The Storm

I love the stories of Jesus demonstrating His power over the “natural elements.”  In Mark chapter 4:35-41, Mark is going to once again highlight Jesus’ power, not just in the “spiritual” realm, over the human body, but over elements of nature as well.  For Mark, knowing his target audience, the Roman culture, this is a strong case for Jesus’ startling uniqueness and divine nature.  I find it interesting that many of Mark’s details of Jesus’ calming the storm are absent in the accounts of Matthew and Luke. 

Here it is in the “Message” paraphrase:

“Late that day he said to them, ‘Let's go across to the other side.’ They took him in the boat as he was. Other boats came along. A huge storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it. And Jesus was in the stern (back), head on a pillow, sleeping! They roused him, saying, ‘Teacher, is it nothing to you that we're going down?”  Awake now, he told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, ‘Quiet! Settle down!’ The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass. Jesus reprimanded the disciples: ‘Why are you such cowards? Don't you have any faith at all?’ They were in absolute awe, staggered. ‘Who is this, anyway?’ they asked. ‘Wind and sea at his beck and call!’”

My first reaction to this was, Wow!  (That happens frequently to me in my journey through the New Testament with the Message.)  Let me share my thoughts:

“There were also other boats with him.”

I highlight this because it illustrates something that never ceases to amaze me.  In the last twelve years I have journeyed through the New Testament about fifty times.  Still, each time, something new jumps out and grabs my attention.  I have never paused and looked at this sentence before.  What is that?  (I can hear Andy saying now, “Because you are old and don’t pay attention.”)  This detail is only in Mark’s gospel, probably signifying an eyewitness account – possibly Peter, who sailed the boat and had to watch out for the other boats as they made their way out into the lake.  (Josephus, an ancient historian, wrote that there were usually more than three hundred fishing boats on the Sea of Galilee at one time).  The other boats accompanying Jesus may have been filled with persistent followers.  This tiny detail that has avoided my attention gives me a picture of God’s grace—MANY people on these other boats were also SAVED when Jesus calms the storm.  Is that cool or what?

More Storms Than Calm

Have you found that true in your Christian walk?  I got storms, you got storms, ALL God’s people got storms!  Truth is, the Christian life may have more storms than calm.  It is NOT just smooth sailing and triumphant living, right?  The life of a Christian can get messy.  When that happens, we must not surrender to the stress. We must not back down from the challenges.  We need not be overwhelmed by the problems.  We pray, trust, and move ahead knowing the One who called us is right beside us.  We can praise God and lean into the wind.

I am being persistent here because, in my own experience and observing others, often believers profess trust in Jesus’ power over the various storms of life.  We all fall short at times in demonstrating trust when storms arrive.  It is a great opportunity in our journey to be a powerful witness to others as they watch how we weather the crisis.  It is not our words but our life that preaches the most powerful of sermons, in my humble opinion.

That leads me to the last thought:

“Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.”

What a powerful demonstration of complete trust.  Jesus was sleeping.  Remember, this was a “boat-sinker” of a storm.  The Sea of Galilee is an unusual body of water.  It is relatively small (thirteen miles long, seven miles wide), but it is 150 feet deep, and the shoreline is 680 feet below sea level.  Mariners tell us that, because it is below sea level and is surrounded by mountains, it is susceptible to sudden storms.  It is not uncommon for these storms to produce 20-foot waves.  Think about that fact.  The disciples were not “weekend” fishermen.  These guys knew this body of water and knew what they were doing.  They often fished at night.  My point is, this was one gigantic storm that certainly scared their pants off . . . sorry, robes.  And Jesus was sleeping.  The record indicates that, in their minds, they thought Jesus didn’t even care.  In His mind, He wondered how much time, how many miracles, what on earth was it going to take to create in them this quality that they would need to carry on:  Faith?

My middle son, Matthew, has weathered many storms in his life.  I have been with him for a number of them.  One time, he looked at me as we were traveling along in the car and said, “Dad, you know where I would like to be some day in my journey through this life?” 

“Where son?” 

He said, “At a place of trust and faith like Jesus, that no matter what came my way, I could sleep.”

You get it, right?  That place in our journey that we come to that, no matter what the crisis, challenge, or storm, we will have calm in our heart, knowing that the One who created it all lives with us and in us.

What storms are you facing now?  How is your anxiety level?  Are you tempted to be overwhelmed with worry?  Have you given it to God completely?  What I mean by that is simply this: Even if the boat sinks, will your faith stay afloat?

Bill Crofton