Mark 4:35-5:43, What Are You Afraid Of?

Mark 4:35-5:43, What Are You Afraid Of?

Mark chapter 4 verse 35. And to all of chapter 5 hear the word of the Lord. On that day when evening had come he said to them let us go across to the other side and Leaving the crowd they took him with them in the boat Just as he was and other boats were with him and a great Windstorm arose and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was already filling.

But he was in the stern asleep on the cushion and they woke him and said to him teacher Do you not care that we are perishing. And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea Peace be still and the wind ceased and there was a great calm and he said to them Why are you afraid?

Have you still no faith. And they were filled with great fear and said to one another Who then is this? That even wind and sea obey him. They came to the other side of the sea and To the country of the garrisons.

And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat immediately There met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs and no one could bind him anymore. Not even with a chain. For he had often been bound with shackles and chains.

But he ridged the chains apart and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him night and day among the tombs and on the mountains. He was always crying out in bruising himself with stones.

And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him and crying out with a loud voice. He said what have you to do with me Jesus son of the Most High God. I adjure you by God. Do not torment me.

For he was saying to him come out of the man you unclean spirit. And Jesus asked him What is your name? And he replied? My name is Legion for we are many. And He begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.

Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside and they begged him saying send us to the pigs Let us enter them. So he gave them permission and the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs and the herd.

Numbering about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea. The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country and people came to see what it was that had happened.

And They came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man the one who had the Legion sitting there clothed and in his right mind and they were afraid and those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man into the pigs and they began to beg Jesus to Depart from their region as he was getting into the boat.

The man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him and he did not permit to him but said to him go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.

And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him and everyone marveled. And When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side a great crowd gathered about him and he was beside the sea.

Then came out one of the rulers of the synagogue Jairus by name and seeing him. He fell at his feet and implored him earnestly saying my little daughter is at the point of death come and lay your hands on her so that she may be made well and live.

And He went with him and a great crowd followed him and thronged about him and there was a woman who had been who had a discharge of blood for 12 years and who had suffered much under many Physicians and had spent all that she had and she was no better but rather grew worse.

She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment for she said if I touch even his garment, I will be made well. And immediately the flow of blood dried up and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease and Jesus perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him.

Immediately turned about in the crowd and said who touched my garments. And His disciples said to him you see the crowd Pressing around you. And yet you say who touched me. And he looked around to see who had done it.

But the woman knowing what had happened to her Came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth and he said to her.

Daughter.

Your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your disease. While he was still speaking there came from the rulers house someone who said your daughter is dead why trouble the teacher any further.

But overhearing what they said Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue Do not fear only believe. And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue and Jesus saw a commotion People weeping and wailing loudly and when he had entered the house, he said to them Why are you making a commotion and weeping.

The child is not dead but sleeping and they laughed at him but he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and Those who were with him went in where the child was taking her by the hand.

He said to her Talithi comey, which means little girl. I say to you arise and immediately the girl got up and began walking for she was 12 years of age and they were immediately overcome with amazement and He strictly charged them that no one should know this and told them to give her something to eat.

May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word. Well, what are you afraid of? And you won't want to share the deepest darkest fears, maybe we have a little sharing time and come up anybody.

Want to share?

No, well, what are the leading? Kinds of fear called social phobias that they call them. That is the fear of being rejected by others of being humiliated being shunned singled out for scorn. You know coming up and saying I fear this and everyone looking that's weird when you do that for.

So for many people they fear public speaking. A couple of months ago Raymond came up to me right after a sermon and asked me how I could speak in front of people that that's scary. Well, we fear public speaking not really because we think people will get violent with us.

You know if I say something that you don't like I don't. I don't really think you're gonna start throwing things at me. But we fear that will be rejected that will bore people and fear that maybe you'll be thinking Why would he please stop talking?

I want to get to lunch. People fear all kinds of things. They fear enemies maybe literal ones who will reject you speak in public or impersonal ones like viruses or Poverty. People who fear poverty will work and work and work.

Even years after they've earned lots of money and they have a paid-for house and are debt-free. But they'll keep working incessantly. No vacations. No time with family or church. Because they still have this haunting feeling that poverty is going to overtake them at any moment.

