Jump Start # 1410

Mark 4:38 “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?”

  Our verse today is a question that was spoken under frightful conditions. The disciples and Jesus were in a boat crossing the sea. A storm caught them. Mark uses the words, “a fierce gale of wind.” He tells us that the waves were breaking over the boat. He also says that the boating was filling up with water. This speaks doom for all who were in the boat. I expect all of them were in panic mode, especially Matthew, the one who had a desk job. He’d probably never seen anything like this. None of them had. The words, “fierce gale of wind,” comes from a word that we get earthquake from. This was a violent, shaking, storm. Things were getting worse and not better. It got to a point that Jesus had to be awakened. They thought they were going to die. Maybe the next wave would flip the boat. Scared, dark and a long way from safety, they turned to Jesus. We do the same today. The passage tells us that jointly they awoke Jesus. “They” woke Him and (they) said to Him.” This wasn’t just one but it was a “they” event.

They asked a most disturbing question. It is a question that has nothing to do with ability, but everything to do with heart. They did not ask, ‘Jesus, have you ever seen anything like this?’ Nor was it, ‘Jesus, is this bigger than you?’ No, what they asked was, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Do you not care? That’s a question about heart, not muscle.

Friendships end because one feels the other simply doesn’t care. Marriages crash when it is thought that one doesn’t care. The lack of care spells disaster and invites neglect. Some do not care about their yards. IT shows. Weeds, dead patches and a mess. Some do the same with the cars they drive. They don’t care.  Some do the same with their health. They don’t care. Some do the same with their relationships. They don’t care.

Not caring always shows. Sloppiness, laziness, procrastination, indifference, apathy and neglect are all fueled by a heart that does not care. When I work with young preachers, I teach them a lesson about looking for a church to preach for. This topic comes up. I advise those young preachers to look around the outside of the church building. Take a tour on the inside. Open up every door and stick your head in and sniff. Look around at the auditorium. If the place is junky, messy and has the signs of neglect, that may well indicate how those folks think about the Lord’s work. Folks do not realize that when a preacher is trying out, so is the congregation. He’s looking at them as much as they are looking at him. Clean the place up. Polish the place. Put some effort into acting like your care. Trim the hedges. Paint the walls. Toss all the papers that are just lying around. Then once that is done, turn your energies into what really matters, the Lord’s work.

Jesus cared. He always cared. The following verses illustrate that. He wasn’t going to let them die. He didn’t come from Heaven to drown in a boating accident.

However, unlike Jesus, some today, just do not seem to care about the Lord’s work. They put off and put off things that ought to be talked about and actions taken. They don’t seem to care that the church has no one who is qualified to serve as elders. And nothing is being done to change that situation. They don’t seem to care that folks are leaving. Nothing seems to be done to find out why nor to change the situation. They don’t seem to care that no one is coming to the Lord. The baptism boots are cracked from lack of use. The water is stale. Nothing changes. They just keep doing what they have always done, even though it doesn’t seem to be working anymore.

This evening the Republican party is holding a huge debate with more than a dozen candidates. They all have one thing in common. They have a core belief that what has been done these past eight years isn’t working. A new direction, plan and face is needed. Football teams understand this. If a team keeps running the same play, over and over, with zero results, the coach will send in a new play.

Why is it that some congregations just can’t seem to get this idea? Same stale ideas as three decades ago. Same classes. Same sermons. Same approaches. Same lack of leadership. Same visionless expectations. The church slowly dies off, first spiritually, but few see that. By the time folks start talking about it, the numbers have dropped way off. The solution that some come up with is to drop services. No more mid-week. No Sunday night. The reason is because no one comes. That is the solution. It seems that no one cares.

I drove by a church building today. The words have been taken off the sign. The grass hasn’t been cut in a long time. The building is for sale. It’s no longer housing a church. I don’t know what happened? Where did the people go? Did they just quit? Did anyone care? Some things just don’t seem right. A church selling it’s building because it’s going out of business is one of those things. Had they outgrown the place and they needed more room, that’s one thing. But to close the doors because they can’t afford to keep it open due to such a small crowd is something very sad.

Do you not care? They asked that to Jesus. He did care. He did something. I wonder if Jesus could ask that question back to us? Do you not care? Do you not care that there are those in your family who do not know the Lord? Do you not care that there are those who are wanting more lessons, more depth, more Jesus? Do you not care that some have walked away and are not coming back? Do you not care?

Jesus cared and did something. We often do not care and do nothing. There are storms brewing all around us and we may not recognize them. It’s time to start caring. Jesus did.

Roger