Dwell in the Word Mark 4:35-41

Consider these questions as we dwell in Mark 4:35-41:

1. How does the story of Jesus calming the storm on the lake demonstrate His divine authority and power over the elements? What impact might this miraculous event have had on the disciples who witnessed it?

2. The disciples' response to the storm reveals their fear and lack of faith in that moment. How does Jesus address their fear, and what does His response teach us about trusting in His sovereignty even in the midst of life's storms?

3. Reflecting on the disciples' question, "Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?" how does this moment contribute to their growing understanding of Jesus' true identity? How does this event deepen your own understanding of who Jesus is and His role in creation?

Transcript:

This is a story that you know. This is one that we have all learned in Sunday school. Very familiar story. The plot is very interesting, but very simple. They have the crowds following them, like we've read about all through Mark so far. And what happens? Well, they need to get away. Well, what better getaway vehicle in the first century than a boat? Not everybody that's with them is going to have a boat. Not everybody, not many people are going to be able to fit into a boat in a crowd. So, it's an easy way to get away. And so, they go out onto the lake and, well, a great windstorm rises up and there's waves everywhere. And you got to love where the plot of this story goes. Don't you just love that Jesus is chill and sleeping in the stern of the boat? He's fine. And the guys around him are just scared. And remember, these are fishermen. Now, I grew up fishing, but I grew up fishing with my dad on much smaller lakes and small boats. We were never anywhere where we were in danger. I was a strong enough swimmer, and we always wore life jackets so I could easily get to the shore.

In my adult years, I went on a short, day trip with some men from our church in Ohio, and we went to South Bass Island in Lake Erie in a decent size boat. On the way back, I bet the waves were six, seven feet high. I had never been around anything like this. I got pretty sick pretty quick. I will always remember that feeling of, This boat is doing okay, but for how long? It was a real blessing. We must have had a north wind because we got in behind another island, Kelly's Island, and the waves went down for a while. By the time we were out of that wake, we were pretty close to being back. But I thought about this story, and I thought about many times as I've read it about that, my one real big experience with big waves in a relatively, I guess it was a decent size boat, but it was not a big boat by any stretch of the imagination. Imagine how I felt my nervousness when I knew I was going to be all right, these guys, boy, they must have been really afraid. A lot of them were fishermen.

They had experienced this before, but they're obviously terrified. So they wake Jesus up and they say, Teacher, don't you care that we're perishing? And so what does Jesus do? We don't see that He has any answer here. He says, Peace be still, and something amazing happens. The winds ceased. There was a great calm. Now, I just shared that I appreciated being in the wake of an island. That was not calm. That was not calm at all. There was still a lot of waves, but it was much more comfortable for me. Imagine a great calm to go from huge waves. These people are scared and to go to a great calm. I can't even imagine what that would be like. And so what does Jesus say to him? Why are you so afraid? Do you still not have faith? Essentially, he is saying, You've seen everything that I've done. Do you think I would let something happen to myself and to you? Well, we don't see what their response is, but we do see that they're filled with fear. I think you and I would be filled with fear too. If we were in a midst of a storm and we heard somebody say, Peace be still, and it was still, Let's be honest, we would be freaking out.

We'd be full of fear. Who is this? And so that's exactly what they say. Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him? Who is this person? Who is this Jesus? They have the belief that He's the Messiah. He's alluded to that here. Again, remember the Messianic secret? He isn't saying that He's the Messiah, but He's giving some hints that eventually this information about Himself will come out. But they know these stories about Him. But this is a tangible thing that they can see. Imagine what that must have been like for them. Well, who is He? Who is He that even the wind and the sea obey Him? He is God, the Son. He's taken on human flesh. He is the one who is there at the foundation of the earth. He is the one who was there when words were spoken and everything that we know came into existence. That's who He is. As we think about what this means for us, first off, we understand who Jesus is. He is not just a good teacher, He is God because He is able to speak and the wind and the sea obey Him.

No one else can do that. That's the idea being conveyed to us here, that He has the power to do what only God can do. The second thing is, do we trust Him? Why are we so afraid? Do we still not have faith? He is the one who is sovereign. He is in control. And so, no matter what is going on in the world, it may seem bad to us, but he has a greater plan. He has a purpose. He works all things together for good for those who love Him. So may we trust God's sovereign will as we step out into His world today and every day, knowing that He is the God who is in control.