Mark 4:35–41

Bible Studies for Life 
Director, Resource Center for Pastoral Excellence, Samford University

POWER LIKE NO OTHER

Mark 4:35–41

The memory is still fresh in my mind though it has been nearly 20 years. A friend invited me to go for a ride in his home-built aerobatic airplane. He’d logged hundreds of hours as a pilot and many of them had been in that airplane. His background gave me confidence in his technical skills and competence as a pilot. A ride in a plane like that would be a first for me and I did not hesitate to say yes. 

I was having a great time until the wheels left the runway and he made an abrupt, sharp turn to change directions as the plane gained altitude. I never told him this, but in that moment I experienced absolute, white-knuckled, get-me-out-of-here fear. Thankfully once he made the turn I settled down and enjoyed the ride. He even let me pilot the plane for a few minutes but I chose not to try any turns.

Pastoral counselors help us understand the difference between fear and anxiety. Fear tends to be a reaction to a present situation. Anxiety tends to be related to the future and the unknown. All humans experience episodes of both these emotions. One look at the evening news can make even the most calm among us feel anxious and afraid.

Mark recounts an incident where the disciples and Jesus had a frightening experience on the Sea of Galilee. How Jesus responded to the terrifying situation can help us when we have our own fears and anxieties.

Jesus is not overwhelmed by life’s circumstances. (35–38a)

People had begun to follow Jesus to hear Him and seek healing. When He went home for a break, a crowd gathered outside preventing the family from eating. Jesus went out to them and was accused of blasphemy because of His teaching. His mother and His brothers tried to get Jesus away from the situation but He stayed and continued teaching, using parables and other examples. It had been an exhausting day for Jesus and the newly enlisted disciples. The only way to get a break from the action was to cross the Sea of Galilee — at nightfall. 

Most fishing boats used at that time were small. The “Kinneret boat,” discovered in 1986, is a well-preserved Galilean boat that dates near the time of Jesus. It is small, around 26 feet long and seven feet wide. 

The English word “mega” sounds like the word Mark used to describe the storm. No wonder the waves began to swamp the small boat. One would think even an exhausted Jesus would have awakened in this storm. Could Jesus’ sleep have been because He had complete trust in the power and protection of the Creator?

Jesus has power over everything. (38b–39)

After the megastorm there was a calm. Mark’s account uses words spoken by Jesus in other situations such as when silencing or rebuking demons and in curing illness caused by evil spirits. With “Quiet! Be still!” (v. 39), howling winds were silenced and frenetic, billowing waves were settled. In contrast to the great storm, Jesus brought about great calm. When we encounter our own “great storm” we can recall how Jesus, undisturbed by the chaos of this storm, confidently and powerfully intervened on behalf of the disciples.

Responding to Jesus in faith removes our fears. (40–41)

As if crossing the sea at night, encountering a terrifying storm and nearly sinking weren’t reasons enough, Jesus asked His disciples why they were afraid. Maybe what really made them afraid came after witnessing Jesus speak words with immediate effect on raging sea and storm. “Who is this man?” they wondered. The text of verse 41 literally says, “They feared a great (mega) fear.” The disciples began to see that Jesus was unlike any other human.