Sunday: Calming a Storm
Daily Lesson for Sunday 28th of July 2024
Read Mark 4:35-41. What happens in this story, and what lessons can we take from it about who Jesus is?
At the beginning of Mark 4:1-41, Jesus steps into a boat to teach the crowd on the shore. In Mark 4:10-12, it seems He may have gotten out of the boat and talked with the disciples privately. Now, after a long day of teaching, the disciples take Jesus in the boat “as He was,” in other words, very tired.
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He immediately falls asleep on the boat’s cushion, which would be in the stern of the boat. A great storm arises on the lake, and the boat is at risk of sinking when the disciples awake Him. Dramatically, Jesus commands the wind and waves to cease. A great calm settles over the lake. Understandably, the disciples are deeply afraid at the display of divine power.
Read Psalms 104:1-9. How does the picture of Yahweh here compare with Christ calming the storm?
The story in Mark 4:35-41 fits within a common biblical pattern: that of a “theophany”—the appearance of God or one of His angels. Five characteristics are common to these events: (1) the display of divine power, (2) human fear, (3) the command “Do not fear,” (4) the words of revelation for which God or the angel appeared, and (5) human response to the revelation. Four of the five are present in this story—the calming of the storm is the display of divine power, the disciples’ fear is the human fear. The question, “Why are you so afraid?” is the “Do not fear.” The disciples’ question, “Who then is this?” is the human response. What is missing is the words of revelation. This missing detail plays into the revelation/secrecy motif that runs through the entire book, where the truth about Jesus will come out. Here the disciples’ question, “Who then is this that the wind and the sea obey Him?” pushes the reader to fill in the answer of the missing words of revelation—He is the Son of God, the Lord Himself.
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Think about the power of God. How can you learn to lean on this power and to trust it in all things in your life? |
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I like the mysterious phrase “as He was”. What if it means more than being tired?
The disciples were clearly shocked at what Jesus was able to do in calming the storm. They had been with Him a relatively short period of time and did not understand what He was fully capable of. They took Him on their fishing boats without asking Him to sign a disclaimer. This man crackled with Divine Power. Couldn’t they sense that? They’d already seen a lot evidence of the divine supernatural flowing through Him. Didn’t Jesus say to one of the disciples, “ You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that. Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:50-51). They’d been warned, right? Yet, they took Him “as He was”.
And isn’t it the same for us? We say “yes to Jesus“ and take Him as He is. We don’t know exactly what a life together will be like. We hear other people’s testimonies. Maybe He gets into our lifeboat with us and lets the storm come and really rough us up. Maybe He lets us almost die. Maybe He’s so quiet and so still that we think He doesn’t know what’s going on. We feel like we have to jump in where He’s slacking. Bail out the boat without His help. Who is this man?
Monday I lost my cat. Sudden disaster. A sudden curdling shriek. My search and effort to find him , and as time went along pointing to the inevitable (a neighbor had seen a coyote), my heart shattered into millions of pieces. I prayed for the safety of my much beloved little buddy every day. The miracle didn’t happen. My boat was capsized. So why does the stray cat come around for years without harm, but mine was lost?
I don’t know. But I know that Jesus isn’t sleeping. He’s allowing the storm. He’s teaching me to take Him onboard “just as He is”. To watch Him use His power as He wills, not my will.
Ester, I'm so sorry about your kitty..(I'm assuming that really happened) Yes, I believe God doesn't always answer the way we want but what will ultimately be for our best even though we don't often see that at the time.
Thank you so much, Ed (is this Mr. Goodman, my high school science teacher 30 yo?)
Yes, little Louis left us last week. One minute I was patting him as he lounged amongst our garden pansies. The next he trotted off, tail held high, towards the woods where he met his end. All I can do is trust that God knows best, as you say. 🙏🏻 This morning I’m reading how very small we are, and yet God cares (Is.40:15,26).
Yes Ester it's me Mr G. the science teacher..! I tried to go incognito but the moderator insists on actual names. I have really enjoyed your deep spiritual insight and the time we reconnected at camp mtg last year.
My wife and I have both have had encounters with demonic forces over the years of our ministry. Satan and his minions are still active in the modern world, openly and behind the scenes, as per the lesson this week.
Yaye, what a wonderful surprise!! 🙌 Thank you for being bold.
I remember at my niece’s graduation you gave the keynote and shared the visual of how impossible it would be to put random things together in a bag , shake them, and expect order and detailed systems to come forth….to throw light on creation vs. evolution. I was so happy you shared this because the theory of evolution was one of the lies that led me away from faith in the Bible as a late teen in a state college.
So I’m glad you can’t go incognito😅 (but I understand the feeling) because once a teacher always a teacher….you have influence and a powerful testimony to share! I would love to hear your experiences of God’s power over demonic forces.
This was such a blessed exchange!
