On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 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?” 39 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. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Jesus has been teaching about the kingdom of God. Mark now turns to a series of miracles that reveal his authority to teach. The first demonstrates his authority over nature.
Life has its storms. Some lives have few storms and some have many storms. Storms are those situations that arise often suddenly and unexpectedly that threaten and dismay. The squall menaces our well-being, perhaps even our lives. It generates fear and perhaps panic. The disciples were in such a situation. They were crossing the Sea of Galilee which was notorious for its squalls. One such squall blew up. Soon the sea was pouring over the side and the boat was un danger of being swamped.
The disciples, without great thought, did the wisest thing they could do. They awoke Jesus who was sleeping in the stern. That Jesus remained asleep during the tumult may have ben an indication of how tiring his day had been; being the focus of a crowd is no doubt draining. It may also have indicated his own confidence that the elements of nature are under his control. He has nothing to fear from the storm. His resting demeanour ought itself to have calmed the disciples. Yet they are like us and easily fear.
The disciples cry out that they are perishing and does he care? It is a familiar cry when we feel the Lord is not coming to our aid.. Mark then recounts, with characteristic brevity.
39 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.
The terse statement and the sharp contrast between raging storm and absolute calm increases our awe. No wonder the disciples ask, ‘who is this that even the wind and the sea only him’. They realise that their teacher, the rabbi they follow, is no ordinary teacher. His words carry great authority ; they command creation itself.
The sea was a particularly unruly element of nature. In the OT, it is God who controls the seas (Ex 14,15; Ps 65:7, 89:8,9, 107:25-25-30; Job 25:12). It is beginning to dawn on the awestruck disciples just how unique Jesus is. It is little wonder the later apostolic witness was to a divine Jesus; Jesus does what God alone does.
Jesus rebukes his disciples lack of faith. He believes that his disciples had already seen sufficient evidence of his powers to know that he had the power to protect them. The storm, even as he slept, was in his hands. Jesus did not need to be awake to protect his disciples. We should recognise too that we are safe in him. As the exalted Son of God he neither slumbers nor sleeps. Whatever he exposes us to he gives us the grace to endure. Whatever storms overtake us it has not come without permission and we are secure in him. He is head over all things.
This, of course, is a passage and message with which we are very familiar, yet both need to be often heard in our hearts. Whatever the storm, Jesus is with us in the boat. He is able at any point to rebuke the storm and bring calm. We need to trust in him. If he seems to be asleep it is only because he has the situation completely under control. He is the storm stiller.
Cave Adullam 