The Greatest Threat | Mark 4:35-41

Who do you trust when you are threatened?

In Mark 4, the trust of the disciples is tested. Jesus gathers his 12 followers to board a boat and tells them, “Let’s go to the other side.” While on the boat a great storm arrives and in the middle of danger, the disciples are in disarray. They cry out for Jesus but are surprised to find him asleep. He awakens and puts the storm under control but in the same breath, rebukes the disciples for their lack of faith. For, the greatest threat was not the winds, the waves, or the danger. Rather it was the lack of faith by Jesus’ own disciples.

Likewise, the greatest threat in your life is not what you are going through, but what you believe while going through. The greatest threat isn’t always outside, sometimes it is inside. These disciples had seen Jesus perform miracles, teach to the multitudes, and claim authority, but when the threat of a storm arose, they were found lacking in their faith.

They should have known better because, first, Jesus told the disciples that they would make it to the other side. If Jesus provides the invitation, then you are guaranteed to get to the other side. We must be assured that if Jesus tells us something, believe that he will do just what he said. Many times, in between the proclamation and promise are problems. Yet if the Lord proclaimed it, then I must have faith that the promises do not compare to the problems.

They should have known better because, secondly, the disciples had Jesus present on the boat with them. If Jesus was there, he was all that was needed. We are reminded that the Lord is with us too. The Lord walks with us and talks with us and is our present help.

They should have known better because, thirdly, Jesus was not bothered by the storm. This is exemplified by Jesus being asleep. So if Jesus wasn’t bothered by the storm, why were the disciples? As disciples of today, we must know that storms don’t compare to the power of the Lord. There is no storm or danger too big for Jesus.

Out of this text, we discover that a faithless disciple is one of the greatest threats to Christianity. The question remains, Who do you trust when you are threatened?

Think about the last time you were afraid of something. What was the first thing you did? Now think about how your faith can help your fears.

The Same Faith | Mark 5:21-43

Delayed does not automatically equate to being denied. Although we must wait sometimes, our waiting should not diminish our faith.

Our selected pericope today presents two scenes of healing with very similar attributes. On one side, there is a well-off gentleman by the name of Jairus who has a severely ill daughter whom he asks Jesus to come and see. At the same time, there is an unnamed woman who interrupts Jairus’ story with her issues. To some, this interruption doesn’t seem fair, as Jesus was headed to take care of one person but stopped for another. To make matters even worse, while Jesus is making a pitstop, it is revealed that Jairus’ daughter died. At first glance, it appears unfair that someone else got in the way of the little girl’s healing and now it is too late.

Friends, in our own lives, we can feel as though the Lord is being unfair to us too. When we see others prospering, but we are still waiting, it can seem unfair. However, we must be careful not to compare blessings, as what the Lord has for you is for you and in his timing. The good news is that while everybody thought it was too late for the little girl, the Lord Jesus, after healing the woman on the road, still marches to Jairus’ house. At this moment, our friend Jairus must make a decision either to have full faith in Jesus or allow the delay to feed his doubts.

Simultaneously, Jesus challenges Jairus to keep the same faith he had when he first presented the problem. Jesus doesn’t stop to heal the unnamed woman to delay the little girl’s healing but to prove that what he’s done for the woman, he can do for the girl. In other words, Jairus received an example on the way to the solution. As a consequence of him keeping the same faith, his daughter was made well.

Many of us come running to Jesus’ feet with high, vibrant, healthy, and excited faith. Yet this faith becomes eroded because we are comparing ourselves with others, discouraged by delays, or listening to the doubts of the crowd. However, what we learn from this text, is the same faith we have when we come to the Lord, ought to be the same faith we have while waiting on the Lord.