging right now like the blazing, burning sun. He has a purpose of destroying lives and keeping people blinded to the gospel. As people of Christ, we need to realize our calling in response to this activity of the devil. Let us be a place that provides shade and instruction to those being afflicted today. This isn't the role of a pastor; this is the calling of anyone who has the seed of God growing inside of them. Trust in the word that was sown in you and let it grow, stand tall, and see how God will use you to show His love to those in need. Questions to Consider: 1. Do you know someone that is facing trials right now? How can you be a place of shade to them? 2. Who is someone that provided shade and instruction to you during trials in your life? Maybe they need the same encouragement they provide to you. I encourage you to reach out to them as the Lord leads. “In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. Mark 4:16-17 NASB
Have you ever noticed that when God reveals something new to us through His word or through His church we will often face something that is completely contrary or that is in opposition to that word? Or within a matter of hours or days we will be given the opportunity to practice what was revealed to us. Jesus, in Mark 4:17 reveals this spiritual principle to us. In verse 16, a seed was sown in someone who did not have depth of soil but instead had a rocky foundation. The person receives the word with joy and the seed shoots up quickly. The picture here is that this person has the seed within their mind, they understand it and are joyful over it, but the seed has not yet entered the deeper places of their heart where it can be firmly rooted and produce fruit. So when affliction, trials, and persecutions come about because of that word, they have no depth and the seed withers away by being scorched by the trying, afflicting sun. Jesus says that the reason for the affliction and persecution that comes is because of the word. Verse 17: then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. The word is the reason for the afflictions and persecutions. Why is that? We find a reason for that in Psalm 105:19 which says: Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. What the psalmist is revealing here is that a person received a word. In the waiting for that word to manifest itself or come about, the same word of the Lord tested him. When we receive a word or revelation, the Lord will then test that word so that the "seed" moves from our minds into our hearts. The problem with this person in Mark 4:16-17 is that they had no depth of soil for the seed to move into and instead it was scorched by the sun and it withered away. The word was nothing more than any other idea that we can let go when times get tough. But imagine what would have happened if this person held onto that word despite the afflictions. Imagine if this person had other people around him to cultivate a deeper understanding of what was happening. Transformation would have happened in them and they would have seen the word come to pass instead of becoming another statistical tragedy. The reason for the sower of the seeds parable is to teach us that the word of God was never meant to stay on the surface of our minds. Instead, it is meant to move into our hearts and then into action. For that to take place a testing of the word is necessary. For example, the Lord may reveal to you that He is a God who heals. Then in the coming days you will encounter someone who is in need of healing. In that moment, the revelation you received of God being a healer is still in your mind. You believe it intellectually but the Lord is trying to move it into your heart so that it becomes something experiential and real instead of theoretical. Or, another example would be that the Lord reveals to you the power of fasting. Then shortly thereafter a friend will speak to you about how they are going to be fasting and would like to have someone do it with them. The planted revelation of the power of fasting is now being tested by the Lord in your life so that you can experience the power of fasting firsthand, instead of only reading about in the bible. Or, how about another. We hear that "God will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory" (Phil 4:19). Then we face a financial crisis or affliction soon thereafter that tests that word we just received. In that moment we can believe the word of the Lord and see God's provision and mercy like never before, or we can become scorched by the trial, grumble, complain, and fall away. This is why Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:7 that in the last days there will be men who will come who will be "always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." The word for "knowledge" there does not mean head knowledge or theoretical understanding. The word means an experiential knowledge. Knowledge that is gained through a first-hand relationship and experience. Learning is extremely important and valuable but we have not been called to be hearers of the word; we have been called to be doers. Look for the opportunities that God has provided to take what He has shown you and move it into practice. And if you are facing afflictions or persecutions because of what God has spoken, rejoice! -- because breakthrough is coming if you endure. He has, He will, and He is bringing about those tests to prove His word to be true and trustworthy in your life. Questions to Consider: 1. What is something that God is showing to you right now? Have you been given the opportunity to put that revelation into practice? 2. Following Christ and the life of faith has a risk element to it. What are some areas in your life where you can take a risk to see God move? 3. Do you know someone facing a trial right now? Will you reach out to them with encouragement to keep trusting in what the Lord has revealed to them?
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