Oh Esther, I'm so sorry about Louis, we lost a cat back in March to a tragic accident as well, it is so devastating, we were so attached to him. He was a twin orange and had just turned 1 year old 2 days before he died. We still have his brother, who severely broke his leg 2 weeks after his brother died, while out searching for him (we assume) and had to have surgery. It was quite a storm we went through, and while it is peaceful on this side of it, we still question why it had to happen almost daily. We miss him so much. Pets have such personalities and become so much a part of the family, the loss is very real. I will keep you in my prayers for healing of your heart and whatever God's plan is for both of us.
Yes, so much personality in 12 lbs. He followed me everywhere and was tremendously cute and playful. I’m so sorry for your loss and pain too, Tammy. Thank you for your prayers of healing. I’ll also pray for you and your much loved orange kitty 🙏🏻
Broken heart is how it feels, right?, like a smashing. So far the blessing is that I feel softer, more compassionate for others’ losses. More understanding of how God loves and longs for us.
My wife and I had a beautiful 12 year old British Short Hair cat. He and I would go outside in the back yard but he never wandered away from the yard. I was always out there with him. When he got near the edge of the yard, I would chase him and he would dart back to the patio. It was like a game with him.
One Sunday in October several years ago, we were in and out of the front doors doing outdoor cleaning and yard work. Later in the evening we realized that our cat was missing. We never saw him go out when we opened a door that day. He never returned. I searched for days. A lot of tears were shed. I can understand completely what you are going through. We care for our pets so much.
Thanks so much, Thomas, and for sharing your story. It reassures me that I couldn’t have done more to guard him. Your game of chase resonates too, as I tried to keep him away from the driveway whenever I was leaving, and often that involved running him into the backyard. But by the time I stealthily reached my car, he was there again, looking up at me. Sweet memories, as I know you and your wife have. And yes, so many tears.
My friend told me of a book by Dr. DeRose and Steven Wohlberg titled “Will my pet go to heaven?“ Apparently they answer “yes”. I hope so! We can trust God knows what’s best, and that comforts me most. 🙏🏻😻😻
I'm a bird person, but I know the loss of special pets too. It's a very hard thing. With each bird I have buried, I have written Romans 8:19-21 out and placed that verse with their little body. It's not absolute proof, but it's my evidence that they will live again with me one day. Salvation is for humans, but God will redeem all creation and I believe that gives hope for our pets. Thoughts and prayers for you.
When my father-in-law was in the last few months of his life he was pretty hard to get on with. We were travelling to Queensland (1000km) every few weeks to ensure that both he and Carmel's mother were looked after. He did not have dementia in the usual sense but he had clearly lost control of his emotional boat. I remember he came home from hospital and was clearly in a bad mood. The hospital had told him he could no longer drive and he was determined to see the heart specialist the next day so he could get back on the road.
At about 11:30pm he decided he wanted to take a shower and one thing led to another. We were woken up and he was shouting at Mum and when we appeared he launched into a tirade that even the neighbours would have heard. He recited a whole litany of evils that Carmel and I were supposed to have done. This storm went on for over an hour and at that time of the day was pretty wearying. Finally in desperation, I put my arms around him and hugged him with the words, "We love you Dad!" He broke down and sobbed and within 10 minutes I was tucking him into bed and peace reigned in the house once again. (I wish I had thought of that an hour earlier!)
Now, I am not claiming I worked a miracle that night. The parallel is that when Jesus performed the miracle of calming the sea in the middle of night, it was his way of saying to the disciples, "I love you!" We are impressed by his power over the wind and waves, but he used that power to express his love for his disciples.
I hear a lot of prayers for miracles that sound like a shopping list for heavenly favours. I sometimes stop in the middle of my prayers to take stock of what I am saying and to ask God for the miracle of accepting his grace so I can share it with others.
Jesus asked for a miracle in the Garden of Gethsemany
I want to be part of that miracle.
Dear Maurice – may I assure you that you are part of that miracle, as you have accepted by faith the testimony ‘of these’ who speak to the unity between the believer and God established by the Holy Spirit - “to be of one heart and mind, just as you and I are, Father – that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me.”
Amen and am forever grateful for always sharing daily lessons in the best way for someone like me to understand...
Christ miracles are awesome. I hope we don’t leave with just that. When we are awestruck, we are incentivized to follow though with our attraction to Christ, in spite of our human inclination. What do we follow through with, Micah said to love mercy, do justly, and to walk humbly with our Lord, tied in with Christ words, “if ye love Me keep my commandments.” Yes it is not as simple as that, but it is still simple for a babe in Christ to understand. What I would say wow to is, the calming affect Christ gave the disciples with calming the sea. It sure would calm me, and make me a follower of Christ. No wonder Peter said, “you are Christ Son of the living God.”
Micah 6:8.
John 14:15.
Matthew 16:16.
