Even the Wind and the Sea Obey, pt. 3

Even the Wind and the Sea Obey, pt. 3

This is part of a series:

To read part 1 CLICK

To read part 2 CLICK

“Who then is this?”

We relate to The Twelve, but Mark focuses on Jesus Christ’s identity.

He’s the One who draws us away from the crowds

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. (Mark 4.35-36, NRSV)

This is a recurring pattern in this portion of Mark. In every story, Jesus moves from the crowds to an intimate group.

There is a contrast. There are crowds. Then there are only The Twelve with Jesus, or only a few Disciples. Then miracles occur.

The Disciples should’ve seen it coming. They should have seen the pattern. They’re set apart for a miracle.

We should see it coming. He’ll get very personal with us and share His glory

He’s the One at rest, the One who’s not surprised by storms

A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ (Mark 4.37-38)

Sometimes the best thing we can do on a hard day…
is take a nap.

We may find we’re closer to Jesus Christ when we rest than when we worry.

Do we really understand rest anymore, rest for the soul, Sabbath rest?

Did you know this is the only mention of Jesus sleeping in the New Testament (NT)?

Our ship seems to be sinking, but where’s Jesus? Curl up beside Him!

He’s the One who calls us to believe again

He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ (Mark 4.39-41)

Jesus commands the storms, and Jesus calls us to believe!

In the NT, to believe means to believe in someone, like trusting in something, or depositing money into a trust fund.

So, Jesus takes their belief personally…

Don’t you know who I am?

“Do you still not have faith in me?” (verse 40, NLT)

Sandra Richter has written the landmark book Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry into the Old Testament. She answers the Disciples’ question:

“What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (Mt 8:27). The answer, of course, is that this is Yahweh the Son. And this event is one of the clearest declarations of Jesus’ deity in the New Testament. It is Yahweh who said at the dawn of creation: “thus far you shall come, but no farther”; and it is only Yahweh the Son who could stand and remind the Sea of Galilee of the same.”{italicized portion for clarity}*

notes:

picture credit: Yoav Aziz | sun after rain | Sea of Galilee | 12.22.20 | unsplash.com

* Sandra L. Richter, The Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry into the Old Testament (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008), 146-147.