WHO IS THIS MAN THAT EVEN THE WIND AND SEA OBEY HIM?
Mark 4:35–41 — Jesus Calms the Storm
TEXT B4 TRADITION
Read First. Conclude Later.
THE QUESTION
Jesus has been teaching about God's kingdom.
Now He gives His disciples a lesson they will never forget.
A storm threatens their lives.
Jesus is asleep.
They are terrified.
Then Jesus speaks.
The wind stops. The sea becomes calm.
What does this miracle tell us about Jesus?
MARK 4:35 — LET US GO TO THE OTHER SIDE
“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’”
Jesus has spent the day teaching beside the Sea of Galilee.
Now He tells His disciples to cross the lake.
Notice three things:
Jesus gives the instruction.
The disciples follow.
They do not know what lies ahead.
Obeying Jesus does not mean we will never face danger.
The disciples are about to learn that lesson.
MARK 4:36 — THEY TOOK HIM IN THE BOAT
“And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.”
Jesus has been teaching from a boat (Mark 4:1).
Now the disciples begin their journey.
Mark includes an interesting detail.
Other boats were with Him.
This was not merely a private lesson involving Jesus and the Twelve.
Others were traveling on the lake.
Mark does not tell us what happened to those boats during the storm.
We should not invent an answer.
MARK 4:37 — A GREAT WINDSTORM
“And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.”
This was a dangerous storm.
The waves were coming into the boat.
The boat was filling with water.
Some of the disciples were experienced fishermen (Mark 1:16–20).
They understood the danger.
This was not simply an uncomfortable boat ride.
They believed they were about to die.
The storm was real.
Their danger was real.
MARK 4:38 — TEACHER, DO YOU NOT CARE?
“But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’”
While the disciples struggle against the storm, Jesus sleeps.
His sleep reminds us that He was truly human.
He had spent the day teaching.
He needed rest.
But notice the disciples' question.
They do not merely ask Jesus to help.
They ask:
“Do you not care?”
Fear has led them to question His concern for them.
They know Jesus can do extraordinary things.
They have already seen His miracles.
But now they face danger themselves.
Their fear overwhelms their confidence.
Does fear prove that someone has no faith?
No.
The disciples came to Jesus for help.
But their words reveal how little confidence they had in Him.
They knew they were in danger. They did not yet understand who was in the boat with them.
MARK 4:39 — PEACE! BE STILL!
“And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”
Jesus awakens.
He rebukes the wind.
He commands the sea.
And immediately:
The wind stops.
The waves cease.
The sea becomes calm.
Notice what Jesus does not do.
He does not pray for someone else to stop the storm.
He does not struggle against the wind.
He does not perform a ceremony.
He speaks. Nature obeys.
Mark emphasizes the contrast.
There was a great storm.
Then there was a great calm.
The change was immediate.
Why is this important?
The Old Testament repeatedly describes God as the One who rules the sea.
Psalm 89:9
God rules the raging sea and stills its waves.
Psalm 107:23–30
Sailors face a terrible storm. They cry to the LORD, and He stills the storm and quiets the waves.
Psalm 65:7
God stills the roaring seas.
Job 38:8–11
God establishes the boundaries of the sea.
In these passages, control over the sea belongs to God.
Now Jesus commands the wind and waves.
And they obey Him.
Mark is showing us something about Jesus' identity, not merely His ability to perform miracles.
MARK 4:40 — WHY ARE YOU SO AFRAID?
“He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’”
Jesus asks two questions.
1. Why are you so afraid?
Their fear was understandable.
But Jesus challenges the fear that caused them to doubt His care and power.
2. Have you still no faith?
They have already seen His authority.
He has healed the sick.
He has cast out demons.
He has taught with authority.
Yet they still do not understand Him fully.
Jesus expects them to learn from what they have already witnessed.
What kind of faith was missing?
Not merely belief that God exists.
They already believed in God.
They needed greater confidence in Jesus.
Faith must grow as we come to understand who Jesus is.
MARK 4:41 — WHO THEN IS THIS?
“And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’”
This is the central question of the passage.
