JESUS QUIETS A STORM

JESUS WAS ABLE TO QUIET A STORM
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Mark 4:39 39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to
the waves, "Quiet! Be still!"Then the wind died down
and it was completely calm.
New Living Translation
When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to
the waves, “Silence!Be still!” Suddenly the wind
stopped, and there was a great calm.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
Human And Divine Remonstrances
Mark 4:38, 40
A.F. Muir
Christ and his disciples chide one another, yet gently and affectionately.
Representative positions -

I. AS SUGGESTING THE OPPOSITE STANDPOINTSFROM WHICH
PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES OF THE RELIGIOUS LIFE MAY BE
REGARDED.
II. As FURNISHING THEIR SOLUTION. - M.
Biblical Illustrator
And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them, Let us pass
over unto the other side.
Mark 4:35-41
In the storm
R. A. Griffin.
I. THE INFLUENCE OF DANGER. it causedthe disciples to doubt the care
of Christ. Why is it we doubt the Lord in seasons ofdanger?
1. Imperfect knowledge ofthe Lord.
2. Natural impatience.
3. Satanic temptations.
II. THE FOLLY OF SUSPICION. It is groundless. The truth is ratified, that
God will not leave us to perish. Were it not statedin such plain terms, we
might infer as much from —
1. God's former dealings with ourselves and others.
2. The known characterof the Lord.
3. The relationship in which we stand to Him.
III. THE SECRET OF TRANQUILITY.
1. Meditation.

2. Prayer.
3. Resignation.
IV. THE BLESSEDNESSOF HOLY CONFIDENCE.
1. It honours God.
2. It blesses ourown souls afterward.If the record had run thus, "And there
arose a greatstorm, etc., but the disciples, believing their Masterwould not
suffer them to perish, watchedHim until He awoke. And when Jesus arose,
He said, Greatis your faith; and He savedthem," what joy would the memory
have brought to their hearts in later years!
3. Hereby we obtain more speedyrelief. Unbelief causes Godto delay or deny
(Matthew 13:58).
(R. A. Griffin.)
A greatstorm and a great calm
JosephHughes.
I. The first aspectof Christ's life presented to us in this wonderful passageof
Scripture is His WEARINESS.
1. It arose from incessantlabour.
2. It arose from laborious work.
II. The secondaspectofChrist's life brought before us is HIS REST. We
regard this sleeping of Christ —
1. As an evidence of His humanity.
2. As an evidence of His trustfulness. He castHimself upon His Father's care,
and was not afraid of Galilee's stormy lake.
3. As an evidence of His goodness. He slept like one who had a good
conscience.

III. But all too soonwas THE BEST OF CHRIST DISTURBED. "And they
awoke Him." How often was Christ's repose disturbed! Three things led to the
disturbance of Christ's rest:
1. A sudden and violent storm.
2. The danger of the disciples.
3. The fears of the disciples.
IV. Then followedA GLORIOUS MANIFESTATION OF THE POWER OF
CHRIST.
1. It was manifestedin His authority over nature.
2. It was manifestedin His rebuke of the disciples.
3. It was manifestedin His evident superiority of character.Whatmanner of
man is this? He is the God-Man, who stands equal with God on the high level
of Deity, and equal with man on the low level of humanity. "He that hath seen
Me, hath seenthe Father."
(JosephHughes.)
A picture of the Christian life
Dr. Tholuch.
This narrative is a touching picture of the Christian life. Following its
leadings;we contemplate the Christian life in its beginning, in its progress, in
its issue.
I. The BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. We go out on the waves of
life and have Christ for our leader in the days of our childhood; that is, where
we have the blessing of Christian parents and teachers, etc. Oh happy years of
childlike faith! How merciless they who could rob us of this faith. What have
they to offer in its place? No;we will not be robbed of it. In its nature and
essencethis childlike faith is true and unchangeable;but the garment by
which it is covered, the veil it carries over it, must be torn off. The childlike

