Let us turn to this portion that
we've read, these few verses at the end of Mark chapter 4,
and directing you for a few minutes tonight to the words that we
find in the last verse, Mark 4, 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?" Last Lord's Day we were looking at
words in Matthew's Gospel, in Matthew chapter 14, and the incident
that's recorded there, verses 22 to 33, where remember the
Lord Jesus is walking on the waters, and at the end of that
passage the disciples are brought to acknowledge who Jesus of Nazareth
is of a truth they say thou art the son of God And in the course
of considering that passage of scripture I did also make some
reference to what's recorded previously there in Matthew chapter
8 at verse 23 following, which is the same incident that we
now have before us tonight here in the end of Mark chapter 4. Another incident where we find
the disciples in trouble, in distress, on the Sea of Galilee,
and how the Lord ministers to them. And tonight it's these
words that we have in verse 41. that I want to center on. What
manner of man is this? This is the reaction of the disciples
to the miracle that the Lord performs in stilling the storm,
acknowledging how the wind and the sea must obey him. What manner of man is this? Now, we see in the context that
previously the Lord himself has been ministering. We have in the former part, as
I said, that reference to the parable of the sower and his
seed, and we're told in verse 33, with many such parables,
he spake the words unto them, as they were able to hear. And then after that, it is that
the Lord wants to pass over to the other side of the Sea of
Galilee. but how the Lord had been ministering.
His parabolic teaching was one of the quite remarkable aspects
of his ministry. He was that one who was the preacher,
the fulfillment really of the prophetic office. that prophet
that was promised even back in Deuteronomy chapter 18 that would
rise up like unto Moses and yet also one so much greater than
Moses. The law was given by Moses, grace
and truth came by Jesus Christ and never man spake like this
man. He is said before us as that
one who is the prince of all preachers. And as I say, in the
context here, he's been preaching, we have that parabolic teaching,
we see him as the sower who is sowing the seed, as it were. And he says to them in the course
of that ministry, verse 9, he that hath ears to hear, let him
hear. He is very much a prophet, he
is very much a preacher, and of course we know that the miracles
are a significant part of his prophetic office, in that they
are the confirmation of him as that one who is truly sent of
God. When God gave the law through
Moses, there were many miracles, we can think of the wonders,
the plagues that were done amongst the Egyptians, That was a confirmation
of the ministry of Moses. We think of Elijah as that one
who is representative of the prophetic office and the ministry
of men like Elijah. And Elisha is also authenticated
by miracles and so too when we come to the gospel, the ministry
of the Lord Jesus Christ. is confirmed by these miracles. Remember the language that we
have there in the second chapter of John concerning the miracle
of the water being turned into wine. Now this beginning of miracles
did Jesus in Cana of Galilee and manifested forth his glory
and his disciples believed on him. And then in chapter 2, what
does Nicodemus say? We know that thou art a teacher
come from God. for no man can do these miracles
that thou doest except God be with him." How these miracles
are signs and that's how John speaks at the end of chapter
20 in his gospel these signs he says are written that you
might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and the
believing he might have life through his name. The miracles
then are subordinate to the the preaching ministry of the Lord
Jesus and the authentication and as with the Lord Jesus Christ
so in a certain sense we see that it was the same with those
who were his apostles. Their ministries also were authenticated
as Paul says at the beginning of Hebrews Chapter 2, verse 3, it says, "...how shall
we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first
began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by
them that heard Him? God also bearing them witnessed,
marked both His signs and wonders and with diverse miracles and
gifts of the Holy Ghost according to His own will." The ministry
then, the preaching, the prophetic office of the Lord Jesus Christ
is the important thing and the confirmation is to be seen in
the miracle. And what do we see here as a
result of the miracle? Now the words of the text, I
feared exceedingly and said one to another, what manner of man
is this that even the wind and the sea obey him." So I want
us to look just briefly at what he said here concerning the Lord
Jesus Christ as that one who is the man But Christ is that
One who is really God, manifest in the flesh, the God-Man. So
first to say something here with regards to that human nature
of the Lord Jesus, the reality of His humanity, and then secondly
to say a little again with regards to His deity. We did say something
with regards to that, of course, only last Lord's Day. But first
of all, the reality of the Lord's human nature and we see it we
see it in what he said concerning the Lord sleeping that is a human
activity is it not and we have it in the former parts of that
portion we read there arose a great storm of wind the waves beat
into the ship so did it was now full verse 38 and he was in the
hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow. He was asleep on
a pillow. And Dr. Gill comments saying
that this was a deep sleep, a sound sleep. This great storm that
blows up, it doesn't disturb the Lord Jesus. What a peaceful
sleep he must have been enjoying. We know from what the psalmist
says concerning God, He giveth His beloved sleep. And isn't
this that one who is the Beloved? In that sense Psalm 127 is messianic. Christ is the Beloved. Behold my Beloved Son. He says at the baptizing and
then again in the Mount of Transfiguration. My beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased, he gives his beloved sleep." And then the preacher
tells us in Ecclesiastes, the sleep of a laboring man is sweet. And the Lord Jesus is that laboring
man, and as he labors, so he needs to rest, he needs to sleep. Oh, we have not an high priest,
says Paul, that he's not touched with the feeling of our infirmities,
but was tempted in all points yet without sin. He knew nothing
about our sinful infirmities. We have to recognize that. He
was free from every taint of sin. There was nothing of original
sin. That is the truth that we learn from
the manner of his conception. He is conceived of the Holy Ghost.
