Jesus Calming the Storm (Mark 4:36-41)

It is common for storms to rise suddenly on the Sea of Galilee. The lake is surrounded by mountains, and winds rush down the valleys between the mountains, resulting in fierce storms at times which can be terrifying for any who are then on the sea. I recall witnessing the appearance of a small storm there when I was in Israel some years ago, a storm that almost seemed to appear from nowhere. We were not in any danger, but the incident did show how quickly a storm could arise.

1. Who is Jesus?

As we know there are four Gospels and each of them presents different aspects of the life of Christ. At a basic level it has often been said that on the one hand the Gospel of John presents Jesus as the eternal God who is also a man, and John begins with Jesus as God in eternity and then gives evidences for his humanity. On the other hand, the three other Gospel writers begin with Jesus the man and then provide evidence that he is also God. The passage we are going to consider is one that argues for Jesus who is not only a man but also God.

It is worth noting the real humanity of Jesus that is revealed here. The account indicates that he was exhausted, tired out from the activities of the day. This is not the only occasion that Jesus was tired. Perhaps the best-known occasion when his tiredness was revealed was when he spoke to the woman of Samaria at the well in Sychar, told in John 4. These reports are reminders, and graphic ones in doing so, that Jesus became like us with our human frailties, apart from sin. As John indicates in his first chapter, when describing what happened to Jesus, he says that ‘the Word became flesh’. Jesus was a real man, and the New Testament does not attempt to minimise this reality.

Another feature of Jesus’ humanity that is indicated in this incident is his trust in God. Jesus totally depended on his Father’s faithfulness to help him in all situations. In this situation, his trust was shown by the fact that he went to sleep. As Spurgeon observed, Jesus ‘had not even a careful thought, he was as much at ease as on a sunny day.’ In this expression of confidence in God, Jesus is our example. Perhaps our minds will go to Psalm 22, a passage that describes Jesus as trusting in God in every stage of his earthly journey, from his birth to his death. This is also a reminder of his real humanity because a real man will trust in God. It is not a sign of weakness to do so. Indeed the failure to do so is evidence that the person does not realise that he is only a human.

But Jesus was also God, says Mark, and he indicates this in his description of Jesus as the one who is in charge of nature, who was in command of the wind and the waves on that occasion. Jesus, says Mark, is not only the Creator but he is also the Controller of his creation. This should have told his readers, as well as the disciples, that Jesus was the God of the Old Testament. Note these verses: ‘You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them’ (Ps. 89:9); ‘He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed’ (Ps. 107:29). The disciples were familiar with those passages as devout Jews. No matter how often they had used them, they could not have imagined seeing them fulfilled in the manner that they witnessed on this occasion.

There is also perhaps another reason for the incident being recorded, which may not be evident to us at first, but would have been noticed by readers who knew about the area. We need to ask, what is the point of a biblical miracle, especially when they occur in clusters? There are three such clusters in the Bible – at the Exodus, during the ministry of Elijah and Elisha, and the ministry of Jesus and his apostles. The miracles at the Exodus showed that God was more powerful than the gods of Egypt, the miracles of Elijah and Elisha showed that God was stronger than all the gods of the Canaanites, and the miracles of Jesus showed that he was greater than the gods of his time. It is known that one of the gods that was worshipped in that part of the world was supposed to control the wind and the sea. The disciples would have been aware of these false ideas, and as they reflected on this incident later they would discover how powerful Jesus was, that he was the only true God.

2. What is Jesus doing?

Mark presents Jesus as focused on fulfilling God’s will for him. Often we are told that Jesus did something immediately. The story indicates that Jesus was in a hurry to get into the boat and cross the sea. Why was this the case? As the next incident in Mark's account reveals, Jesus wanted to cross the sea in order to meet with the demoniac of Gadara, and after he had healed that man Jesus returned back across the sea. This shows the priority of Jesus. He was willing to make an uncomfortable journey in order to bring blessing and help to the poor man who probably did not know at that time that Jesus even existed. The incident also shows the value that Jesus puts on an individual soul, which was more than how others assessed that man.

Further, we have here a picture of what Jesus did for us. He had to go through a far more serious and dangerous storm in order to bring us to heaven. That storm involved him bearing the storm of God’s wrath on the cross of Calvary, a storm in which even Jesus was disturbed by the ferocity of what was happening to him as he paid the penalty of our sins.

