Mark 4: 35-41 (NASB) says:
On that day, when evening came, He said to them, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself 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 got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Hush, be still.’ And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They became very much afraid and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’
Even the wind and the sea!
What about Christ’s math? Five loaves of bread and two small fish, certainly not enough to feed twenty people let alone five thousand. Yet we get caught up in arguing that it was only five thousand men.
The raising of Lazarus. He was dead and buried four days already stinking and decaying. Does that not declare Christ’s mighty authority?
His own resurrection, personally conquering death once and for all.
Then His ascension up through the clouds.
And His promise to return in the same way.
I would say most of the Jews missed who He really was. They were looking for a remake of King David. Someone who would rid them of the Romans and give them their land back. They could not comprehend an eternal kingdom and undershot His true glory. They wanted Him to give them more earthly food not the everlasting manna. And the Pharisees were the most blind of all. They couldn’t get over Christ healing on the Sabbath. That was their line in the sand?
At Christmastime, we celebrate the sweet baby child lying in a manger. We see Him in His swaddling clothes being visited by shepherds and the three wise men. All is soft and gentle. We are able to accept Him as a little child. No real pressure on our belief system.
At Eastertime, we see Him beaten and bruised, covered in scars of blood, dying on a cross for our sin. We praise His sacrifice for us and some of us even shed a tear on Good Friday. Then on Easter morning we celebrate an empty tomb. We say, “Thank you Jesus.” But do we truly know Him? What exactly is our relationship with Christ? And where is He?
As Americans we have never had a king. We have presidents that we vote in and out of office every four years. We have no comprehension of kingship. In today’s world, in other countries it seems to be the prime minister who does all the work, and the king is only a figurehead. That is definitely a false assumption when it comes to Christ. We do not respect Him nearly enough. His very essence is complete sovereignty and majesty.
There is a throne at the right hand of God where Christ rules all, both heaven and earth. The wind and the sea obey Him. The angels cry, “Holy, holy, holy!” The stars shine His glory. Even the demons cry out, “He is the holy Son of God.” The Father gave Him the throne of honor at His own right hand and certified that His name is far above any other name. He is the one and only true Eternal King. If only we could understand!
Where do you think the true power of faith comes from? He is who the bible says He is. His full disclosure is written in there. We should not put Him in a manger. Don’t hang Him on a cross. There is no one more than Christ. There is no one better than Christ. He is master of all. He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. When you look to Christ, see Him as such. It will change all your perceptions and give power to your faith.
Amen?
This series of blog posts titled, “Pondering Hope”, are written by Craig Stevens. If you are interested in reading more from him you can find his blog at ponderinghope.com.