Before the miracle, they feared the storm.
After the miracle, they were overwhelmed by Jesus' authority.
Their question was not:
How did He do that?
It was:
WHO IS THIS?
They had seen miracles before.
But now they witnessed Jesus commanding forces that Scripture places under God's authority.
Mark wants his readers to consider the same question.
What answer does Mark give?
Mark begins his Gospel by identifying Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1:1).
Throughout the Gospel, he shows Jesus exercising extraordinary authority.
Mark 1:22: Authority in teaching.
Mark 1:27: Authority over unclean spirits.
Mark 2:10: Authority to forgive sins.
Mark 2:28: Authority as Lord of the Sabbath.
Mark 4:39: Authority over wind and sea.
The evidence is building.
Jesus is not merely another teacher or prophet.
His authority demands that we take seriously Mark's opening claim about who He is.
WHAT DOES THIS MIRACLE TEACH ABOUT JESUS?
1. JESUS WAS TRULY HUMAN
He became tired.
He slept.
He experienced ordinary human needs.
Mark does not hide His humanity.
2. JESUS EXERCISED AUTHORITY OVER NATURE
He commanded the storm.
The storm obeyed.
His authority extended beyond sickness and demons.
3. JESUS REVEALED GOD'S POWER
The Old Testament identifies God as the ruler of the sea.
Jesus demonstrated that authority.
This miracle provides powerful evidence for understanding His divine identity.
4. JESUS EXPECTED HIS DISCIPLES TO TRUST HIM
They had already witnessed His works.
He expected their faith to grow.
DOES THIS MEAN CHRISTIANS WILL NEVER SUFFER?
No.
The disciples were obeying Jesus when the storm came.
Jesus did not promise that following Him would remove every danger.
Later, He would tell His disciples that following Him could involve suffering and death (Mark 8:34–35).
The apostles themselves would experience persecution.
Consider Acts 12:1–2.
James was killed by Herod.
Faithfulness did not spare him from suffering.
Therefore, we should not turn this miracle into a promise that Jesus will remove every difficulty from our lives.
The lesson is not that Christians will never face storms.
The lesson is that Jesus has authority over forces His disciples cannot control.
WAS JESUS TEACHING ABOUT THE STORMS OF LIFE?
The expression is familiar.
People often use this passage to encourage Christians facing trouble.
There is nothing wrong with remembering Jesus' power when life becomes difficult.
But we must distinguish the text from our application.
The text describes an actual storm on the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus actually commanded the wind and waves.
The miracle revealed His authority and exposed the disciples' weak faith.
Applying that lesson to our troubles can be helpful.
But we must not replace the actual event with an allegory.
First understand what happened. Then consider what it teaches us.
WHAT SHOULD WE LEARN?
1. Following Jesus does not guarantee an easy life.
The disciples encountered danger while obeying Him.
2. Fear can expose weaknesses in our faith.
Their fear led them to question whether Jesus cared.
3. Jesus has authority over creation.
The wind and sea obeyed His command.
4. Faith should grow from evidence.
The disciples had witnessed His works. Jesus expected them to learn.
5. The most important question is who Jesus is.
The disciples asked the question Mark wants every reader to answer.
CONCLUSION — WHO IS THIS MAN?
A boat was filling with water.
Experienced fishermen feared for their lives.
Jesus was asleep.
They woke Him.
He spoke.
The wind stopped.
The sea became calm.
And the disciples asked:
“Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
The Old Testament declares that God rules the sea.
Now Jesus exercises that authority.
Mark is giving us evidence for the identity of Jesus.
The question is not merely whether Jesus can calm a storm.
The question is whether we understand who Jesus is.
CONTINUE EXPLORING SCRIPTURE
Previous Study: Mark 4:30–34 — The Mustard Seed
https://text-b4-tradition.com/mark-4-30-34-mustard-seed
Related Study: Mark 4:1–20 — The Parable of the Sower
https://text-b4-tradition.com/mark-4-1-20-sower
Next Study: Mark 5:1–20 — Jesus and the Man Among the Tombs
What happens when Jesus confronts a man controlled by many demons?
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