faith receives the Saviour in the only vesselin which the child canreceive the
Divine — in the vesselofthe feelings. In manhood we have another vesselin
which we can receive Him — the vesselof the understanding. Notthat we
should loose Him from the vesselof the feelings as we become men, but that
our manhood should receive Him into the understanding as well as into the
heart. Our childlike faith has seenthe Saviour as the little ship of life glided
over the smooth waters;it has not yet learnt to know Him in the storm and
the tempest. It has known Him in His kindness and love; He is not yet
revealedin His wisdom and power.
II. The beginning of life passes by, and in the progress of life Christ slumbers
in the soul, and is AWAKENED BY THE STORM. Thatbeautiful childlike
sense offaith slumbers — not universally, for there have been favoured souls
in whom Christ has never slumbered, who have retained their childish faith to
their ripe manhood. It is otherwise in times of conflict like these. it seems that
in these troubled times, this childlike faith must apparently die, i.e., must
throw off its veil when the storm rages, and rises in a new form. Even on the
sacredfloor of the church the young Christian finds doubt, strife, and
disunion, and he doubts. The Lord awakes, andsays, "...Canstthou believe?"
and we answer, "...Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." There is faith
still, though doubt may be ever so strong; there is still an anchor firmly
fastenedin the sanctuaryof the breast. Faith slumbers, but is not dead.
III. That will be the issue if, insteadof yielding, you wrestle. As you have
known the Saviour earlier in His kindness and love, you will come to know
Him in His wisdom and power. Life is a conflict. Some trifle with life; with
them it is like playing with soapbubbles. They have never lookedthe doubt
earnestlyin the face, to saynothing of the truth. God will not send the noblest
of His gifts to laggards:the door of truth closedagainstthose who would
willingly enter is a solemn thought (Matthew 25:10, 11).
(Dr. Tholuch.)
The disciples in the storm

D. G. Hughes, M. A.
I. IN THE STORM WHILE PROSECUTINGTHE SAVIOUR'S
COMMAND — teaching.
1. Implicit obedience does not exempt from trials. Joseph, David, Daniel, St.
Paul, etc.
2. Trials are not always punitive, but always disciplinary. This trial was a test
both in respectto faith and works.
(a)Will they believe that they will be saved?
(b)Will they go on in their line of duty?
II. IN THE STORYWHILE JESUS WAS WITH THEM.
1. Jesus was exposedto the same fury of the tempest, and to the same
upheavals of the angry waves.(a)Was there ever a storm in which Jesus was
absent from His disciples?
2. Though with His disciples, He was fastasleep.
(a)A symbol of what frequently occurs. Letevery disciple remember that a
sleeping Christ is not a dead Christ.
(b)Though asleep, He has not forgottenHis disciples.
III. IN THE STORM WHILE JESUS WAS WITH THEM AND YET THEY
HAD TO CRY TO HIM FOR DELIVERANCE.
1. Prayeris the disciples'privilege and duty at all times, especiallyin times of
trial and peril.
2. The prayer that arises from a believing heart cannever go unanswered.
IV. IS THE STORM DELIVERED FROMTHE STORM IN ANSWER TO
PRAYER.
1. Christ's Divine power was not affectedby physical fatigue.

