The Master Of The Storm
THE MASTER OF THE STORM
MARK 4:35-41
Jesus understands our weaknesses, but what can we learn from the disciples about how to respond to difficulties in our lives?
After the day of teaching by the lakeside, Jesus resolved to cross over to the south-east corner. Probably he wished for rest and quiet, and therefore sought an area where fewer Jews resided. The story continues in the next chapter as if everything took place on the same day; this would certainly overcrowd the remaining hours of the day, and it is likely that the journey took place overnight or that there is an unmentioned interval somewhere in the story.
The journey was interrupted by one of those sudden squalls which are characteristic of the lake, hemmed in as it is by steep mountains and narrow valleys down which the wind is funnelled upon it. Was this squall so severe that experienced sailors were worried? Or was it rather the landlubbers in the boat who panicked? 4:38 may suggest that the sailors expected Jesus to do something to save them (Matthew 8:25) rather than that they were simply complaining that, while they were working for dear life to bale out the boat and bring it under control, one passenger, like Jonah before him, was unconcerned and asleep. Yet when Jesus did act to rebuke the wind and the sea in masterful tones, they were stunned with surprise. They rightly asked, “Who then is this?” Their question is to be answered from the Old Testament where it is God who controls the elements (Psalm 89:8f.; 93:3f.; 106:8f.; 107:23-30; Isaiah 51:9f.). It was his power that was revealed in Jesus. But whether the disciples fully realized this is uncertain.
Some readers try to preserve the meaning of the miracle (the power of God revealed in Jesus) without accepting its historicity. It should be plainly said that if the miracle did not happen then the power of God was not revealed in this event; if the miracle did not happen, and yet the early church believed that the power of God was revealed in this incident, then their belief was mistaken and is worth nothing. You cannot have your cake and eat it.