The Calming of the Storm
Series: Simple. Quiet. Present. | Bible text: Mark 4:35–41
The disciples are in the boat, yet a storm breaks out which threatens their lives whilst Jesus sleeps. How is it possible, in the same situation, to have two such different perceptions and adopt such different attitudes? The text raises questions and provides answers. The key question is: Do we know Jesus?
The background
«As evening fell, Jesus said to his disciples, »Let us cross to the other side of the lake.« Jesus was already in the boat. So the disciples dismissed the crowd, got into the boat with him and set off. A few other boats were travelling with them.» (Mark 4:35–36 NLB).
Jesus had previously been teaching a large crowd from a boat, using many parables. As evening fell, he asked them to go with him to the other side. The disciples got into Jesus’ boat. Others – without Jesus – set off on the same journey.
As I mentioned earlier, I believe that these descriptions not only depict specific situations, but also symbolically allude to certain issues. I’ll leave it up to you to decide how accurate these interpretations are.
To me, boats gliding across the water towards other shores are a metaphor for human lives moving towards a future in the hereafter.
Here, Jesus calls out: ‘Come with me into the boat to the other side.’ As people who walk with Jesus, we have the promise of eternal life in fellowship with the almighty, loving Father and his Son.
Come aboard with me. In other words: let me into your life and allow me to guide you to a good destination.
Just as back then, there are three parties:
- Those who remain on one bank – the great multitude
- Those who are travelling without Christ – a few ships
- Those who are in the same boat as Christ – 12 disciples
Which group do you belong to?
The Storm
«But soon afterwards a violent storm broke out, and high waves crashed into the boat until it was almost completely filled with water» (Mark 4:37 NLB).
Soon, almost immediately, a violent storm breaks out; high waves crash into the boat, which is almost full of water and in danger of capsizing…
What’s going on? The disciples are travelling with Jesus – so they’re on the right path, and yet a storm breaks out that causes the boat to fill with water?
That is a question that probably weighs on our minds from time to time. Now we are journeying with the Creator of heaven and earth. We have Jesus in our hearts, and yet the waves of life are crashing against our boat. Waves that could fill my boat and even cause it to capsize. Why, as a Christian, do I face the same problems as those who are travelling in the boat without Christ?
And there’s something else. Wouldn’t it have been better to have stayed on the shore, on safe ground? Was it a mistake to get into the boat with Christ, to leave the comfort zone of the safe shore?
Do we sometimes find ourselves wondering why this or that problem, this illness, that professional challenge, and so on, has befallen us?
And it’s going to get even worse…
Jesus is asleep
«Meanwhile, Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a pillow. In their desperation, they finally woke him and cried out, »Teacher, don’t you care at all that we’re going to perish?«’ (Mark 4:39 NLB)
What…! Jesus’ disciples are on the verge of drowning, and Jesus is asleep? And what’s more, he isn’t just sleeping any old how, but on a pillow. How can Jesus be so comfortable when his disciples are in danger of drowning?
Teacher, don’t you care that we’re dying?
Where, then, are the words of love? What good are promises of care and affection to me if, in my day-to-day life, I am on the verge of perishing?.
Or: Is Jesus actually here? Does he care about my problems, about my world?
Or: I know that Jesus is in the boat of my life, but I don’t feel him; I don’t realise that he is with me. Does he even notice how I’m feeling and what’s on my mind?
The contrast between the threat of capsizing and God’s peaceful slumber in the same boat seems stark, and we can probably understand how the disciples felt – or rather, we sometimes feel exactly the same way.
Two perspectives on the same situation
However, the sleeping Jesus and the distraught disciples also reveal something else. There are two perspectives on the same situation in life: a divine perspective and a human perspective.
From a divine perspective, the situation is such that one can sleep comfortably and peacefully. From a human perspective, it is a struggle for sheer survival.
How was Jesus able to sleep peacefully in that situation?
The power of Jesus to act
Jesus awoke, rebuked the wind and commanded the water: »Be still! Be quiet!« Immediately the wind died down, and there was a deep stillness.» (Mark 4:40 NLB).
Jesus begins to act. He silences both the invisible threat and the visible threat. Instantly, completely. He controls the causes of our misery (the wind) just as much as the effects (the water). Jesus—the Word through whom the world was created—gives a command, and the situation changes radically from the reality as seen from the disciples’ perspective (a threat to life) to the reality as seen from God’s perspective (peaceful tranquillity).
Jesus, whilst still here on earth as a human being, reveals his divinity. He can do anything, instantly – and he both wishes to do so and does so. This Jesus dwells, through his Spirit, in the hearts of those who have given their lives to him and who are willing to let themselves be loved by him.
If there is doubt about love, is there doubt about power? No. Paul understood this and described it as follows:
«What more can be said? If God is for us, who can be against us? God did not even spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all. And if God gave us Christ, will he not also give us everything else along with him? Who dares to bring a charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God himself who justifies them. Who is to condemn us? Christ Jesus himself died for us. What is more, he is the Risen One. He is seated at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. Can anything possibly separate us from the love that Christ has for us? What if we find ourselves in distress or fear, are persecuted, go hungry, suffer from the cold, are in danger, or are even threatened with death? As Scripture itself says: »Because we stand by you, we are put to death every day; we are treated as sheep for the slaughter.« Yet despite all this, we emerge with an overwhelming victory through Christ, who has loved us. I am convinced: nothing can separate us from his love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor powers, neither our present fears nor our worries about the future, not even the powers of hell can separate us from the love of God.» (Romans 8:31–38 NLB).
That is a reality; that is true. The question is whether we live within this reality of God, or whether we allow the human perspective of our own limited possibilities to dominate our lives.
What does Jesus want to teach us about trust?
That is also the question Jesus put to his disciples.
«And he asked the disciples, »Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?« Filled with fear, they said to one another, »Who is this man, that even the wind and the waves obey him?«’ (Mark 4:41 NLB)
Why are you all so scared?. Why am I afraid? Why are we, who have Christ, afraid?.
Nothing can separate us from Jesus and his love. Not even death. We can face death with confidence. We can go about our daily lives with confidence. Jesus is always with us through his love (motivation) and through the resources he provides (power and strength).
The key to a victorious life in Christ is set out for us in the disciples« question: »Who is this man?’.
That is the key question that every person faces in their life. «Who is this man, Jesus?».
Do we know Jesus well enough? Do we understand how deeply the Father and the Son love us? Do we recognise Jesus’ presence, power and strength?
Let us set out to get to know Jesus anew, or to know him better. Let us set out to place our trust once more in his presence and love. Let us be encouraged to view the circumstances of our lives from God’s perspective.
One last word
The other boats have experienced storms and hardship, as well as complete calm. However, they did not realise straight away that it was Jesus. When Jesus brings victory and peace into our lives, others will notice.
The crowd that remained on the riverbank only caught a fleeting glimpse of this calm amidst the storm.
It is, above all, those people who find themselves in the midst of storms and waves who long for peace and need Christ.
Possible questions for the small group
Read the Bible passage: Mark 4:35–41
- Have you ever gone through stormy periods in your life? And do you sometimes wonder where Jesus is, and why he isn’t doing anything?
- To what extent are you able to see things from God’s perspective and recognise His sovereignty during times of turmoil, or where are you in danger of trying to battle the storm and the waves using your own resources?.
- What is stopping you from seeing your life situations from God’s perspective?.
- What specific steps can one take to get to know Jesus better and to be able to trust him more?