and he is conceived in the womb of a virgin. He is not born by
natural generation. He does not partake of Adam's
sin, that sin that has come down the generations, who can bring
a clean thing out of an unclean. He is preserved from every taint.
of Adam's original sin, and he is one who is without any sin
at all in the course of all his earthly life. He is holy, he
is harmless, he is undefiled, he is separate from sinners,
he is made higher than the heavens. No sinful infirmities, but he
knew how sinless infirmities. He was a real human nature, and
he needed rest. He needed to sleep. We're told
how when he must need to go through Samaria in John chapter 4, he
walks, he comes to the well at Syca and he is weavied in his
journey. and he needs to sit down, he
needs to rest. What a wonderful truth it is,
the reality of the human nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. He
was as truly human as any one of us. A man there is, a real
man, touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Now, what was the cause of this
sleep? And it was a deep sleep. Well,
I've already intimated something of that. It's the sleep of a
laboring man. He is a laboring man. And he was very much engaged
in his calling, in his ministry. As I say, at verse 33, with many
such parables, with many such parables, spake he the word unto
them as they were able to hear it. In fact, I think it's Matthew
13 where we have a chapter that's full of parables. The Lord is
preaching constantly. He is that one who is the sower.
The sower soweth his seeds. And what is it that the sower
sows? Well, the Lord tells the disciples when he gives that
parable previously. Verse 14, the sower soweth the
Word. This is what the Lord was engaged
in, sowing the Word of God. When he comes to the end of his
earthly ministry, remember how he can pray to the Father there
in John 17. And now the work is completed. and he addresses the father and
speaks as one who is equal to the father although throughout
his earthly ministry he is subject to the father he says I have
glorified thee on the earth I have finished the work which thou
gavest me to do and what was that work? well he comes as prophet,
he comes as priest, he comes as king He is about now, of course,
to very much enter into the priestly aspect of that work. He's about
to make the great sin-atoning sacrifice. In John 17 we see
him as a praying priest, and in the following chapters we
see him as a sacrificing priest. And he is that one, he was the
Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. But previous,
previous to John 17, we have his prophetic ministry, chapters
14, 15, and 16, those discourses. This is the work, he has finished.
I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished. the work
that thou gavest me to do." And what does he go on to say there
in John 17, 6, "...I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou
gavest me." How did he manifest the name of God? Well, he preached.
He preached his doctrine that God had given to him. Again,
John 7, 16, "...my doctrine," he says, "...my teaching is not
mine." But here's that sentiment, and he had delivered that doctrine,
that teaching. And how he labored in the course
of his preaching, how he was that one who faithfully served
God. It was such a ministry, such
a discriminating ministry. How he was careful, how he was,
as it were, rightly dividing the word of truth. And we see
this even in his parabolic ministry and the great purpose of that
ministry. Look at how he speaks in verse
11 of this chapter, speaking to the disciples, unto you it
is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But unto
them that are without, all these things are done in parables,
that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they
may hear and not understand, lest at any time they should
be converted and their sin should be forgiven." What a ministry. Oh, it was a discriminating ministry.
Oh, it was a separating ministry. The Lord says to his servant
Jeremiah, if ye separate the precious from the vile, ye shall
be as my mouth. Well if that was true with regards
to the prophet Jeremiah, how much more with him who is the
greatest of all the apostles. The Lord's ministry was a costly
ministry. And he was careful with regards
to the words that he spoke. He never spoke one idle word.
