Mark 4:35-41

Jesus Calms the Storm

35That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." 36Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

41They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"



BACKGROUND READING:


Psalm 65:5-9


Psalm 89:8-9


Psalm 93


Psalm 107:23-30

Dig Deeper

A few years ago, while we were in Memphis, we experienced a bizarre meteorological event. We were outside, enjoying a beautifully warm and sunny day. In a matter of minutes, the whether switched to a severe storm with high winds and nearly golf ball sized hail. Those familiar with the Sea of Galilee have come to accept that storms like that can whip up out of nowhere. What was just a nice day can turn into a storm with high winds in a matter of minutes.


Evidently, Jesus and his disciples were caught in one of those high wind storms. The severity of this particular storm is evidenced by the fact that Jesus' disciples, which included a good number of seasoned fisherman, were worried that they were going to drown.


Mark, no doubt, knew that including a story like this would bring up several Old Testament images. Not the least of these are the echoes of the account of the prophet Jonah. Jonah didn't care for God's plan and so he tried to run in the opposite direction from where God told him to go. A large storm rose up and was only calmed when Jonah instructed the crew of the ship to throw him into the sea. Or perhaps the reader's minds were drawn to the Israelites on their exodus out of Egypt. Seemingly trapped by the Egyptian army, God made an escape route for them through the sea. There are even older echoes tied up in a story like this, back to the beginning, when God's created order emerged from the dark waters that covered the earth. The Psalms (as you read in the background reading) speak often of the raging seas being calmed only by the power of the creator God. It is only YHWH who can calm the storm and quiet the winds.


Apart from the fishermen, the Jews were not a seafaring people. They stayed away, for the most part, from sea travel. In Jewish literature the sea came to symbolize the great abyss. The sea was often depicted as the place from where Israel's great enemies rose up, or the place to where YHWH would cast Israel's enemies in judgment. In fact, the sea even came to be used as a metaphor for Israel's enemies. In Daniel, for instance, the sea is the place where the beasts come from. Similarly, one of the great beasts arise from the sea in the Revelation.


It becomes rather clear, then, why Mark would include this account of Jesus. It says in action, what the previous parables have said in word. The very power of the almighty was being unleashed in the world. God's kingdom was at hand. It is the same God that created the world that was now calming the storm. He is the only one capable of such a thing. Daniel 7 describes the beasts from the sea being put to flight by "one like a son of man." Now, in fulfillment of that passage, Jesus has come to put down the forces of evil. So, this is a real account, but it is also deeply symbolic of the whole of Jesus' vocation and ministry. He has come to face the storms, just like Jonah did so long ago. Only this time, Jesus wasn't running from God's direction, he was running straight into God's will.


Jesus is so confident that he is following God's plan, so assured of his presence and power that he is calmly sleeping while this fierce storm rages on. His disciples are a bit frustrated by this. He seems to be shockingly unconcerned that they are on the verge of drowning. Yet, they seem to have the sense that if anyone is going to save them from their fate, it will be him. It is interesting that they turn to Jesus rather than praying to YHWH. Although they clearly don't totally understand who Jesus is, it seems that they realize there is an incredible power there, even if they don't yet comprehend it. Although they mean to put Jesus on the spot, asking him if he doesn't even care about what is going on, Jesus (as he so often does) turns the tables on them. Mark is building up towards chapter 8, where once again the issue will be: Do you still have no faith?


What Mark is careful to point out, is that even though the disciples have just witnessed something incredible, something that should have clued them into just who this man was, they still didn't get it. They are still left to wonder, who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him? Mark clearly hopes that we, his readers, are beginning to see the answer to that, the answer that his disciples are yet to discover.




Devotional Thought

When the storms of life rage around you do you lack faith? We all do at times. What this passage in Mark invites us to do is to realize that when we are lacking in faith, that is the time to realize who Jesus is and turn to him. When you do, don't be surprised that when you call out to him, you'll find that he was right there all along, waiting for your call. Don't be surprised when the storm subsides. And definitely, don't be surprised when God raises the clear question in your heart: Do you still have no faith?