Last week, we used background information to illuminate a famous passage from Matthew.  This week, we will attempt a similar approach to Mark’s Gospel.  We will examine Mark 4:35-41, where the evangelist (a term often used to refer to Gospel authors) records Jesus stilling the violent storm on the Sea of Galilee. 

Historical Background

Mark was the first Gospel written.  He was a disciple of Peter and likely received much of his material from him.  Matthew and Luke utilized Mark and other sources to write their Gospels.  The Gospels are not bland, neutral accounts of Jesus life and sayings. Instead, they are intentionally arranged to address the needs of the author’s intended reading audience. Mark’s readers are situated in Rome in the midst of an intense persecution. Nero’s violent attacks against the Christians are well documented.  He publicly burned many Christians.  He ordered the brutal deaths of Peter and Paul.  He actual burned Rome and blamed the Christians so that he would have liberty to persecute them more.  Therefore, Mark is writing to a disheartened and abused congregation.  His Gospel is aimed to encourage and uplift the persecution Roman Christians and to help them make sense of their situation.  This story of “Stilling the Storm”, then, takes on a great new meaning.  It is not just another miracle, another reason to say: “Wow, Jesus is awesome!”  It is much, much more.  It is a tangible reminder that: storms come (even when Jesus is on the boat!) and that Jesus is the Lord of the storm.

Literary Context

Remember that the original text of the Bible did not include chapter and verse divisions. Instead, it read as a single, continuous narrative.  Chapters and verses are helpful in organizing the text, but sometimes cause us to miss the natural, narrative flow.  For example, Mark 4:35-6:6 should be read a single unit. Though the stories are in different “chapters”, they are intrinsically tied together by a common theme and common vocabulary. 

In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus is portrayed as having authority over a natural disaster—He is Lord over the Storm.  His supernatural power over nature leads the disciples to ask: “What kind of man is this?”  In 5:1-20, Jesus steps out of the boat and casts out a legion of demons- He is Lord over the Demons.  Next, in 5:21-34, Jesus is confronted by an incurably sick woman.  He effortlessly heals her, indicating that He is Lord over disease.  In 5:35-43, Jesus raises Jarius’ daughter from the dead, showing that He is even Lord over death.  Finally in 6:1-6, Jesus returns to his home town of Nazareth and teaches so powerfully that the crowd echoes the sentiment of the disciples who witnessed the stilling of the storm.  The crowd in Nazareth asks: ““Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?

Jesus’ stilling of the storm is much more powerful in this context—it is part of Mark’s larger argument. Jesus is stronger than any other force, any other power.  He is Lord of the storm; he is more powerful than demons; He has dominion over disease; He defeats death with a single word.  This message certainly resounds with Mark’s audience. Jesus was stronger than Nero and his cronies.  Jesus was capable of delivering them from persecution.  No matter what might come their way—Jesus could handle it.

To underscore the importance of the literary context, it is worth noting that Matthew places the story in a slightly different context.  Jesus’ stilling the storm is placed right after a this discourse on discipleship:

Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” (Matt. 8:18-22)

This challenges us to interpret the story in light of discipleship.  Immediately following the conversation, Jesus and his disciples board the boat and set sail. Discipleship is a journey with Jesus, one that demands that you leave the safety of dry ground and set sail on uncertain waters.  Discipleship is costly and is often accompanied by severe storms. But ultimately, disciples can rest in the knowledge that Jesus will ultimately prevail.  As you can see, Matthew and Mark’s versions of the story contain mostly the same content but we can discern nuances of meaning by their different contexts.

Exegesis (Examination of the Passage)

Shortly after Jesus and the disciples set sail for the other side, a “a great windstorm” came.  These storms on the Sea of Galilee were especially fierce.  Mark points out that it was “great.”  Matthew actually uses the Greek word “seismos,” from which we get earthquake words like “seismograph” and “seismology.”  This underscores the severity of the storm—it was not a rain-shower but an earth-shaking storm.  Furthermore, many of the disciples were fishermen so they understood the situation better than most.  They would have been intimately familiar with these violent Galilean storms.  Therefore, their panicked search for Jesus was well-founded.  The danger was real.  They had no way to rescue themselves.  There was no hope that it would just “get better.” It was a bad storm and they uniquely understood their potential plight.  Mark’s readers understood the storm.  They were in a bad situation, and there was little hope that it would get better.  And all of Jesus’ followers will eventually find themselves in an equally hopeless situation.

The disciples hurriedly sought out Jesus, who was asleep on the boat.  We often overlook the significance of this simple fact. Jesus was asleep.  Because He was completely human, he was tired from a hectic ministry itinerary.  Passages such as these remind us of Jesus’ humanity and comfort us when we feel exhausted and in need of sleep.  As beautiful as this sounds, I doubt the disciples were in a mood to reflect on Jesus’ humanity.  Instead, they were frantically fretting about their situation.  The passage tells us that boat was “already filling” with water.  When they needed Jesus the most, he was asleep.  Maybe, that’s how Mark’s audience felt.  In the midst of their persecution, Jesus seemed distant, absent, even asleep.  And all of Jesus’ followers will eventually find themselves in a situation where Jesus seems to be unconcerned, afar, aloof.

The disciples ask: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”  In Greek, the form of a question presupposes either a positive of negative answer.  In other words, the expected answer to the question is built into the question itself.  The disciples expected an affirmative answer-- Lord, surely you care that we are perishing, don’t you?  This shows the disciples with a measure of faith—they knew that he cared.  But, maybe, they weren’t sure that He was able to intervene. Or, perhaps, they knew He could but weren’t convinced that He would.  And, once again, we see the significance to Mark’s situation. His readers’ were in a dire situation and found themselves in a place of fear and faith.  They believed Jesus could help, but would He? And, once again, we can apply the situation to our own storms.  I know Jesus can heal, deliver, save, rescue—Can’t He?

Jesus responds to the disciples’ request with a rebuke.  He challenges their lack of faith.  They had seen him heal the sick and cast out demons.  They should know that he was capable, willing, and able. Despite the rebuke, He still calmed the storm.  He responded to their deficient faith and performed a miracle.  God is not handicapped by our weaknesses and insufficiencies. With a single word, Jesus calmed the storm.  The “great storm” was immediately replaced by a “great peace.”  The disciples can only mutter: “Who then is this man?”  Psalm 107 provides the answer.  Speaking of God, the Psalmist says: “He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.  Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.”  This man is more than a man- He is God.