In this incident we see an attempt to destroy Jesus. This was not an ordinary storm. Note that Jesus rebuked the wind and uses the same words as he did when rebuking a demon in Mark 1:25. It is the case that sometimes the devil is allowed to use the natural elements, as in the story of Job in which that godly man suffered the consequences of natural disasters. I suspect that behind the storm was an attempt by Satan to destroy Jesus. But it failed.

3. Jesus and his disciples

This incident took place during the period in which Jesus was teaching his disciples, not only by his words but also by his actions, which was how an authentic religious teacher would do so in Israel. There could not be a contradiction between what the teacher taught and did. What was Jesus illustrating or what levels of instruction was he showing to his disciples in this incident. The famous Highland preacher from Lochacarron, Lachlan Mackenzie, commented on this incident in one of his sermons: ‘When [Jesus] entered the ship, some of his disciples followed him, and we find that such of his disciples as follow him in the most difficult duties see more of his wonders, though they meet with greater trials.’

Yet it is evident from the account that Jesus was disappointed with the disciples’ lack of faith. His allowing them to come into this situation was a test of their understanding of who he was and they failed the test miserably. They showed have realised by that time that he was more than a mere man. This, of course, raises the question as to how long a person needs to be in Jesus’ company in order to discover how great he is, how different he is, how unique he is. If we pay attention to him, it will not be long before we see that he is divine.

It is also the case that here we have an example of Jesus’ willingness to practice what he preached. ‘It is one thing to talk to people about our oneness with them, and about how they should exercise faith in time of danger, and about their real safety in apparent peril; but it is another, and a far better thing, to go into the ship with them, and to let them feel all the terror of the storm, and then to arise, and rebuke the wind, and say unto the sea, “Peace, be still”’ (Spurgeon).

Following Jesus can bring us into situations of difficulty. Jesus nowhere has promised a trouble-free life in this world for his followers. He likened discipleship to taking up a cross, which at that time meant to come and die. Ins the upper room, on the evening in which he was betrayed by Judas, Jesus told his disciples that although they would have trouble in the world, nevertheless they were to be of good cheer. Paul informs his fellow Christians that it is through much tribulation that we will enter the kingdom.

Following Jesus will bring us into situations in which our own resources are useless. The disciples were skilled fishermen, but even in a situation in which they normally would have coped, they discovered that their resources were of no value. Perhaps they had imagined that Jesus appreciated their talents and that was why he had asked them to help him and take him across the sea. But the opposite was the case. This is an important lesson to learn. No matter how gifted we are, without Christ we can do nothing. With Christ’s help, the disciples could use their talents very efficiently. Therefore we need to take our talents and give them to Jesus to use as he wants.

Following Jesus will bring us into situations in which we will say foolish things. ‘I think I have known some of Christ’s disciples who have appeared to doubt the wisdom or the love of their Lord. They did not quite say that he was mistaken, but they said that he moved in a mysterious way; they did quite complain that he was unkind to them, but they whispered that they could not reconcile his dealings with his infinite love. Alas, Jesus has endured much from our unbelief!’ (Spurgeon).

The disciples imagined that they were now in a situation that was too much for them, but also what distressed them was Jesus’ apparent indifference to their problem. They assumed he did not care any more for them. But that was far from the truth. It was right that they should involve him, but wrong that they accuse him of indifference. ‘And when he has this appearance in his providence, the business of faith and prayer is to awaken him. And when he awakens, he will arise, he will strike his enemies and help his friends’ (Lachlan Mackenzie).

Following Jesus will bring us into situations where we will see the amazing capabilities of Jesus. This is true of us as individuals, as congregations and as the universal church. It was Tertullian, the early church father, who first likened the boat in the storm as a picture of the church going through history. Jesus will take it through, and at the end we will see his glory as he remakes the universe and brings in the era of eternal peace.

Two concluding comments

Firstly, the disciples’ problem would have been avoided if they had listened closely to Jesus’ word of command: ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ He had said that they would reach the opposite shore. Following Jesus in difficult situations demands that we listen carefully to his words. That's statement of Jesus was both a command and a promise. And that is often the case with the instructions Jesus gives to his followers.

Secondly, following Jesus in difficult situations are opportunities to imitate Jesus in the faith he showed. We are to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, that is the complete example of faith. In times of difficulty, let us ask God to help us to be Christlike, so that as we face the storms of life we will indicate that they do not prevent us becoming like him. Because storms, of one kind or another, will come.