We think money is the solution to the fear of poverty. But fear is it reasonable? Some people feel the dark let the enemy lurking in the dark and so they'll sleep with the light on others fear heights.

So they'll stay out of tall buildings some fear flying. So the lonely drive. Some single young people fear loneliness and that they'll be single and alone all their lives and so they will compromise and they will settle for.

Some relationship maybe in a moral relationship in order to avoid loneliness. We had a lady who attended here with us for a while. Who was so afraid of being lonely that she was living with a man that she wasn't married to and she told us she knew It was wrong.

But that she was just too afraid of being alone. Fear like that for that lady can be used to manipulate you to make you do things. You know, you shouldn't. Of course a lot of people fear death. Death is their enemy.

I really should say probably all of us. Fear death at least some aspect of it. Maybe at least fear how you're gonna die. There are there aren't a lot of pleasant ways to die. I don't think of. Maybe if you go while you're under anesthesia.

When you don't even know it maybe that but there's not a lot of pleasant ways to die. We got well fear of some unpleasant way of dying. A lot of people are controlled though by that fear. I don't think there's nothing wrong with having a fear of death.

It helps you maybe avoid some things you should be avoiding. But the issue is whether you're controlled by that fear. Hebrews chapter 2 verse 15 Says that many people in this culture this world are lifelong slaves of their fear of death.

They'll do anything to avoid death.

So they're a slave.

To it.

We've seen a lot of that in this pandemic over the last year and a half it at first, you know. It last March of these 2020 and we had to remember the 15 days to slow the spread 15 days. It'll all be over.

I assume that the fear would only last a little while. That I thought I remember in March of 2020. You could get people to wear masks and socially distance and hand sanitize and stay out of school and out of stadiums and church other assemblies.

You can get them to do that stay afraid maybe for a few weeks maybe a couple months at the most and. Then that fear will I thought? Would evaporate that. It would be like a fire. It'll kind of burn itself out and then we'll go back to normal.

That reason would prevail. Soon and sure we'll take special precautions, especially for the vulnerable. Particularly for the seniors like protecting nursing homes and so forth. But I thought after a little while the rest of us would.

Relax.

Especially as the statistics began to show that the dangers from kovat to healthy not elderly people. With small and I'm sure there's exceptions but for most healthy not elderly people. There's there's not a lot of danger from it.

So I thought the fear it's gonna it's gonna go away after a little while. Boy, was I wrong? The fear of death keeps people as Hebrew says in lifelong. Slavery so some people now. Some people now are ready for a a permanent pandemic.

I think they think they can live perpetually. Mask and separated and alone in their house to keep the fires of fear burning. We've even invented a new thing. They call it fear porn. Like some people are addicted to pornography to the fear addict.

To keep themselves, you know in the state of hysteria to keep that fear just burning. They will regularly fuel those fires of fear with fear inducing news. Always the most fearful interpretation of things, you know, if the pandemic is going down.

Well, there's gonna be a a variant or something like that fear mongers cater to that addiction. And so the fearful they like the fear mongers. So there's hysteria even for a disease that for people under 65.

There's about a 99 survivability rate and now even higher for the vaccinated and for children the danger to children from covert is minimal and when I when I see masked children in public, I think.

Hysteria.

There are at least the parents of the children are in lifelong slavery to the fear of death. They're more afraid of death Than they are of loneliness or poverty it turns out. But what are you afraid of?

What's your enemy? That makes you fear. Is it a virus? Is it poverty? It's a loneliness. And Christian theology. We have three main enemies that we're told that we're warring against the world the flesh and the devil usually said in that order.

I don't know why but that's usually the order it said. Here we see in this this story in this account we read That Jesus is victorious.

Easily.

Over our enemies so we don't have to fear them here in this story. He rules In the order we find in this passage over first the world. Second the devil and then the flesh or the body but there is still a fear that we need.

Jesus Rules Over the World

Well first Jesus rules over the world now. He's had a very busy day. He's just taught on the kingdom of God. That's the rule of God what it is like what we looked at last week in those parables. He taught that from from the boat.

