Authority over the Storm
SYNOPSIS - Despite a tremendous miracle, the calming of a tempest, the disciples continued to lack faith – Mark 4:35-41.
What precipitated the storm was the statement by Jesus to his
disciples - “Let us go over to the other side.” Where the “other side”
was is made clear in the next story about the demoniac in the area of Gerasenes
- (Mark 5:1-20).
- (Mark 4:35-41) - “And he says to them on that day, evening having come, ‘We should cross over unto the other side.’ And having dismissed the crowd, they are taking him along as he was in the boat, and other boats were with him. And a great tempest of wind is coming to pass, and the waves were dashing over into the boat, so that already being filled is the boat. And he was in the stern sleeping on the cushion. And they awaken him and are saying to him, ‘Teacher! Is it no concern to you that we are perishing?’ And having awakened he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Be silent! Be still!’ And the wind abated, and great calm came to pass. And he said to them, ‘Why are you fearful? Not yet do you have faith?’ And they feared a great fear and were saying to one another, ‘Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” - (Exodus 14:16-29, Psalm 89:9, 107:29, Nahum 1:4, Matthew 8:23-27, Luke 8:22-25).
The only time in the synoptic gospels when Jesus is said to be sleeping
is in this story. That he needed to sleep demonstrated his genuine humanity.
That he slept during a storm showed his trust in God.
The disciples addressed him as “teacher.” This indicates they
did not understand who Jesus really was; they viewed him as little more than a
teacher or “rabbi.” At the end of this story, they will ask rather explicitly -
“Who is this man?”
The disciples did not perform well in this incident. They were in
great fear and acted accordingly. Furthermore, they woke Jesus from fear and quite
suddenly. Finally, Jesus charged them with having no faith. The irony is they
were even more fearful after he had calmed the storm.
A passage from the book of Jonah is echoed in the story. When
Jesus “rebuked” the storm and called on the wind to “be silent”
he used the same language he used previously to rebuke demons (“Jesus
rebuked him, saying, ‘Be quiet and come out of him” - Mark 1:25):
- (Jonah 1:4-17) – “But Yahweh sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners were afraid and cried every man unto his god; and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it unto them. But Jonah was gone down into the innermost parts of the ship; and he lay fast asleep.”
In the ancient mind, the sea was associated with chaos. Regardless,
no opposition to Jesus could succeed until his mission was finished, not even
the forces of nature. This “opposition” arose after he instructed the disciples
to proceed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The passage portrays the
storm’s reaction to his determination to cross to the other side as virtually
instantaneous.
Not only did the wind cease at his command, but the sea was also calmed, and immediately so. This demonstrates the miraculous nature of what had occurred. Winds can suddenly cease but a body of water with its surface stirred by a storm takes time to return to a peaceful state.
Jesus then questioned his disciples (“How is it that you have
no faith”). Apparently, by this time, he expected his disciples to acquire
faith, yet even his tremendous ‘nature miracle’ failed to produce real faith. Instead,
it raised the question - “Who is this man?”
As powerful as this miracle was, by itself it did not answer the
question. Even though the disciples were “insiders” closely associated with
Jesus, they reacted like the crowds on the “outside” to whom he spoke in
parables. Nevertheless, even though the disciples requested his help from fear,
not from faith, he responded by delivering them from the immediate danger.
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