What this cost him? What this cost him? Remember
when Paul addresses himself to Timothy and to Titus in those
pastoral epistles, he speaks of the ministry. He speaks of
elders which labor in word and in doctrine. Elders which labor,
and the word that he uses literally means to work with effort and
with toil. That's what it means to be so given over to the work that
it is costly. It's the word that's often used
with regards to the day laborer who is doing his task in the
fields all day and grows weary. Or when the Lord is tired, when
he is wearied, It's not because the work is a bitter and a grievous
work, but it's a tiring work, it costs him. Just as Paul is reminding Timothy
as a labourer in the word he must be diligent and persevering
rightly dividing the word of truth so the Lord Jesus is that
one who as a man gives himself all together gives himself over
to this great work this prophetic work this preaching this declaring
the doctrine that God has given to him, this fall and final revelation
of God that is to be seen in the course of all his teaching
and his instruction. The reality then of his human
nature. But turning in the second place
to how in the miracle we also see that revelation of his deity,
the divine nature. How do we see it in the way in
which he addresses the storm? Verse 39, He arose and rebuked
the wind and said unto the sea, Please be still. And the wind
ceased, and there was a great calm. Oh, it's the voice of the
Lord. See how the psalmist speaks of
that voice of the Lord that controls all the elements. Three times
there in Psalm 29 and verses 3 and 4. The voice of the Lords. says David, the voice of the
Lord is upon the waters, the God of glory thundereth, the
Lord is upon many waters, the voice of the Lord is powerful,
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. Is that not demonstrated
here in the miracle? it is the Lord Jesus Christ teaching
them by revealing himself to them as that one who is truly
the Lord, he is Jehovah, he is God manifest in the flesh and
therefore how carefully they must attend to what he says that's
the point, they are to listen to his ministry, they are to
attend to those truths that he's declaring to them Back at verse
9, He said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. See how the miracle underlines
the importance of what they have just been hearing. Or this is
that one, you see, whose voice is all-powerful, who can control
the elements. They must therefore carefully
listen. You compare with Now Luke records the same incident
there in Luke 8.18. Take heed therefore how ye hear,
he says. That to take heed to the Word
of God, that to take heed to all the teaching of the Lord
Jesus Christ. It is by His Word that the Lord
Jesus Christ is able to reign over the sea and over the wind
again. We have the language of the Psalm,
Psalm 89, verse 9, Thou rulest the raging of the sea, when the
waves thereof arise, Thou stillest them. Oh, the Lord Jesus, this
great preacher. What a voice is that of the Lord
Jesus. It's that same voice that is
heard in the Gospel. That same voice that is heard
in the Gospel. That voice that stills the storm
is the sign that speaks into the souls of sinners. It's the
voice of a king. And where the voice of a king
is, there is power. Remember that other great miracle
that he performs in John 11 when he raises his friend Lazarus
from the dead. And Lazarus had been dead four
days. His sister says to the Lord, Behold, he's stinking.
He was well dead. He was truly dead. And what does
the Lord say there at the grave of Lazarus? He cried with a loud
voice and said, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came
forth. He that was dead came forth. That's the voice of the Lord.
and he still calls those who are dead in trespasses and in
sins. He calls such sinners to himself. Tells us himself of that ministry,
John 5.22, verily, verily. Oh, he prefixes that statement
he's about to make with a double verily. He underlines, he underscores
it. Truly, truly the hour is coming
and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of
God and shall live. The Lord then is teaching them
here, he's revealing himself. This is the mission that he has
from the Father, In these last days God has spoken unto us by
His Son. And what a voice is that of the
Lord Jesus Christ. In His ministry then we see the
truth of His human nature, but we also have this revelation
of His divinity. He is God. And as God, He speaks
with all power and all authority. But not only is He revealing
His deity, here the Lord is also testing the faith of His disciples. What a ministry is this! Oh,
what a pastor the Lord Jesus Christ is, what a shepherd! How
He is mindful, you see, of His disciples, He's ministering to
them in all these events. His life is not a private life,
He's very much a public person, constantly engaged in His ministry.
Look at the question he puts to them there in verse 42 questions. Why are ye so fearful? How is
it that ye have no faith? He asks them. Interesting questions that the
Lord puts to them. I was struck by this comment
in William Mason's Daily Portions. He says this, does Mason, do
not judge God's love by sense and feeling, but by his word
and truth, the stability of his promise and the security of his
oath. Do not judge the Lord by sense
and feeling. So often we are guilty of that.
We judge God by our own feelings. instead of bringing everything
to the touchstone of the words of God. And this is what the
Lord is saying to them, you see. They're fearful. It seems they
have no faith. How they need to learn from the
Lord Jesus Christ Himself. What do we see of the Lord Jesus
in this incident? Well, where is He when this storm
is blowing up? Verse 38, he was in the hinder
part of the ship asleep on a pillow. All we're to learn of him, God
keeps his children. And God keeps his children in
the midst of all the storms and all the trials and all the troubles
and all the tribulations that are appointed for them in this
life. Oh, we have it in Scripture.
