“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” Mark 4:35-41
A popular television show that I love to watch is “Deadliest Catch”. Each time I watch my eyes are glued to the T.V. as it displays images of fishermen risking their lives as they try to catch crab. These men have been handpicked for this job by the captain! They are brave and strong individuals that the captain obviously saw greatness in or He wouldn’t have picked them. The mission he has to accomplish is in part, dependent on these men doing the job he has chosen them to do. He knows He needs them to complete his mission. They are dedicated and determined men who serve their captain with all of their might! They have been trained to do their job and they do it wholeheartedly! They understand that their reward depends on their willingness to follow the captain’s orders and to execute his plan!
One thing I love to watch is the interaction between the captain and crew, especially when an intense storm develops! Fifteen to twenty foot waves crash over the side of the boat, threatening to destroy it, and the men scramble to secure the deck. The captain gives orders and the men obey. When he picked them he obviously believed they would not become terrified when they encountered danger! But I am still blown away by the fishermen’s complete trust and confidence in their captain’s ability to navigate through a deadly storm. And I am amazed at their willingness to listen to his instructions. In fact the more intense the storms become; the more dedicated the men become in serving the captain without fear!
They stay on deck and do what they know they need to do. They don’t run to the captain, frightened and worried, screaming at him to do something to make the storm stop! They just do their job, believing by faith that the captain knows what he is doing! It always makes me laugh when I see the captain sipping coffee and telling jokes in the middle of one of those storms. They’re intense at times but a lot of the time they are pretty relaxed, kind of like Jesus was in the middle of this storm! Whenever I read this passage of Scripture in Mark 4 those images always come to mind because the disciple’s response to the storm was so drastically different!
They were frightened and anxious to the point of running to Jesus and screaming at Him to get up! “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” is their question. Why did they do this? Was it because Jesus was sleeping? I don’t think so! They wouldn’t have aroused Him from sleep if they didn’t believe He could do something to help! Was it because they were unskilled at navigating through a storm by themselves? Absolutely not! There were fishermen among them who had experienced storms on that sea before! Was it because they really thought they were going to die? That wouldn’t make sense because they knew they were with the One who had the power to raise the dead; even if they did die at sea! So if it wasn’t any of these things, what was it? The answer can be found in Jesus’ response to the disciples. He said, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” We have to remember that Jesus handpicked these men just like the captains on the “Deadliest Catch” do.
When He picked them He saw greatness in them; which included their ability to stand strong in the face of danger! If we look at their lives after Jesus’ death and resurrection we see just how brave they really were! He knew they had the ability to follow His instructions no matter what He asked of them. Think about it. He asked them to leave everything to follow Him! They obeyed! They left their families, jobs, and possessions at His command! This act of courage displays great confidence and trust in Him! Then they personally witnessed His miraculous signs and wonders. He told them they would do the same! This shows that their physical eyes believed at one point and they believed they could! And yet when they find themselves in the midst of a storm they are frightened and lack faith! They can see Him with their physical eyes and they know His incredible power to perform miracles!
The real problem then is with all they knew and with all they saw, something in them didn’t believe He would do it for them personally! And it is obvious that they didn’t believe they could do it themselves even though He had told them they could! Jesus had already taught them that if they had faith even as small as a mustard seed, they could move mountains! And yet when a mountainous storm developed they cowered in fear and lacked the faith to move it! He knows He is going to be crucified and resurrected and that He will no longer be with them in the physical realm. His greatest desire is to get His disciples to understand that He picked them to carry out His mission because He knew they could do it!
Prayer: As You begin to reveal the depth of meaning to this passage help me to embrace the Truths You want me to know and understand. Open my eyes to see beyond the physical realm in this passage so I can comprehend the Spiritual Truths You want me to grasp. I believe by faith that You have chosen (handpicked) me to be Your disciple and I want to live a life of faith. I want to believe that You are always with me and that in the midst of my storms You are working even when I think You are asleep! Amen
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