Red Letter Questions, Part 5: “Why Are You So Afraid?”

Grant Fishbook, Lead Teaching Pastor

On the way to the airport, fear had a voice:

You are never going home

God isn’t taking care of you

You are on your own

Jesus Speaks to the Voice of Fear in Mark 4:35-41 (emphasis added)

³⁵ That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 

Note: Jesus had spent the whole day teaching and ministering to people

Note: Jesus knew the group was heading into

³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. 

Jesus went just as he was so he could receive you

There were also other boats with him. ³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 

The storm was unforeseen and unexpected for everyone other than Jesus

Application: Jesus every storm you will face

The storm was furious and life-threatening

Application: Jesus is by any storm you will ever face

³⁸ Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.

We see both and in the same moment

The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

Question: Jesus, why aren’t you ? Why aren’t you ?

³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” 

Literal translation: With the same authority that removes a demon, Jesus says to the storm, “Be … now!”

Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

Note: The calm comes in an instant—from chaos to calm instantaneously.

⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” ⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

The fear shifts from the to the

A healthy fear of God means…
I stand in awe of the power, holiness, love, justice, and wrath of God.
But instead of cowering in fear,
I draw near because he is my Father, and I am his child.

Small Group Questions

1. Do you like scary things? Why or why not?
2. What are you afraid of? What does the voice of fear sound like for you?
3. Read Mark 4:35-41 out loud. What stands out to you from the story and what does it mean for your life? What is God saying to you in the details of Mark 4?
4. If you were the one who woke up Jesus in the middle of the storm, what questions would you ask him? What emotions and reactions to his nap would be coming out of you?
5. Is there a storm in your life right now that you’re asking Jesus to speak “Quiet! Be still!” over?
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?