Smoodock's Blog

Leaving the multitudes behind, Jesus and his disciples entered their boats (Mark has other disciples following in other boats) and began to sail across the water to the other side (Matthew 8:18). Some of the scholars criticize the fear of Jesus’ disciples, which they revealed during the storm on the Sea of Galilee, as they awoke him, pleading with him to save them (Matthew 8:25). Nevertheless, I have to wonder how often we all, including the critics, are afraid during the storms of our own lives. It takes a well-disciplined person to face great problems calmly and without fear. Most of us, if we are honest, are afraid and our faith is tested during such storms that shake our lives so easily.

At least some of the disciples were seasoned sailors, being fishermen, and they knew what sort of storms suddenly developed on the Sea of Galilee without much warning. Yet, even they believed they were ready to perish, and Mark adds that the boat was filling up with water (Mark 4 37-38). Under such circumstances, what would you think? What would most anyone think? Unless one is a highly trained and disciplined person in the faith, one doesn’t normally reason through such events. Our emotions, our fears, get the better of us.

So, after seeing the multitudes who came to Jesus to be titillated by even more miracles than the night before (Matthew 8:18; cp. Mark 4:35), Jesus and his disciples entered their boats, intending to sail to the other side of the lake. According to Albert Barnes Notes on the Bible,

the lake lies low – 600 feet lower than the ocean; that the vast and naked plateaus of the Jaulan rise to a great height, spreading backward to the wilds of the Hauran and upward to snowy Hermon; that the water-courses have cut out profound ravines and wild gorges, converging to the head of this lake, and that these act like gigantic “funnels” to draw down the cold winds from the mountains.[1]

Jesus had been preaching all day to the multitudes (cp. Mark 1:32-37), and when it was dusk, he and his disciples set sail to go to the other side of the lake (Mark 4:35).

Soon afterward, Jesus fell asleep in the rear of the boat (Mark 4:38). At that time a great windstorm developed on the sea and the waves began to fill the boat (Matthew 8 :24; cp. Mark 7:37). If we pause here to consider the text, we can see that the disciples were clearly obeying the word of Christ to set sail for the other side of the lake, so they were exactly where God wanted them to be. The storm developed suddenly and they became quite fearful for their lives. At times, we, too, become quite concerned over problematic events that seem to threaten our safety or our possessions, even while we believe we’ve been obedient to the Lord. Yet, Jesus said we would have trouble in this world, if we choose to follow him (cp. Matthew 5:10-12; 2Timotey 3:12). Therefore, in fear for their lives, Jesus disciples woke Jesus, pleading for his help (Mark 8:25), and Mark adds that at least some wondered if he cared that they perished (Mark 4:38).

How did Jesus respond? Well, Jesus was calm and unafraid of the present state of affairs. So, he asked them why they were afraid (Matthew 8:26). It is evident that he wasn’t, so even if they didn’t know why they had trouble, while serving him, they should have understood, that, because Jesus was at peace, so should they. Even emotionally, they could have and should have picked up on that. Never mind reasoning that they were in the will of God and nothing could have happened to the Messiah without God being willing for harm to occur. Not much reasoning had to take place to see Jesus asleep and caring nothing for the danger they seemed to face.

At this point, even they believed it was impossible for the Messiah to perish (cp. John 12:34; Matthew 16:21-22). However, such was a false doctrine preached by the scribes and Pharisees, but the people, including Jesus’ disciples believed it. So, even though they weren’t prepared for this dangerous turn of events, they knew Jesus told them to set sail, and they believed the Messiah couldn’t die. Therefore, they should have used what little faith they had acquired thus far with Jesus and questioned their own fears and gathered themselves to face the problem at hand.

Thus, in order to prove to them that they had nothing to fear, Jesus arose and rebuked the wind and there was a great calm (Mark 8:26), and the disciples marveled, wondering among themselves what kind of man Jesus was that even the winds and the sea obey him (Matthew 8:27). Therefore, we may not be prepared for problems that suddenly develop in our lives. They may have been unforeseen, and perhaps, we don’t know why they occur. Nevertheless, we can know, even when we are beside ourselves, wondering what to do, that the Lord sees us, and he will bring us through all our trials. Jesus never balked at the Table of the Lord, because the events he had to face were there, because the Father allowed them to occur. Nothing could touch Jesus, and nothing can touch us that the Lord didn’t allow. Therefore, he knows what’s going on, and we can rest in that.

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1] See Albert Barnes Notes on the Bible, quoting from “The Land and the Book” by Dr. Thomson (vol. 2; page 32-33).