2. Jesus, touchedby the cry of His disciples, wields a power before which
nothing can stand.
V. DELIVERANCE FROM THE STORM A GRAND MORAL POWER.
1. It exerciseda moral power, awakening deeperreverence for Christ as
Messiah.
2. Awakening greaterawe for Christ as the Son of God.
(D. G. Hughes, M. A.)
God's storms
R. Glover.
They only measure Christ aright, who are forced to carry to Him some great
grief, and find by experience He is greatenough to save them. It is when men
have weighedHim in the balances ofsome greatnecessity, and found Him not
wanting, that they believe in Him. So the disciples are sentto school. Storm
and dangerare for the night to be their schoolmasters, bringing them to
Christ, not with wonder or service merely, but with suppliant prayers. So
starting, they get on their journey a little way, hoping, I suppose, that an hour
and a half will see them comfortably across;when lo! this gale breaks on them
with the fury of a wild beast. They are stunned with its suddenness. Doubtless
in an instant the sail is lowered, oars are shipped, and carefully keeping head
to wind or giving way before it, they seek to avoid getting broadside on to the
waves in the dangerous trough of the sea. It is touching to see how they shrink
from waking Him. Pitiful for His weariness, reverentto His dignity, they run
every risk they dare before presuming to disturb Him. Yet how confused they
must have felt. A sleeping Christ seems a contradiction. If Saviour of men,
why does He not rise to save Himself and them? If He is ignorant of the storm,
and about to be drowned, how came His mighty works? Suchis life! The sea
calm — gleam of setting sun or rising stars reflectedon the limpid surface;no
occasionofsolicitude disturbs the heart, and you are making goodprogress to
some haven of rest, when suddenly a storm of cares overwhelms the soul, and

so batters and agitates it that it is like to be drowned beneath their weight; or
a storm of grief rises from some bereavement, and threatens to overwhelm all
faith or hope in God; or a storm of temptation assails and seems to make
goodness impossible, andruin inevitable. And still Christ seems asleep. It
seems as if He must be either ignorant or indifferent, and you do not know
which of the two conclusions is sadder to come to. Murmur not. Others have
been in storms, and thought the Saviour listless;but He is never beyond the
call of faith.
(R. Glover.)
Christ in the storm
Canon Liddon.
It is, then, no freak of fancy to see in this narrative an actedparable, if you
will, an actedprophecy. Again and againthe Church of Christ has been all
but engulfed, as men might have deemed, in the billows; again and again the
storm has been calmed by the Master, who had seemedfor awhile to sleep.
I. OFTEN HAS CHRISTIANITYPASSED THROUGH THE TROUBLED
WATERS OF POLITICAL OPPOSITION. During the first three centuries,
and finally under Julian, the heathen State made repeatedand desperate
attempts to suppress it by force. Statesmenand philosophers undertook the
task of eradicating it, not passionately, but in the same temper of calm
resolution with which they would have approachedany other well-considered
socialproblem. More than once they drove it from the army, from the
professions, from the public thoroughfares, into secrecy;they pursued it into
the vaults beneath the palaces ofRome, into the catacombs, into the deserts. It
seemedas if the faith would be trodden out with the life of so many of the
faithful: but he who would persecute with effectmust leave none alive. The
Church passedthrough these fearful storms into the calm of an ascertained
supremacy; but she had scarcelydone so, when the vast political and social
system which had so long oppressedher, and which by her persistent suffering
she had at length made in some sense her own, itself began to break up

beneath and around her. The barbarian invasions followedone upon another
with merciless rapidity; and St. s lamentations upon the sack ofRome express
the feelings with which the higher minds in the Church must have beheld the
completed humiliation of the Empire. Christianity had now to face, not merely
a change of civil rulers, but a fundamental reconstructionof society. It might
have been predicted with great appearance ofprobability that a religious
system which had suited the enervatedprovincials of the decaying empire
would never make its way among the free and strong races that, amid scenes
of fire and blood, were laying the foundations of feudalism. In the event it was
otherwise. The hordes which shatteredthe work of the Caesarslearntto
repeatthe Catholic Creed, and a new order of things had formed itself, when
the tempestof Mahomedanismbroke upon Christendom. Politicallyspeaking,
this was perhaps the most threatening storm through which the Christian
Church has passed. There was a time when the soldiers of that stunted and
immoral caricature of the Revelationofthe One True God, which was set
forth by the false prophet, had already expelled the very Name of Christ from
the country of and Augustine; they were masters of the Mediterranean;they
had desolatedSpain, were encamped in the heart of France, were ravaging the
seaboardof Italy. It was as if the knell of Christendom had sounded. But
Christ, "if asleepona pillow in the hinder part of the ship," was not insensible
to the terrors of His servants. He rose to rebuke those winds and waves, as by
Charles Martel in one age, and by Sobieskiin another; it is now more than
two centuries since Islam inspired its ancient dread. The last like trial of the
Church was the first French Revolution. In that vast convulsion Christianity
had to encounter forces whichfor awhile seemedto threaten its total
suppression. Yet the men of the Terrorhave passed, as the Caesars had
passedbefore them; and like the Caesars,they have only proved to the world
that the Church carries within her One who rules the fierce tempests in which
human institutions are wont to perish.
II. Politicaldangers, however, do but touch the Church of Christ outwardly;
but she rests upon the intelligent assentofher children, AND SHE HAS
PASSED AGAIN AND AGAIN THROUGH THE STORMSOF
INTELLECTUAL OPPOSITIONOR REVOLT. Scarcelyhad she steered
forth from the comparatively still waters of Galileanand Hellenistic devotion