Remember he's on this boat and using the lakeshore like an amphitheater. Now instead at once he's done instead of done teaching instead of dismissing the crowd and then coming ashore. He tells his disciples in verse 35.

Let's go to the other side of the lake. So they left by boat notice at the end of verse 36 says there were other boats there, too. There were some people listening to Jesus from their own boats, which is just one of those facts.

That you find again. When it's history, you know, not a legend. It can take about six hours to cross the lake the Lake of Galilee and so Jesus. He's tired from a long day of teaching. He sleeps at the rear the stern of the boat on the cushion there I think he must have been a very sound sleeper because the boat is being rocked by the waves and Some of the waves were splashing into the boat and beginning to fill it says it's a wind storm.

So there apparently wasn't any rain the Wayne rain would almost certainly woke him up. But it's a wind storm and there's a lot of waves and the the disciples are panicking and but he's he's still sound asleep and the storm got dangerous and storms are storms are a cause of fear at Least four disciples you've asked how bad was this storm?

Well at least four disciples are fishermen and so they're sailors. They're professional sailors. They're used to this lake. They know what it's like and they were panicking. Now when the professionals are terrified that things are dire.

Things are dire. So in verse 38, they wake up Jesus and exclaim in their fear teacher. Which is a term of respect, but then they immediately Practically insult him. Do you not care that we are perishing, you know, basically Jesus.

Where's your empathy? How could you sleep when we're about to die fear of death has made them disrespectful and.

Unbelieving.

They sounded awful lot like reading that the disciples here. They sounded awful a lot like people in our culture over the past year and a half. You know if you try to reason with some of these fear addicts.

It's a way to be reasonable to take precautions. But if you try to reason with them often, they'll shoot back. Don't you care? We're going to die now. In the case of people around here in our culture, well, they're.

They're the world and that's what you can expect. This life is all they have and. So they they shudder in the fear of death, they don't have any way to master the fear of death. Instead they are mastered by it.

They're slaves of it. They will do what the fear of death tells them to do if it tells them don't stay locked in their home with mask on. The rest of their lives they'll do it. But for these disciples, they should know these disciples here.

They've just heard about the kingdom of God. They should know about Jesus. They should know that the master of death. And of the world is With them in the boat. Now it's it would be okay for them to have waken up Jesus and politely ask him Lord, we have a problem here.

Would you please take care of it? That would be fine and just let him do it. Watch him do it.

Instead.

They panic.

So after Rebuking the wind wait who rebukes wind. Thought about that rebuke the wind you talk to wind. For who can order a disorderly storm to stop. Like a parent can order a disorderly child to stop.

Notice verse 39. It's not some kind of magic he's doing he doesn't say any kind of incantation. So we have to say the power words to make the storm still know he speaks to it and he orders it to stop.

Peace.

He rebukes storms. And they settle down. He commands it be still and There's a great calm suddenly a tranquil smooth lake. He could order the coronavirus to go and it would have to go now who can do that as the psalm says He's got the whole world in his hands.

He is Lord of the whole world of earth and of nature now people today fear what nature can unleash. Maybe a virus. Maybe a global warming climate change. They fear that there's nothing wrong with being reasonable and taking precautions.

But they fear it because they don't believe in him. Who can rebuke nature. Who can command the world what to do. Not that we ignore nature, you know, don't go sailing on a stormy lake. Expect Jesus to bail you out.

Don't do that. Don't get close to infected people and expect Jesus to Be like be like your mask and prevent you from getting infected. Don't cut down all the trees and expect Jesus to save you from your foolishness, but don't live in fear.

Or he will rebuke you. After he rebukes the wind. He rebukes not all the unruly world, but then he rebukes the unbelieving disciples. Why are you so afraid? Professional sailors, they knew this was a dire situation.

But Jesus why are you so afraid. Because they were slaves to the fear of death. Have you no faith. Or she said I have you still after all you've heard after all you've seen from me. All right. Are you still?

So empty of faith. Faith here. He means it's not just gonna be an optimistic attitude. Things will turn out. Okay sure. There's a bad-looking storm, but I believe we'll make it.

