Jesus Stills Life's Storms

The Hebrew people were not seafarers and often identified the sea with danger and evil. A man in trouble saw himself as overwhelmed by the waves: "Your wrath lies heavy upon me; all your waves crash over me" (Ps 88:8). Dangerous, wicked people were like the tossing sea that could not be calmed: "The wicked are like the tossing sea which cannot be still, its waters cast up mire and mud" (Is 57:20). On the other hand, God is sovereign over the waters and the negative forces. He subdued chaos and created an orderly universe. He imposes his authority over storms and billows, turning them into gentle breeze (Ps 107:29).

Sudden and violent squalls were a common occurrence in Lake Gennesaret (or Sea of Galilee), around which Jesus exercised his ministry. The Apostles who were mostly fishermen knew the sea. The storm must have been exceptionally strong, for they wake Jesus in fright: "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" (v 38).

Jesus stands up and majestically orders the wind and the sea to be still, reminiscent of Yahweh's power over the sea. The Apostles are overcome with awe: "Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?" (v 41).

Through this power, Jesus was revealing his divinity. But the Apostles would not be able to perceive this. In moments of weakness, they would forget the Jesus who stilled the storm and see him as one who did nothing when he was arrested and tried like a criminal. And so they all abandoned him and fled. It was only after Easter that they truly understood who Jesus was and truly became courageous.

This narrative must have encouraged the first Christians who were experiencing persecution on account of their faith, especially the bloody one when the Roman emperor Nero made them the scapegoats for the burning of Rome in AD 64. The Christians must have felt they were drowning. Mark reminded them: Jesus remained in control and would calm the raging evil and save his boat, the Church. The Church would not only survive Nero but grow strong from the persecution.

We have our own experience of storms and seeming divine abandonment. In some of these ordeals, we feel that the Lord is nowhere. The inspirational piece Footprints in the Sand illustrates this. Recalling the Lord's promise to walk with him all the way, the writer complains that in times of trouble, only one set of footprints were left in the sand. He supposes these belong to him, and the Lord had left him alone. The Lord answers that the footprints were his, and that during those times of trouble he was carrying the writer.