than she had to encounterthe pitiless dialectic, the subtle solvents, of the
Alexandrian philosophy. It was as if in anticipation of this danger that St.
John had already baptized the Alexandrian modification of the Platonic
Logos, moulding it so as to express the sublimest and most central truth of the
Christian Creed; while, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Alexandrian methods of
interpretation had been adopted in vindication of the gospel. But to many a
timid believer it may well have seemedthat Alexandrianism would prove the
grave of Christianity, when, combining the Platonic dialectics with an Eclectic
Philosophy, it endeavouredin the form of to break up the Unity of the
Godheadby making Christ a separate and inferior Deity. There was a day
when Arianism seemedto be triumphant; but even Arianism was a less
formidable foe than the subtle strain of infidel speculationwhich penetrated
the Christian intellect in the very heart of the Middle Ages, that is to say, at a
time when the sense ofthe supernatural had diffused itself throughout the
whole atmosphere of human thought. This unbelief was the product
sometimes of a rude sensualityrebelling againstthe precepts of the gospel;
sometimes of the culture divorced from faith which made its appearance in
the twelfth century; sometimes, specifically, ofthe influence of the Arabian
philosophy from Spain; sometimes ofthe vast and penetrating activity of the
Jewishteachers. Itrevealed itself constantlyunder the most unexpected
circumstances. We neednot suppose that the greatOrder of the Templars was
guilty of the infidelity that along with crimes of the gravestcharacter, was laid
to their charge;a study of their processesis their best acquittal, while it is the
condemnation of their persecutors. Butunbelief must; have been widespread
in days when a prominent soldier, , could declare that "allthat was preached
concerning Christ's PassionandResurrectionwas a mere farce;" when a
pious bishop of Paris left it on record that he "died believing in the
Resurrection, with the hope that some of his educated but scepticalfriends
would reconsidertheir doubts;" when that keenobserver, as Neanderterms
him, , remarks the existence of a large class ofmen whose faith consistedin
nothing else than merely taking care not to contradict the faith — "quibus
credere estsolum fidei non contradicere, qui consuetudine vivendi magis,
quam virtute credendi fideles nominantur." The prevalence of such unbelief is
attestedat once by the fundamental nature of many of the questions discussed
at the greatestlengthby the Schoolmen, and by the unconcealedanxieties of