Or.

Believing in the statistics like about kovat, you know, there's a 99 survivability rate. Maybe there was a 99 survivability rate in crossing the Lake of Galilee in a storm. I don't know but statistics are cold comfort when you're faced with something Terrifying and if you get covered you probably telling you your 99 survivability rate.

That might not allay your fears. So no, it's not just faith in percentages or likelihoods. But here faith in Jesus who is the king of the kingdom of God who has said that the kingdom That is the rule of God is here.

So how. Can a mere storm something from the world? How can a mere storm?

Overrule him.

So he rebukes the disciples for fearing Because they were not believing. Now I should say he rebukes them for fearing the wrong thing. They feared the storm So fear death. Because of their fear they disrespected the one who rules the storm.

So I.

Assume he's now he's standing in this boat having said peace be still now a stable boat on a tranquil Lake and They look at him.

With fear.

In verse 41 it says they were filled they were filled with great.

Fear.

Not at the storm. It's gone. Great fear and Greek. It's Megaphobia, but you know those words already don't you great fear? They should be filled with fear. That's the right fear. Because Jesus is Lord of the world.

Jesus Overrules the Demonic

Well, what are you afraid of.

You afraid of the world the viruses or storms of nature if so. You fear the wrong one. Or do you fear the spirits if you're the demonic maybe the devil. Are you afraid of the devil? Well in chapter 5 Jesus and the disciples arrive on the other side of the lake in Gentile territory.

Right the way he started from where Jesus started on the western side of the lake Jews live mostly and on the other side Gentiles, so he's crossed into Gentile territory a region called the Gerasenes and immediately a man comes out in verse 2.

Notice it says out of the tombs. He liked to live in the tombs in verse 3. He lived among the tombs where people are buried. Now this disturbed man was living with the dead the demonic likes death. Now in about a month we'll have Halloween which is in part a celebration of death of the macabre of the fearful a Popular Halloween decoration you can go probably go in Walmart and buy it right now.

Let's put down the Walmart and buy decorations that would make this demonic man feel right at home. That is they have they might they sell these fake graves. You seen them fake tombstones you put up in your yard and it makes your yard look like a cemetery a place for the dead.

Well, that's for the demonic. Christian should have nothing to do with that. Aspect of it with the macabre the deathly and the demonic now if you can separate out from Halloween the kids in the superhero costumes getting candy.

If you could separate that out from the celebration of death and terror and the demonic that's fine I think let the kids play let the kids have their candy, but don't live among tombs like this man. Christians don't celebrate death.

He had an unclean spirit in verse 2. But as it gave him supernatural strength so that he can break the chains that people had tried to bind him with. So he was terrifying all the people in that area night and day it says in verse 5.

He was crying out. He's he's howling. He's moaning. He's groaning. He's cutting himself with stones as Jesus approached by boat. He sees him from afar. And so he is right there goes rushing up to him and he's right there just at that moment Jesus steps out of the boat onto the shore.

Literally, he's a welcoming party from hell and he shouts out in verse 7. What have you to do with me? Jesus son of the Most High God. Now the demons in this man recognized who Jesus was he's son of the Most High God and he screams out why are you here?

Well, they can only think of one reason.

To judge them.

To send them to hell that. They assume that's what he's come for. I they say I endure you that is I urge you I request All I can I beg you he says by God. I think it's interesting that even the demons appeal to God.

It's like the only leverage they have. That's the only thing they could think of so to appeal to. Do not torment me. They knew that Jesus was the judge and that he was the one who will one day Sentence them to eternal punishment.

And so they see him and they assume that that day had come the demons fear and tremble. So in verse 8 the demons were. He was screaming. They were a begging not to be tortured because Jesus had told them to leave the man and they thought you know.

They thought this is the end. This is the final judgment. It's come now and then in verse 9 Jesus asked them What is your name and the demons replied? My name is Legion. For we are many a Legion is an army like a division in the army today.

There's an army of demons in him and in verse 10 the army of demons begs. Jesus notice that in verse 10 The demonic army a whole army of them of demons you think that's powerful right. An army of demons.

