Epiphany 4 February 3, 2019 The Sunday of Calming the Storm
Epiphany 4
Matthew 8:23-27
February 3, 2019
“Sleep Through Anything”
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Jonah was asleep on the boat when the storms raged. Jesus was sleeping soundly on the boat in the middle of a storm.
Our troubles tend to show up in our sleep. If you’re not at peace, your sleep won’t be at peace. If you’re anxious, your sleep will be anxious. So forth. Even as kids, our anxieties and fears show up in our dreams. We have nightmares. And we have just plain weird dreams. I bet most of you can remember a dream or two from your childhood. I still remember a dream from seventh grade when we were leaving for a basketball tournament in Chicago and I dreamt that they left without me because I wasn’t ready to go. I was terrified. Compare all of that unrestful sleep to Jesus sleeping peacefully on a boat while big waves are coming over the sides and the lightning and thunder are booming.
Is sleep a good thing or a bad thing? I’m going to take a wild guess and say that most of us would say sleep is a good thing. We kinda like it. God talks about sleep as both good and bad in His Word. It depends, of course, how you use sleep. If you sleep because you’re lazy, then God calls it evil. Here’s a few verses from Proverbs for you about lazy sluggards who sleep all the time:
“How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.” Proverbs 6:9-11
Proverbs 20:13 “Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.”
And of course, there’s Jesus who gets after His disciples for sleeping when they should be watching on the night before His death. And all the parables where Jesus tells us to stay awake and be ready.
So sleep can be evil in those instances. But most of the time, sleep is pictured as a good gift from God. And when you can’t get sleep, it’s because you don’t trust Him or you’re fighting against Him.
Here’s a few verses about the gift of sleep:
Psalm 127:2, “It’s in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to His beloved sleep.”
Proverbs 3:24, talking about one who has wisdom and fear of the Lord, says, “If you lie down, you won’t be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”
Psalm 4:8, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
Peaceful sleep is a gift of God. It’s sweet and pleasant, God’s word says, and we all know that. When we have a peaceful night of sleep, it really is sweet and pleasant. So what keeps us from that? Why do you have trouble sleeping? What keeps your sleep from being “sweet”?
Was it something you said or did that you regret? Is it things you have to get done? Is it money—worrying if you’re going to have enough? Is it your kids or grandkids—worrying that they’re going to be good kids? Is it the food you overate last night that wasn’t very good for you and isn’t letting your body rest?
We should remember something also when we think about sleep at night. Who is most active in the nighttime? The prince of darkness. He likes to work his evil in the darkness of night. When we’re worrying and fretting and plotting—those things aren’t coming from God. The deceiver is working on us. Making us forget the light of day and the light of Christ.
Now think of Jesus then. Sleeping peacefully in the boat. Remember that it’s a little boat. In a fairly large sea. So that boat was rockin’ pretty good in this storm. But Jesus sleeps on. Nothing bothering Him. Is Jesus worrying about what He said to the Pharisees yesterday? Is He tossing and turning because He’s afraid how they’ll take it or what they’ll think of Him? No. Is Jesus having trouble sleeping because He’s worried about all the sick people that He needs to take care of tomorrow? How’s He gonna get it all done? No. Is He having nightmares about thousands of hungry people with only a few loaves of bread and fish? How will He feed them all? No.
Jesus can sleep through anything. Why? Because He’s not afraid. Because He trusts His Father in heaven so purely and so truly that He’s not afraid or anxious about anything. What about the disciples? Do they trust God like that? No, they don’t. They are losing their faith. Losing their trust. They’ve only got just a little bit of faith left. Enough to wake Jesus up and expect that He’ll do something. So Jesus says, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”
Those are the words Jesus has for every one of us in the middle of the night when we can’t sleep. “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Repent. You and I are often people of little faith. We don’t trust. If any of you use Luther’s prayer before you go to bed, remember what we say…”For Into your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things.”
If I go to bed and commend my entire self and all things into the Lord’s hands, then should I be tossing and turning? There’s a reason Christians have prayed before bed all the time. And there’s a reason if you don’t do that that you should start. Because when you commend yourself and all things into the Lord’s hands, there really is nothing to worry about.
How many of you slept peacefully on Tuesday night when the wind was howling and the wind chill was -50 outside? Were you worrying? Worrying about your furnace? Your water pipes? Your family?
Jesus is sleeping peacefully on the boat in the middle of wind and waves. Why? Because He’s in the hands of His Father. He trusts.
Jonah’s another example of one of us—one of us with little faith. God told him to go and be a pastor to the people in Nineveh. But Jonah was too scared to go to Nineveh. He didn’t think he could handle those evil, wicked people in Nineveh. So Jonah went the other way. How peaceful was his sleep? His shipmates wake him up in a panic and they end up throwing him overboard. So much for a night of peaceful sleep. Then he’s swallowed by a great fish. God is telling Jonah, “Trust Me. Trust Me, you’re going to go to Nineveh.”
God tells you the same. “Trust Me.” Why are you anxious? Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Trust Me. Come unto Me, ye weary, and I will give you rest.” And don’t you just love this Gospel reading where Jesus snaps at the weather and tells it what to do. He rebuked the winds and the sea, it says.
Jesus is a real life superhero, as I’ve said before. He can literally control the weather. He can literally command wind and it listens to Him. And this hero of yours who can control wind and waves and rain and thunder—He loves sinners like us that worry and fret and can’t sleep because we’re anxious. He loves us.
There was one night in particular where Jesus didn’t sleep. The night before He died for you. He stayed up all night Thursday night into Friday morning. All the way to His death on the cross at 3pm Friday. That night He carried all our sins, all our regrets, all our worries, anxieties, and fears. He bore them all in one sleepless night to the cross. And from His cross now right here today in His body and blood for the forgiveness of all your sins—He says, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith.”
Trust Him. Sleep peacefully. You have nothing to be afraid of. You are forgiven and loved. Let anyone else think whatever they want of you. You are forgiven and loved. You have a God who will give you everything you need. Forget worrying about money and your to-do list. God will supply every need of yours.
So sleep and live like Jesus. Trust and love. That’s what Jesus does. Trust your heavenly Father and sleep peacefully. And when you wake up, love your neighbor as you’ve been loved by Jesus. That’s what God tells us to do in our Epistle today from Romans 13. Don’t owe anything except love. Love your neighbor. All that worrying gets in the way of loving. Wake up to love your neighbor like Jesus does. To love your husband/wife. To love your children. Your parents. To love your friends and neighbors. Trust God and sleep peacefully. Wake up to love your neighbor. In Jesus’ name. Amen.