the greatspiritual leaders of the time. After the Middle Ages came the . This is
not the time or place to deny the services which the Renaissancehas rendered
to the cause ofhuman education, and indirectly, it may be, to that of
Christianity. But the Renaissance wasatfirst, as it appeared in Italy, a pure
enthusiasm for Paganism, for Paganthought, as wellas for Paganart and
Paganliterature. And the Reformation, viewed on its positive and devotional
side, was, at leastin the South of Europe, a reactionagainstthe spirit of the
Renaissance:it was the Paganism, evenmore than the indulgences of Leo X,
which alienated the Germans. The reactionagainstthis Paganismwas notless
vigorous within the Church of Rome than without it; Ranke has told us the
story of its disappearance. Lastly, there was the rise of Deismin England, and
of the EncyclopedistSchoolin France, followedby the pure Atheism which
precededthe Revolution. It might well have seemedto fearful men of that day
that Christ was indeed asleepto wake no more, that the surging waters of an
infidel philosophy had well-nigh filled the ship, and that the Church had only
to sink with dignity.
III. Worse than the storms of political violence or of intellectualrebellion,
have been THE TEMPESTS OF INSURGENTIMMORALITYTHROUGH
WHICH THE CHURCH HAS PASSED. In the ages ofpersecutionthere was
less risk of this, although even then there were scandals. The Epistles to the
Corinthians reveal beneath the very eyes of the Apostle a state of moral
corruption, which, in one respectat least, he himself tells us, had fallen below
the Paganstandard. But when entire populations pressedwithin the fold, and
socialor political motives for conformity took the place of serious and strong
conviction in the minds of multitudes, these dangers became formidable.
What must have been the agonyof devout Christians in the tenth century,
when appointments to the RomanChair itself were in the hands of three
unprincipled and licentious women; and when the life of the first Christian
bishop was accountedsuchthat a pilgrimage to Rome involved a loss of
character. Wellmight the austere Bruno exclaim of that age that "Simon
Magus lorded it over a Church in which bishops and priests were given to
luxury and fornication:" well might Cardinal Baronius suspend the generally
laudatory or apologetic tone ofhis Annals, to observe that Christ must have in
this age beenasleepin the ship of the Church to permit such enormities. It

was a dark time in the moral life of Christendom: but there have been dark
times since. Such was that when St. Bernard could allow himself to describe
the RomanCuria as he does in addressing Pope Eugenius III; such again was
the epochwhich provoked the work of Nicholas de Cleangis, "Onthe Ruin of
the Church." The passions, the ambitions, the worldly and political interests
which surged around the Papal throne, had at length issued in the schismof ;
and the writer passionatelyexclaims that the Church had fallen
proportionately to her corruptions, which he enumerates with an unsparing
precision. During the century which precededthe Reformation, the state of
clericaldiscipline in London was such as to explain the vehemence of popular
reaction;and if in the last century there was an absence ofgrossness,suchas
had prevailed in previous ages,there was a greaterabsence ofspirituality.
Says Bishop Butler, charging the clergyof the DioceseofDurham in 1751 —
"As different ages have been distinguished by different sorts of particular
errors and vices, the deplorable distinction of ours is an avowedscornof
religion in some, and a growing disregardto it in the generality." That
disregard, being in its essencemoral, would hardly have been arrestedby the
cultivated reasoners, who were obligedto contentthemselves with deistic
premises in their defenses of Christianity: it did yield to the fervid appeals of
Whitefield and of Wesley. With an imperfect idea of the realcontents and
genius of the Christian Creed, and with almostno idea at all of its majestic
relations to history and to thought, these men struck a chord for which we
may well be grateful. They awoke Christ, sleeping in the conscienceof
England; they were the real harbingers of a day brighter than their own.
IV. For if the question be asked, how the Church of Christ has surmounted
these successive dangers, the answeris, BY THE APPEAL OF PRAYER. She
has cried to her Master, who is ever in the ship, though, as it may seem, asleep
upon a pillow. The appeal has often been made impatiently, even violently, as
on the waves of Gennesaret, but it has not been made in vain. It has not been
by policy, or goodsense, orconsiderations ofworldly prudence, but by a
renewalin very various ways of the first fresh Christian enthusiasm which
flows from the felt presence of Christ, that political enemies have been baffled,
and intellectual difficulties reduced to their true dimensions, and moral sores
extirpated or healed. Christianity does thus contain within itself the secretof

