Mark 4:35-41 – “On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Our family spent the summer in Fort Collins, CO (FoCo) for a leadership training program with some of the Rock’s college students. Fort Collins is situated at the base of the Rocky Mountain foothills of the northern Front Range. There is a large reservoir, called Horsetooth Reservoir, nestled between the mountains and the city. Prevailing winds can suddenly crest the mountain, rush down across the lake, and hit the town unexpectedly. One afternoon, while we were praying with the students, one of these prevailing winds hit the house like a freight train. It went from quiet and calm to howling winds shaking the house. There was no warning, and it was incredibly unnerving, despite being inside the house. The memory is etched into my mind, down to the tiniest detail, from what I was wearing to where the people I was with were sitting.
While in FoCo, the church there studied through this passage in Mark. Most of the following thoughts came from the sermons we heard there, and my own personal study and home commentary:
Like FoCo, the sea of Galilee is located at the base of a mountain range. The prevailing winds that hit the Sea are even more extreme than in FoCo. Can you imagine being on a boat in the middle of a lake the size of Washington, D.C.? Then, suddenly being hit by a prevailing wind? We know it had to be an extreme one, since the disciples, being seasoned fishermen, had probably endured many of these winds in their lifetime. They were afraid for their lives, and like me, they recounted a lot of small details, like the position of Jesus in the boat and what He slept on.
The disciples woke Jesus up to complain and demand He do something. Didn’t He care that they were all going to die? It seems they expected Him to appeal to a “higher power” for help, as they certainly were not prepared for what He did next. Jesus, by His own power, told the waves and winds to stop. AND THEY DID! Jesus didn’t have to call on someone else for help. He IS the higher power. Jesus then rebukes the disciples for fearing the wind, and asks why they didn’t trust Him.
Afterwards, the disciples were even more terrified. They realized Jesus is greater than they had previously understood and is capable of more than they could comprehend. They could not control or manipulate Him into doing what they wanted or expected. How many times, in the storms of life, do we question whether Christ cares? How often do we complain when things aren’t going as we expect? Jesus is God. He faces storms, evil, and even death head on with authority. He cannot be tamed or controlled, but He can be trusted. He has great power, but He also has great tenderness.
Another thing to notice is that Jesus does not remove the fears of the disciples, but redirected their fears to the right place: God. Similarly, the Gospel is not about removing our fears, but putting them in the right place. Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. What areas of our lives (or what fears are we facing) cause us to want to tame God? It is easy to tell these areas in our lives. They are marked by impatience, anxiety, and lack of trust in God. This has been very convicting for me personally. What do we do once we identify these areas and fears?
1. We need to STOP obligating God to do what we want Him to do.
2. We need to STOP trying to manipulate God, and START trusting who God IS instead.
3. We should trust and act like the Storm Calmer (Jesus) is right next to us, because He is.
Thou art the Lord who slept upon the pillow, Thou art the Lord who soothed the furious sea, What matter beating wind and tossing billow, If only we are in the boat with Thee? ~Amy Carmichael