Christ Quiets a Storm

Mark 4:35-41

The Lord Jesus is an almighty Saviour, and He has power over creation, the devil, and even the consequences of sin —illness and death. All of which point to the fact that He, as the Saviour, can take away the sin of His people. In Mark 4:35-5:43, a series of four miracles is presented, where the Lord Jesus demonstrates His power by silencing a storm, casting out a legion of demons, healing a woman, and raising a girl from the dead- all while testing the faith of His followers.

The first of these miracles is Christ silencing a storm in Mark 4:35-41. The Lord Jesus taught in parables the first 34 verses of the chapter. Following this teaching, Christ and His disciples cross the Sea of Galilee. It is in the "routine" crossing of the Sea of Galilee that we find Christ showing Himself to be fully man, as well as fully God, and that He had the power of creation. In all of this, He taught His disciples about who He was, and in the reading of this passage, there is still much to learn with the Spirit's aid about who the Lord Jesus is and also about the Christian life.

The first thing to note is that as they crossed the Sea of Galilee, a massive storm came upon them (Mark 4:37). We read that the disciples were crossing with the Lord Jesus, at his express command. His band of disciples were doing precisely what Christ commanded them. Further, Peter, James, John, and Andrew were experienced fishermen on the Sea of Galilee; therefore, the crossing to them would have seemed ordinary. Amid the passage, which seemed routine and ordinary, Jesus commanded, and there arose a great storm.

This teaches the Christian that in the Christian life, there will be storms. They will occur. Going with Jesus and obeying Jesus are no guarantee of preventing the tempest of affliction. Many Christians mistakenly believe that faithfulness to Christ, obedience, and seeking His presence will prevent hardship. The Lord Jesus teaches that His followers must be willing to bear the cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). Furthermore, we read in James 1:2 that Christians should count afflictions as a joyful thing. That they refine our faith, and mature the Lord's people, in a way that nothing else can (James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 1:7). Therefore, the Christian should expect storms in this life, and it is the winds of the storms of affliction that blow the Christian heavenward.

Secondly, Jesus demonstrated he was both fully man and fully God. As the storm pounds the helpless vessel, Jesus is asleep on a pillow. Christ is exhausted from His teaching ministry and is lying down for a well-deserved rest. The Saviour was entirely a man; he needed sleep, just like anyone else, as the wind and waves battered the vessel, so much so that water was coming in! It may not be entirely comforting to know that the Lord Jesus lay asleep amid the storm. But Christ had to be a man to redeem His people. He had to have the same nature (though not corrupted by sin). He had to be a man to take the penalty due for fallen man's sin. He had to be a man to die and suffer in the stead of His people. He was and is His people's kinsman redeemer, and He was a man so that he could save! Did you know, dear reader, that Christ was a man to redeem sinners? If you are a sinner, there is hope, because there is a glorious Saviour- Christ Jesus.

Now His disciples come to Him, and they plead for his aid. However, before we examine their petition and actions, let us consider Christ's Divine Power. In verse 39, Christ stills the raging gale, He puts the wind to silence, and subdues the waves. What power? This is the power of the Lord Jesus, and this power is also used in the Salvation of His people. He could bear the wrath of God on the Cross because He was Divine. This is a mysterious truth, but as the Larger Catechism Question and Answer 38 states "It was requisite that the Mediator should be God, that He might sustain and keep the human nature from sinking under the infinite wrath of God, and the power of death; give worth and efficacy to His sufferings, obedience, and intercession; and to satisfy God's justice, procure His favour, purchase a peculiar people, give His Sprit to them, conquer all their enemies, and bring them to everlasting salvation." What a blessed thing it is to have a Divine Saviour —a Mediator who is fully God.

Christ showcased His Divinity to His disciples here in quieting the ferocious storm and demonstrating that He was God in the Flesh. That He had power over creation. Dear Christian, you need a mediator who is both God and man. Dear Sinner, you need this Mediator, and you must believe in Him because you cannot keep God's law perfectly, you cannot withstand the wrath of God, but Christ undertook, and now there is blessed hope in the Gospel.

Ultimately, we recognise the importance of faith. The disciples pleaded with Christ when it was almost too late. As we read in verse 37, the water came into the boat, suggesting they had perhaps trusted in their abilities while the master slept. Some of the disciples were experienced sailors. They knew how to sail and possibly felt it best not to disturb the master. It appears from the Greek that the disciples were quite annoyed by the time they went to inquire of Jesus about the situation. They asked with impetuousness, "carest thou not that we perish?" (Mark 4:38). This showed that even though they had not inquired of Christ, they were mad at his lack of care. This is the way it is with the Lord's people: they are angry at the Lord when they have never asked Him for aid.

There is a lack of faith seen among the disciples. They seemed to doubt the Lord Jesus would care for them. So Christ, in verse 40, inquires of them about their lack of faith? Christ is not doing this to upbraid them. He is questioning to expose the weakness of their faith. He quieted the storm and revealed as much about their weakness of faith as He did about Himself.

The key lessons in the passage are twofold: first, followers of Christ should expect storms, but secondly, we have a fully God and fully man Saviour, perfect to redeem and aid His people, and poor sinners.