its perpetual youth, the certificate of its indestructible vitality; because it
centres in, it is inseparable from, devotion to a living Person. No ideal lacking
a counterpart in fact could have guided the Chinch across the centuries.
Imagination may do much in quiet and prosperous times; but amid the storms
of hostile prejudice and passion, in presence ofpolitical vicissitudes or of
intellectual onslaughts, or of moral rebel. lion or decay, an unreal Saviour
must be found out. A Christ upon paper, though it were the sacredpages of
the gospel, wouldhave been as powerless to save Christendom as a Christ in
fresco;not less feeble than the Countenance which, in the last stages ofits
decay, may be traced on the wall of the Refectoryat Milan. A living Christ is
the keyto the phenomenon of Christian history. The subject suggests, among
others, two reflections in particular. And, first, it is a duty to be on our guard
against, panics. Panics are the last infirmity of believing souls. But panics are
to be deprecated, not because they imply a keeninterest in the fortunes of
religion, but because they betray a certaindistrust of the powerand living
presence ofour Lord. Science may for the moment be hostile; in the long run
it cannot but befriend us. And He who is with us in the storm is most
assuredlybeyond the reachof harm: to be panic strickenis to dishonour Him.
A secondreflectionis this: a time of trouble and danger is the natural season
for generous devotion. To generous minds a time of trouble has its own
attractions. It enables a man to hope, with less risk of presumption, that his
motives are sincere;it fortifies courage;it suggests self-distrust;it enriches
character;it invigorates faith.
(Canon Liddon.)
The Ruler of the waves
J. C. Ryle, M. A.
I. THAT FOLLOWING CHRIST WILL NOT PREVENT OUR HAVING
EARTHLY SORROWS AND TROUBLES.
II. THAT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS TRULY AND REALLY MAN.

III. THAT THERE MAY BE MUCH WEAKNESS AND INFIRMITY IN A
TRUE CHRISTIAN. "Master, carestThounot that we perish?"
1. There was impatience.
2. There was distrust.
3. There was unbelief. Many of God's children go on very well so long as they
have no trials.
IV. THE POWER OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
1. His power in creation.
2. In the works ofprovidence.
3. In His miracles. Christ is "able to save to the uttermost" (Hebrews 7:25).
V. HOW TENDERLYAND PATIENTLYTHE LORD JESUS DEALS
WITH WEAK BELIEVERS. The Lord Jesus is of tender mercy. He will not
castawayHis believing people because of shortcomings.
(J. C. Ryle, M. A.)
The hurricane
Dr. Talmage.
I. THAT WHEN YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE A VOYAGE OF ANY KIND
YOU OUGHT TO HAVE CHRIST IN THE SHIP. These boats would all have
gone to the bottom if Christ had not been there. You are about to voyage out
into some new enterprise; you are bound to do the bestyou can for yourself;
be sure to take Christ in the ship. Here are men largelyprospered. They are
not puffed up. They acknowledgeGodwho gives them their prosperity. When
disastercomes that destroys others, they are only helped into higher
experiences. Christis in the ship. Here are other men, the prey of
uncertainties. In the storm of sicknessyouwill want Christ.

