Mark 4:35-41
Jesus Calms the Storm
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
When we are troubled, frightened, and those things around us look so fearful, Jesus is there...He is right there in the middle of our troubles, our being frightened and feeling the feelings of fear in our lives...He is in the middle of this frightening boat with us...His Disciples found this out...When the storm raged on and on and the wind and the waves blew their small boat back and forth and up and down they were fearful, and He was personally right there with them...But they looked at their Master and He was sound asleep -during all of this...The Messiah was right there with them, and they were still afraid...The Disciples woke Him up and questioned Him about this and ask about Him caring about the safety of their lives...Doesn't He care about us in the middle of the major storms in our lives...Their specific question to Him is this, "Teacher don't You care if we drown?."...
Seems like a very good question when we are surrounded by fear...But Jesus does not answer their question directly, or maybe at all...Instead He talks to the wind and the waves...And He says, “Quiet! Be still!”...Then the wind died down and it was completely calm...It was immediately calm after He rebuked the wind and the waves...It was like the wind and the waves heard Him and listened to Him...He never answers their question about "Teacher, don't You care if we drown?."...He never addresses their specific question...
Then He said to His Disciples, “Why are you so afraid?...Do you still have no faith?”...Jesus has taken their question of drowning, and made it a question of faith...
In the midst of our most frightening moments, Jesus is there...His Disciples could even see Him laying there calmly asleep on a cushion...But He was right there...Where was their faith?...In the waves of our own despairs and worries, He is there...And this is where faith comes in, and the question of faith comes into our lives...We seem always to have times of troubles and fears...Even His Disciples were not spared of being afraid and frightened and their thoughts of drowning after being thrown from their boat...They truly were afraid...His Disciples were genuinely concerned that they would drown to death...And this fear was personal...And so is our fears and troubles...
And in their emotional fears, they do not bring the question of drowning back up, but look at each and say, “Who is this?...Even the wind and the waves obey Him!”...They are just amazed at Him...
In the midst of our fears Jesus is there...We fear things and maybe, we will always fear things...But Jesus is right there in our boat...But. let us try to remember, even the wind and the waves obey Him...Faith is believing the He actually is in our boat...