35 That evening, Jesus said to his followers, “Let’s go across the lake.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him in the boat just as he was. There were also other boats with them. 37 A very strong wind came up on the lake. The waves came over the sides and into the boat so that it was already full of water. 38 Jesus was at the back of the boat, sleeping with his head on a cushion. His followers woke him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are drowning!”
39 Jesus stood up and commanded the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and it became completely calm.
40 Jesus said to his followers, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 The followers were very afraid and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” ~ Mark 4:35-41
Today, we complete our study of Mark 4 where the Lord Jesus has been openly teaching the crowds and privately explaining His teachings to His disciples. Today's passage is brought to a head by the Lord Jesus when He asked His followers two questions: "Why are you afraid?" and "Do you still have no faith?"
Our pursuit of God is always fueled by our questions. And, our questions exist due to our doubts. In the end, doubt does not have to be our enemy. In fact, our growing faith in the Lord is dependent upon such.
The tragedy of faith today is that we are no longer afraid of God. I'm not talking about the type of fear that makes us run from Him. I'm talking about the type of fear that makes us all fall down before Him in worship. The cause of all of this is the very popular me-centered teaching that attracts thousands, but transforms no one. We have made Christianity so comfortable with the temporary that we treat it like the kingdom of this world. But this world is not our home. We have come to the place where we treat our health and the pursuit of wealth as more important than God.
We should never be surprised when on the heels of being taught by the Lord Jesus that He takes us into an arena to practice what He has taught us. This is what today's passage is all about. The disciples failed the test. Yet, with God, failure isn't the opposite of success. That night the faith of the disciples grew and informed their theology correctly. And, even though the disciples failed their examination of faith in the Lord Jesus, the groundwork was laid for a new expression of faith the next time they were under such a test.
In v.35-36 of today's passage we read, "35 That evening, Jesus said to his followers, “Let’s go across the lake.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him in the boat just as he was. There were also other boats with them."
After teaching the large crowd that had gathered on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, the Lord Jesus and His disciples traveled in a boat across the sea. What we have here is the setting wherein the faith of the disciples was challenged and subsequently strengthened, even though they did not display great faith in the Lord that night.
After teaching the large crowd that had gathered on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, the Lord Jesus and His disciples traveled in a boat across the sea. What we have here is the setting wherein the faith of the disciples was challenged and subsequently strengthened, even though they did not display great faith in the Lord that night.
You will remember the Lord Jesus had taught the parables of the soils and the seed. And now, came the application of the truth for the disciples. So, the Lord had to get them out on the Lake where the context would be such that they would experience for themselves what He had been teaching them.
In v.37 of today's passage we read, "A very strong wind came up on the lake. The waves came over the sides and into the boat so that it was already full of water."
The sea's location makes it subject to sudden and strong storms as the wind comes over the eastern mountains and drops suddenly onto the sea. It is surrounded by mountains up to 3,000 feet, and, storms are especially likely when an east wind blows cool air over the warm air that covers the sea. The cold air, being heavier, drops as the warm air rises. This sudden change can produce surprisingly furious storms in a short time.
The sea's location makes it subject to sudden and strong storms as the wind comes over the eastern mountains and drops suddenly onto the sea. It is surrounded by mountains up to 3,000 feet, and, storms are especially likely when an east wind blows cool air over the warm air that covers the sea. The cold air, being heavier, drops as the warm air rises. This sudden change can produce surprisingly furious storms in a short time.
But, as in our lives, these sudden changes did not surprise the Lord Jesus. The questions of the disciples that evening were much like those that we find ourselves asking Him today. And, if our faith in Him is the most important thing we possess, the most loving thing He can do for us is to lead us into moments where we are more convinced that we need Him for this is, in essence, what faith is.
In v.38 of today's passage we read, "Jesus was at the back of the boat, sleeping with his head on a cushion. His followers woke him and said, 'Teacher, don’t you care that we are drowning!'"
The Lord Jesus was sleeping as the storm came upon them, causing the amount of fear in the disciples to increase. It was at this moment that they woke Him. And, the question they asked revealed their shallow theology. When we possess shallow theology, we will be most concerned about our welfare. However, when our theology is most aligned with God's word, we will rest in His sovereignty.
In v.39 of today's passage we read, "Jesus stood up and commanded the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind stopped, and it became completely calm."
Although the disciples had seen Him heal the sick and cast out demons, they could not have imagined He would give orders to the wind and the sea to be quiet. In fact, He spoke to the wind and the waves as if He were commanding sickness or a demon out of a person. His authority, extended over all, even over creation.
The miracle that night was not in the stilling of the storm; it was in the suddenness with which the stillness came. All of a sudden the wind, which had been roaring and beating against the boat was, all of a sudden, absolutely still. And the waves, which had been dashing over the bow, filling the boat, threatening them, mounting up higher on every side, were suddenly stilled. This is what caught the disciples attention. All the way across the lake to the other side, and to the mountains on the east, the whole lake suddenly stilled, and they realized that this was indeed a supernatural stilling of the storm.
In v.40-41 of today's passage we read, "40 Jesus said to his followers, 'Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?' 41 The followers were very afraid and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
We become afraid when we lose faith in God. And, the significance of this event is that our faith in the goodness and care of God in our lives is the antidote to our fear. The word translated "very afraid" is a sense of deep respect which has "awe" at its heart. Thus, out of the failure of their faith there came this deeper impression, this glimpse into the mystery of the identity of the Lord Jesus, which filled them with a deep sense of awe. It is this failure in faith that creates a doorway to greater vision. And, it is through such doorways that our faith is strengthened. Biblical faith consists of believing that the kingdom of God triumphs in the person of Jesus Christ. When the disciples awakened the Lord, they didn’t believe that He could do anything about the storm. After He had calmed the storm their fear was transferred from the storm to the Lord Jesus.
The tragedy of faith today is that we are no longer afraid of God. I'm not talking about the type of fear that makes us run from Him. I'm talking about the type of fear that makes us all fall down before Him in worship. The cause of all of this is the very popular me-centered teaching that attracts thousands, but transforms no one. We have made Christianity so comfortable with the temporary that we treat it like the kingdom of this world. But this world is not our home. We have come to the place where we treat our health and the pursuit of wealth as more important than God.
We should never be surprised when on the heels of being taught by the Lord Jesus that He takes us into an arena to practice what He has taught us. This is what today's passage is all about. The disciples failed the test. Yet, with God, failure isn't the opposite of success. That night the faith of the disciples grew and informed their theology correctly. And, even though the disciples failed their examination of faith in the Lord Jesus, the groundwork was laid for a new expression of faith the next time they were under such a test.