II. THAT PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW CHRIST MUST NOT ALWAYS
EXPECT SMOOTHSAILING. If there are any people who you would think
ought to have a goodtime in getting out of this world, the apostles ofJesus
Christ ought to have been the men. Have you ever noticed how they gotout of
the world? St. James losthis head. St. Philip was hung to death againsta
pillar. Matthew was struck to death by a halberd. Mark was draggedto death
through the streets. St. James the Less had his brains dashed out with a
fuller's club. St. Matthias was stoned to death. St. Thomas was struck through
with a spear. John Huss in the fire, the , the , the Scotch — did they always
find smooth sailing? Why go so far? There is a young man in a store in New
York who has a hard time to maintain his Christian character. All the clerks
laugh at him, the employers in that store laugh at him, and when he loses his
patience they say: "You are a pretty Christian." Not so easyis it for that
young man to follow Christ. If the Lord did not help him hour by hour he
would fail.
III. THAT GOOD PEOPLE SOMETIMESGET VERYMUCH
FRIGHTENED.And so it is now that you often find goodpeople wildly
agitated. "Oh!" says some Christian man, "the infidel magazines, the bad
newspapers, the spiritualistic societies, the importation of so many foreign
errors, the Church of God is going to be lost, the ship is going to founder! The
ship is going down!" What are you frightened about? An old lion goes into his
cavern to take a sleep, and he lies down until his shaggymane covers his paws.
Meanwhile, the spiders outside begin to spin webs over the mouth of his
cavern, and say, "That lion cannotbreak out through this web," and they
keepon spinning the gossamerthreads until they get the mouth of the cavern
coveredover. "Now," they say, "the lion's done, the lion's done." After awhile
the lion awakesand shakes himself, and he walks out from the cavern, never
knowing there were any spiders' webs, and with his voice he shakes the
mountain. Let the infidels and the sceptics of this day go on spinning their
webs, spinning their infidel gossamertheories, spinning them all over the
place where Christ seems to be sleeping. They say: "Christ cannever again
come out; the work is done; He cannever getthrough this logicalwebwe have
been spinning." The day will come when the Lion of Judah's tribe will rouse
Himself and come forth and shake mightily the nations. What then all your

gossamerthreads? What is a spider's web to an arousedlion? Do not fret,
then, about the world's going backward. It is going forward.
IV. THAT CHRIST CAN HUSH THE TEMPEST. Christcan hush the
tempest of bereavement, loss and death.
(Dr. Talmage.)
The toiling Christ
Dr. McLaren.
I. Point out some of the significant hints which the gospelrecords give us of
THE TOILSOMENESS OF CHRIST'S SERVICE.In St. Matthews Gospel
the idea of the king is prominent; in St. Mark's, Christ as a servant. Notice the
traits of His service which it brings out.
1. How distinctly it gives the impression of swift, strenuous work. Mark's
favourite word is "straightway,""immediately," "forthwith," "anon." His
whole story is a picture of rapid acts of mercy and love.
2. We see in Christ's service, toil prolonged to the point of actualphysical
exhaustion. So in this story. He had had a long wearying day of work. He had
spokenthe whole of the parables concerning the kingdom of God. No wonder
He slept.
3. We see in Christ toil that puts aside the claims of physical wants. "The
multitude cometh togetheragain so that they could not so much as eat bread."
4. We see in Christ's service a love which is at every man's beck and call, a toil
cheerfully rendered at the most unreasonable and unseasonable times.
II. THE SPRINGS OF THIS WONDERFULACTIVITY. There are three
points which come out in the Gospels as His motives for such unresting toil.
The first is conveyedin such words as these:"I must work the works ofHim
that sent Me." This motive made the service homogeneous — in all the variety
of service one spirit was expressed, andtherefore the service was one. The
secondmotive of His toil is expressedin such words as these: "While I am in

the world I am the light of the world." There is a final motive expressedin
such words as these:"And Jesus, moved with compassion,"etc. The constant
pity of that beating heart moved the diligent hand.
III. THE WORTH OF THIS TOIL FOR US. How precious a proof it is of
Christ's humanity. Labour is a curse till made a blessing by communion with
God in it.
1. Task allyour capacityand use every minute in doing the thing that is
plainly setbefore you.
2. The possible harmony of communion and service. The labour did not break
His fellowshipwith God.
3. The cheerful, constantpostponement of our own ease, wishes, orpleasure,
to the callof the Father's voice.
4. It is an appeal to our grateful hearts.
(Dr. McLaren.)
The greatcalm
H. Sonar, D. D.
"He maketh the storm a calm." The "calm" then is the voice of God.
1. Of power.
2. Of love.
3. Of peace.
4. Of warning. No earthly calm lasts.
I. THE INNER CALM. In every soulthere has been storm. It rages through.
the whole being. But Jesus is the stiller of this storm in man.
1. In his conscience.