Look at Isaiah 54. or they were afflicted, tossed
with tempest, and not comforted. And what does the Lord say? With
great mercies will I gather them. Or those who are in that situation,
you see, tossed, troubled, afflicted, and they cannot see anything
beyond their immediate situation, their circumstances. This is
the case with the with the disciples. We might
say it's quite natural. We would probably be just the
same as they are. They're fearful. They think the boat's going to
sink. Though they're experienced fishermen,
it's a great storm. The waves have beat, it says,
into the ship, and it was now full. But the Lord is asleep. Oh, how they need to look to
Him and learn of the Lord Jesus Christ. There arose a great storm of
wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now
full. And he was in the hindered part of the ship asleep on a
pillow." Now the storm doesn't wake him, does it? As I said,
it's obviously sweet sleep, deep sleep, the sleep of a laboring
man. Doesn't wake him at all. But
what does wake him? Ah, the prayer. the prayer of
the disciples, they awoke him and said unto him, Master, carest
thou not that we perish? 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. Oh, they awoke him. They called
upon him. Isn't that what we're to do?
Isn't that what we see these disciples do in time and again?
Oh, remember Peter there in that passage we were looking at on
the Lord's Day, in Matthew 14. The Lord is walking upon the
waters. If it be thou, Lord, says Peter, bid me to come unto
thee. And Peter is on the water, and
he's walking to the Lord. But then all of a sudden, Peter's
eye, it seems, is taken off the Lord, and he becomes aware of
all the elements around him. and he begins to sink, and what
does he do? He cries out, Lord, save me. Lord, save me. What wonderful truth is in that
prayer, those three words. Who is he addressing? He's addressing
the Lord. He's acknowledging the Lord Jesus
Christ as that one who is truly his God. Will he not go on in
chapter 16 of Matthew to make his great confession, thou art
the Christ, the Son of the living God. He addresses the Lord, and
it's very personal. All that little word, me, Lord
save me, he says. And what does he desire? He wants
salvation. It's a wonderful prayer, Lord
save me. And as I said, these short prayers,
so pithy. Think also of the Syrophoenician woman, how she
wanted the Lord to help her with her daughter. Though the Lord
there is so trying her faith in Matthew 15, He seems to be
ignoring her. But she will not be denied. Oh, what perseverance in prayers! She will not have the Lord deny
her, she worships him and says, Lord, help me. And so the Lord
does afford that that she requests. Well, what does the Lord say
to these disciples here at verse 40? How is it that you have no
faith? How is it that you have no faith?
Again, in Luke's account, Luke 8.25, he puts it in a question,
where is your faith? May not the Lord put that question
to us many a time. Where is your faith? Where is
my faith? And we have to come so many times with that man in
the Gospel, Lord I believe, help thou my non-believer. Well if you're like me, sometimes
you have to confess that you are little more really than an
unbelieving believer. Or we're full of unbelief, we're
full of doubts, we're full of fears, that unbelief, it's the
sin which doth so easily beset us. What are we to do? It's that looking, always looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. No wonder these
disciples utter these words, what manner of man is this? Oh,
the Lord Jesus Christ, as he deals with his disciples, as
he teaches them, as he instructs them by by his parables, by his
miracles, by everything that he does and all that the Lord
would be that one who is truly our teacher and our instructor. What manner of man! I think of another of the miracles that
we have earlier in the book in chapter 2 where the Lord is performing
many miracles and they bring to him that paralyzed man, that
man sick of a palsy and they're carrying him on his bed and where
the Lord is in the house there's no room and you know the account
in the second chapter how his friends are so insistent that
they will yet gain access they clamber onto the flat roof and
somehow or other they manage to let the man down before the
Lord and how does the Lord address the man? Well, we're told, when Jesus
saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy
sins be forgiven thee. Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the
scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts. Why doth this
man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins? but God
only. And immediately, when Jesus perceived
in His Spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, He said unto
them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Where is it easier
to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or
to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may
know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins,
He saith to the sick of the pole, I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy
way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took
up the bed, and went forth before them all. And again we have this,
you see, insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God,
saying, We never saw it. on this wise, or we never saw
it on this wise. What manner of man is this? Or that we might know this man,
this lovely man, even the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord bless
His word to us. Before we turn to the Lord in
prayer, let us sing the hymn 290, the tune is
Baker, 292. Dangers of every shape and name
attend the followers of the Lamb, who leave the world's deceitful
shore and leave it to return no more. O Lord, the Pilate's
part perform and guide and guard me through the storm. Defend
me from each threatening ill. Control the waves, say peace,
be still. 290.