Power over nature (Mark 4:35-41)

35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

“The same day” refers to the day on which Jesus gave the “parables of the kingdom.” He had been teaching His disciples the Word and now He would give them a practical test to see how much they had really learned. After all, the hearing of God’s Word is intended to produce faith (Rom. 10:17); and faith must always be tested. It is not enough for us merely to learn a lesson or be able to repeat a teaching. We must also be able to practice that lesson by faith, and that is one reason why God permits trials to come to our lives.

I. Did Jesus know that the storm was coming?

A. The storm was a part of that day’s curriculum.

The storm would help the disciples understand a lesson that they did not even know they needed to learn: Jesus can be trusted in the storms of life. Many people have the idea that storms come to their lives only when they have disobeyed God, but this is not always the case. Jonah ended up in a storm because of his disobedience, but the disciples got into a storm because of their obedience to the Lord.

The geographic location of the Sea of Galilee is such that sudden violent storms are not unusual. Mountains surround the Sea of Galilee. Violent storms, rising without warning, are very common. In this particular storm, the waves were so strong they were breaking over the bow of the boat.

B. The storm described here must have been especially fierce if it frightened experienced fishermen like the disciples.

None of the men in the ship should have been disturbed, even though the situation appeared to be threatening. They had His promise that they were going to the other side (Mark 4:35). He did not promise an easy trip, but He did promise a guaranteed arrival at their destination.

The Lord Himself was with them, so what was there to fear? They had already seen His power demonstrated in His miracles, so they should have had complete confidence that He could handle the situation.

They could see that Jesus was perfectly at peace, even in the midst of the storm. This fact alone should have encouraged them. Jesus was in God’s will and knew that the Father would care for Him, so He took a nap. Jesus slept in the storm because He was truly secure in God’s will.

II. Jesus told the wind to stop—and it did.

A. The words translated “rebuked” and “be still” were used in 1:25 with reference to an exorcism.

Jesus’ command to the wind to be quiet was the same command he issued to a demon in Mark 1:25. This may mean that there was a demonic element in the storm. Whether there was or was not, the result was the same.

The noise of the wind and the water and the shouts of the disciples suddenly stopped. The calm must have been as peaceful as Jesus’ rest had been.

B. Jesus rebuked the disciples because of their lack of faith.

Jesus rebuked His disciples for being afraid in a crisis. Despite Jesus’ tutoring it still had not dawned on them that God’s authority and power were present in Jesus.

This is what He meant by His questions, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

III. How often in the trials of life we are prone to imitate the faithless disciples?

A. “Lord, don’t You care?”

Of course, He cares! He arose and rebuked the storm, and immediately there was a great calm. But Jesus did not stop with the calming of the elements, for the greatest danger was not the wind or the waves: it was the unbelief in the hearts of the disciples. Our greatest problems are within us, not around us.

This explains why Jesus gently rebuked them and called them “men of little faith.” They had heard Him teach the Word and had even seen Him perform miracles, and yet they still had no faith.

B. This was only one of many lessons Jesus would teach His disciples.

Each lesson would reveal some wonderful new truth about the Lord Jesus. They already knew that He had the authority to forgive sins, to cast out demons, and to heal diseases.

Now they discovered that He even had authority over the wind and the sea. This meant that they had no reason ever again to be afraid, for their Lord was in constant control of every situation