They're begging.

No, we beg. When we have no power, we have no leverage when we have nothing that we can offer To get what we want. We have no money. We have nothing we can provide. All we can do is beg here. That's the position there and there's nothing that they could do.

They have no way to resist them. So they desperately Beg, that's the only thing they can do. Even an army of demons Has no ability to Resist Jesus's command. That's how powerful he is, but it's not yet time for the final judgment for them being sentenced to hell.

So they were wrong about that. And so Jesus grants their request to be sent into the herd of pigs. Those are unclean animals. And so about 2 ,000 of them of those pigs React to the demons by stampeding down a steep embankment right into the lake and there they drown.

Now modern people read all this and think that's just too incredible. That sounds like one of those legends remember a couple weeks ago. He said that some people say it's a legend. That's just too incredible.

I've never seen anything like it and if I've never seen it, it can't be true. That's the way people think right? But you know, I've never seen myself. I've never seen in person Nazis, I've never seen Nazis.

They're not Nazi armies. I've never seen the Imperial Japanese Army either. You know why I don't see them. Because someone defeated them already. Now we don't see much maybe not any at all of this kind of thing because remember Jesus has bound the strongman.

He defeated them already. So the pig herders they fled the runaway in verse 14 now apparently they're afraid. Probably at least partly afraid of getting in trouble with their herd owner. They're probably employed by a man who owns the pigs and they're gonna have to explain we lost all your pigs and they want to Tell the nearby people what happened and so all those people come out to the scene and they come where Jesus is and there's these Dead pigs apparently floating in the lake and Jesus and the disciples with this man who had terrorized them for the longest time in the past.

They weren't able to to subdue him. Even with chains in the past, but now he's clothed. He's calm. He's safe he's talking normally. I Witnesses told the whole story and the people there they realized That Jesus was powerful more powerful than a army of demons.

So they feared him. They didn't think he was good. Right. They knew he was powerful and they didn't believe he was good. So they begged him just like the demons had begged him before.

To leave.

People the world are afraid of the Lord of Spirits. Well, the man who was delivered that is saved from the demons. He may have feared Jesus to to a degree respected him revered him. But unlike the people in the rest of the region he knew.

Did Jesus was good? So he wanted to go with Jesus to join the disciples, but Jesus refused him. It's interesting if he does that instead he sent him away home. Go back to your home. So all your friends tell your family what the Lord has done for you.

Notice verses 19 and 20. These are important verses 19 and 20 in chapter 5. Now some people say that the Gospels Don't say that Jesus is God. It's one thing you hear critics skeptics say they don't really say Jesus is God.

Well, actually the Gospel of John does pretty clearly say that in several points, but even here in Mark. Look what Mark is doing right as he's writing this. Look what he's trying to communicate through this story in verse 19.

Jesus tells the man. He says. Jesus says tell them how much the Lord Has done for you and how he the Lord has had mercy on you. And the mark goes on next verse immediately. And he went away as the man and Began to proclaim in the Decapolis these ten towns these cities.

How much?

Jesus.

Had done for him Jesus said tell them how it's the Lord did and Mark is saying the man fulfilled that by telling them what Jesus did because Jesus is Lord and Everyone marveled they go. Wow. They wondered they admired they revered that is with a holy fear.

Jesus What are you afraid of? You don't need to be afraid of the world of nature or the devil because Jesus Rules over them all. What about your body? Are you afraid of it? What can go wrong with it? That is weak.

It's vulnerable to viruses infections and cancers heart attacks an old age. Bicycle accidents. Do you fear that lump you find? Or do you fear that call you get from the doctor's office about your test results?

Or do you fear what we now just call the virus. The flesh in the Bible is actually much more than the body. But if you live for the flesh your greatest fear is what happens to your body? Because you have nothing without the body.

If you live for the flesh. Well Jesus crossed the lake again. Remember, this is one long continuous incident all of this from the teaching about the gospel of the kingdom. We looked at last week and taught from the boat.

He crossed the lake caught in a storm. Arriving to a demoniac being asked to leave and now crossing to the lake again and he's back to where they started where he taught a Huge crowd then gathers around him again and in it is a man named Jairus.

