Mark 4:35-41 — Let Us Go Across to the Other Side

Mark 4:35-41
On that day, when evening had come,
    he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 


2000-Year-old Boat Excavated from Galilee Mud

And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was.
And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 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?” 
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.
He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 
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?”

Comments:

In this wonderful miracle account, Jesus stilled the wind and waves of a particularly violent storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had taught the crowd all day and was very tired. He said to his disciples, "Let us cross over to the other side" and they set out. Soon Jesus was asleep and a terrible storm came up. Some believe that it may have been a supernatural storm. The Sea of Galilee is now called Kinneret Lake for it is certainly not large enough to be a sea. However, this lake is subject to sudden violent storms. The elevation change from the 9,200’ Mt. Hermon to the lake surface at 700’ below sea level can cause sudden and very violent storms (or sharkia in Arabic). And you don't want to be on the lake during "sharkia week!" (Just kidding about that part.) 

What should be noted is that several of these men had been fishermen in this area their whole lives and yet this storm had them all in a panic. They woke Jesus with both pleading and accusing in the same breath. Jesus rebuked the wind and spoke peace to the sea and both were calmed.  When you think about what Jesus could have said to rebuke wind and sea, “Peace! Be still!” probably wouldn't be on our list.

Kinneret Lake when Calm

It is interesting to me that the disciples lacked a mature faith in at least four ways:

1)    They lacked faith in Jesus' words—that they would get to the other side. He didn't invite them to go halfway to the other side.

2)    They lacked faith in Jesus' compassion—in that they accused him of not caring that they were about to die. Compassion can be exhausting work and Jesus had really crashed into some much-needed sleep. 

3)    They lacked faith in Jesus' identity—they didn't really believe that he was the Creator God and that as such he had complete power over the creation.

4)    They lacked faith in Jesus' mission—perhaps they thought that if they all died in the storm that there would be no hope for Israel. [On a related subject, one day many years ago, a colleague and I were pondering the issue of whether Jesus was ever sick (I don't think so) and moved into the issue of Jesus' being able to die. We concluded, that Jesus couldn't have been killed by the storm because there was no sin in his life. Jesus could only die, as he did on the cross, after he had become sin for us.]

Photo: Greg K. Dueker

In the ancient world, and in the Bible, the sea was a picture of chaos, a symbol of the uncontrollable, and a source of fear. It was characterized as the opposition to the work of God in the world. It was out on this lake that Jesus demonstrated that he had authority over the disciples’ greatest fear when they faced death in a storm. Has it seemed like the waves of the "sea" we face just keep getting deeper and more out of control? Do we like the disciples accuse the Lord of not caring if they die? 
Jesus did, and still does, care. However, once Jesus calmed that storm with a word of command, the disciples were exceedingly afraid. So what is our greatest fear? How does it affect our lives? 

v.41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another,

               "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

If the disciples were powerless before the storm, how much more so before the One who had all power over both the sea and the storm! They exclaimed, “Who can this be!” This is an issue we must all face sooner or later. The Gospels reveal that Jesus Christ is not some household god to be kept, nor merely a man to be persuaded or intimidated. He is the Creator & Sustainer of the universe. He is the Holy One, the one true God. As Isaiah learned (Isaiah 6:5), it is a terrifying thing for a sinner to be in the presence of the awesome holy power of God. Yet, the Lord always seems to stoop down, pick us up, and tell us not to be afraid.

Thank you, God that you care for us, for if you were against us we couldn't stand at all. Thank you also for showing us all that it is OK to take a nap when we are spent. May we not forget who you are, what you have said, and what you plan to do!