ON YOUR MARK: WEEK 5 DAY 1

Mark 4: 35-41

Jesus Calms a Storm

35 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 had just finished teaching several parables as evening approached. As they set the boats toward the opposite shore, Jesus falls asleep, wearied, showing the disciples His complete humanity.  When the water began filling the boat, and the waves and the wind blew wildly, none of it woke Jesus.  Only the cries of the disciples, some seasoned fishermen used to the unpredictability of the Sea of Galilee, arose Jesus from His sleep.  Jesus rebukes the wind and calms the sea, showing the disciples the other dimension of Jesus, which is His complete divinity.  His actions, rather than soothing the disciples, struck more fear in them. “Who is this?” (Mark 4:41). 

When we are in the storms of life, do we trust that Jesus is in control or do we fear that we are sinking? 19th Century Theologian Charles Spurgeon says, “When we get into such trouble that we cannot help ourselves and feel our entire dependence on Him, then He will reveal His power.” 

When we don’t recognize both the fully man and fully God nature of Jesus, we don’t have a storm problem, we have a faith problem.

“Christ Asleep in the Vessel,” The Spurgeon Center, July 13, 1873, https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/christ-asleep-in-the-vessel/#flipbook/.