He's a he's a significant man a prominent man, he's a synagogue ruler means he's a pillar of society he took us he'd be like a city councilman a Rotary Club president a business owner and a church deacon kind of all rolled into One and he sees Jesus in verse 22 actually came for Jesus and he falls at Jesus's feet.

He's begging for him to come to his house to pray for his daughter who is sick with a fever near death. Now he's a prominent man, but he wasn't too proud to bow right before Jesus. He's a humble man and notice the way Jairus puts his request in verse 23 come and lay your hands on her so that she may be made well and live as.

If he has total faith that if Jesus prays for her She'll recover. So Jesus goes with him as they're moving along just at this enormous crowd. Kind of thronged around. Jesus now in that crowd was a woman with a discharge of blood a hemorrhage that would make her We call ceremonially or you can say religiously unclean.

She's technically unclean. She's not supposed to be with around people now since this is a constant some kind of constant blood flow. She's in a constant state of uncleanness. Which means that anyone she touches is unclean which if you got touched by her that would annoy you.

Because then you would have to go through the ceremony to cleanse yourself so you don't want to be touched by someone who's unclean like her so that would make her a Permanently socially distance from everyone if she touched other people they would become unclean.

They were supposed to do the ritual of cleansing To be able to go back into society. So if she gets found out Out in this crowd, she will be at least she'll be scolded. You'll be excluded rejected maybe worse.

So if anyone has a good reason for a social phobia It's her. She shouldn't be in this crowd in the first place. Certainly not trying to intentionally touch someone like Jesus, but she's desperate. She's had this condition for 12 years.

She's bankrupted herself. She spent all her money on on doctors who weren't able to do anything for her. They only took her money and made her condition worse. So with great trepidation she ventures out into this crowd.

Hoping that she's not caught for being unclean out out in there in the mix. She had heard the reports about Jesus and she believed them enough. Her faith in Jesus was enough To cause her to overcome her fear of society of the people her social phobia so she She goes out to him to touch him and she said it to herself.

If even I I just touched it the hem of his garment the edge of it I will be made well. It's all I have to do. Her faith in Jesus was greater than her fear of social disapproval and so she managed to squeeze through the crowd and come up behind him and reach out and Touch his clothes just the edge of his clothes probably some flowing robe and in verse 29 immediately at that moment The blood flow stopped she was healed and Jesus knew it, too.

He knew that in verse 39. It's a power had gone out from him. Although Jesus the man wasn't aware of her God the Father healed the woman through the Son. So Jesus Jesus stops and asked Who touched me?

Now the disciples they're thinking You know still not realizing who they're dealing with. What are you talking about. What a question is that all these people around you they're jostling you all kinds of people are Touching you and bumping into you.

It's just a crowded Place situation you see the crowd they say you see the crowd Pressing around you. They're pressing close and yet you say who touched me. Now he doesn't just mean casually touch accidentally bump into rubbing elbows with in a crowd.

He means that someone intentionally Touched him in faith to get power. So he stops stop. He looks around Who touched me? Now Jairus standing there. He has to be panicking at this moment. He's desperate because he knows that his daughter is on the verge of death and they have they've got to get to his house as Fast as possible and now there's this delay as Jesus tries to figure out Why someone touched him in this special way and Jesus has stopped.

He's asking who touched me. So the woman comes up in verse 33 in fear and trembling notice more fear. Now she would have been afraid to go out in the crowd. But she overcame that fear because of her faith in Jesus now here.

She's afraid of what Jesus might do. Right. Jesus is a religious teacher. He teaches the Word of God. She came near to breaking it by going out in a crowd while she's unclean. What's he gonna say? She's exposed she's healed But afraid and she also falls down before him like Jairus earlier and she tells Jesus her story fearing a rebuke fearing rejection social phobia stirring in her.

And she hears instead.

Daughter.

You know, Jesus is not an old man. Well, how exactly old he is at this time. Probably in his young. It's lower 30s. And why is he going around calling people daughter or son in Mark chapter 2 in the paralytic?