Each time I read the account of Jesus calming the sea, the wind, and the waves, the question comes to my mind, didn't the disciples see Jesus do miracles before, miracles that amazed them?
Today we can read the stories about the power of Jesus, but what do we do when issues arise in our lives? Notice that when people came to Jesus with their issues, or when Jesus encountered people with issues, Jesus did not send them to someone else for a solution, Jesus took care of the issues himself. Today we have the benefit of reading about these stories, but do we really believe that Jesus can handle our issues? If so, what do we do with our issues? Do we take them to Jesus, or we seek solutions elsewhere?
I used to always read this story and wonder why Jesus asked the disciples where their faith was? I mean, He knew that they knew that He could calm the storm that is why they were calling on him, so why was He asking where their faith was?
Then it dawned on me that He was not asking. Where is your faith, Don’t you know I can calm the storm? What He was asking was, where is your Faith? Why do you even need me to calm the storm? Why can’t you just ride the storm out with me? After all, Jesus sent them across the lake, knowing good and well they were going to run into a storm. Jesus was resting in the boat, totally content to just ride the storm out. We show a great lack of faith when we ask Jesus to calm every storm in our life, instead of just having enough faith to ride the storm out with Him.
It's very true - with Jesus in the boat, they should have known they weren't going down.
Thanks William for the thoughts. What Bible reference would you have to support riding out the storm without fear, wheither we have a choice to not? I can think of one physical storm where God's man rode out the storm trusting the Lord. Acts 27. And what a story, he was able to spread the gospel on Malta as a result of riding the storm with the Lord. Maybe you have a verse or chapter in the Bible of riding out the spiritual storm in good faith, and/or admonition to do so, to share with us.
Thanks.
Come to think of it the most inspiring for me, was the spiritual storm of Nicodemus as told to John by Nicodemus John chapter 3.
Nicodemous made it through his spiritual storm. His entrance on to calm waters spiritually is Not recorded in the Bible, but is given to us by God's angel instructing her to ink it on paper. Chapter 17 of the Desire of Ages.
"After the Lord's ascension, when the disciples were scattered by persecution, Nicodemus came boldly to the front. He employed his wealth in sustaining the infant church that the Jews had expected to be blotted out at the death of Christ. In the time of peril he who had been so cautious and questioning was firm as a rock, encouraging the faith of the disciples, and furnishing means to carry forward the work of the gospel. He was scorned and persecuted by those who had paid him reverence in other days. He became poor in this world's goods; yet he faltered not in the faith which had its beginning in that night conference with Jesus." DA 177.1
Let us falter not in our faith. We are given the Holy Spirit. Who is our Helper
John 14:15-18. 🙏
I am a bit at a loss regarding the direction of today’s lesson; I suppose it relates to learning to trust God that He can ‘calm the storms’ in our life. Though, because we are human, depending on the state of one’s relationship with Him, any emotional response could arise – fear included; and, under the circumstances, that is a good thing because it alerts us that something needs to be set right.
Most likely, everyone at times has experienced a fear of the 'supernatural'. As a young child I was quite fearful that evil 'entities' would want to cause me harm; my need was for inner 'calm and safety', and my heavenly Father used this 'fear' to direct me to Him. By God's Grace, 'childish' fear already recognized spiritual powers able to cause harm, leading me to seek the God who holds the ultimate, true power which establishes 'calm in the midst of a storm'.
To speculate – His disciples might have experienced their fear because of not yet being familiar with and trusting the true intend of the nature of the God Jesus introduced them to. Previous experiences regarding heavenly ‘powers’ might have been negative because so much of their religious laws governing their relationship with God was based on fear of punishment. Man became astranged from Him who made us, and man experiences 'fear' ever since.
Now we know better - Faith in a benevolent/caring Creator God is what Jesus' message points us to, that it is Love for us that makes the difference between experiencing fear or calm – Mark 4:40. By Grace through faith we are introuduced by the Holy Spirit to know who our heavenly Father is and to trust Him. No longer do we fear Him, because we are learning to love Him and know and trust His intent – to protect us as He leads us on the Way to inherit everlasting life.
Didn’t We read that Jesus never used His divinity during His lived in this world to do miracles ,. But now we read that He calm the wind and the sea, that only God can do it!
JESUS never used His divine power to benefit Himself. Also He relied on His Father to work in and through Him as a human being. Thus JESUS could say to all His disciples (including us) in John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
We have access to the same divine power to do His works.
God's power is greater than all powerful are on the earth 🌎, Let's look at it when we sleep during the night,and no one knows what happens in the night when we're asleep and when the sun rises in the morning everyone wakes up and others they do pass away, so to those who sees the day. What makes the to wake up??? is the power of God and the Holly spirit spring on human life. We should all be great full and appreciate God for keeping us alive.
This power of miracles is a power that surpasses all powers