2. In his heart.
3. In his intellect.
II. THE FUTURE CALM FOR EARTH. In every aspectours is a stormy
world. But its day of calm is coming. Jesus will sayto it, Peace,be still.
1. As a Prophet.
2. As a Priest.
3. As a King, to give the calm of heaven.
(H. Sonar, D. D.)
"Peace, be still!"
J. Vaughan, M. A.
No words can exaggerate the value and importance of a calm mind. It is the
basis of almost everything which is good. Well-orderedreflections, meditation,
influence, wise speech— all embosom themselves in a calm mind. Yet a state
of agitationis with many the rule of life. ConsiderJesus as the stiller of the
heart. He was most eminently a still character. The greatestforce of energy
and the largestactivity of mind and body are not only compatible with
stillness, but they go to make it. The persons of the largestpowerand the most
telling action are generally the quietest. They may owe it to discipline and drill
— and perhaps Christ Himself did — but they show themselves reined in and
well-ordered. Just as it was in the lake:the wind and the waves wentbefore,
and, so to speak, subdued and made the calm. The placidity of a fiery and
passionate nature is the best of foundations for all quietness. And this may be
a thought of strength and encouragementto some. The more resolute the will,
and the more violent the passion, the more complete may be the victory, and
the more imperturbable the temper, if only grace do its proper work. Want of
religious peace lies at the root of all that is trouble to the mind. A man at
peace with God will be at peace with his own conscience, withthe world; he
will not have his feelings greatlyaggravatedby external things. You won't be

much disturbed by anything if you feel and when you feel — "My Father!My
Father! Jesus is mine, and I am His!" Next, if you will be calm, make pictures
to yourself of all calm things — in nature, in history, in people you know, and
above all, in Christ. Take care that yon do this at the moment when you begin
to feel the temptation to disturbance. But still more realize at such times
Christ's presence. Is not He with you? — is not He in you? — and can restless,
miserable, burning feelings dare to live in such a tenement? Let the fiercest
thought touch Him, and by a strange fascination, it will clothe itself, and lie at
His feet. And, fourthly, recognize it as the very office and prerogative of
Christ to give quietness. And if He gives this, who then can make trouble! The
disciples were more amazed at this triumph of Christ over the elements, with
which they were so familiar in their sea life, than at all His other miracles.
And it is not too much for me to saythat you will never know what Jesus is, or
what that word Saviour means, until you have felt in that heart of yours —
which was once so troubled, so heaving, so tossed, and so ill at ease — all the
depth and the calm, and all the beauty and the hush which He has given you.
(J. Vaughan, M. A.)
Consult the chart in fine as well as in stormy weather
W. B. Philpot, M. A.
Let us not be like that captain of whom we lately heard, who having a true
and correctchart in his cabin, failed to consult it while the weatherwas calm,
but went below to look for it only when the wind and tide had drifted his
barque upon the bar, and so, with his eyes upon the course he should have
steered, felt the shock whichin a few moments sent them down into the abyss.
Our souls are like a ship upon the deep, and as we sail over the waves of life,
we must, like wary mariners, take the hints given us in our nature. If we see
on the horizon a cloud of some possible temptation no biggerthan a man's
hand, though all else be bright and clear — if we hear but the first blast of
some probable sin hurtling in the farthest caverns of our life — we must
beware, for in that speck, in that distant howl may coucha tempest ready to
spring up and leap down upon our souls. Above all we should always have

Christ aboardwith us; we should have Him formed within us as our hope of
glory; under His ensign we should sail, as our only hope of reaching that
haven for which we are making.
(W. B. Philpot, M. A.)
Utilizing Christ's presence
W. B. Philpot, M. A.
Too many Christians — nay, almostall of us at too many times, though we
have Christ with us, do not profit by His presence nor enjoy Him as we ought.
We should not only have Christ, but, having Him, ah why have we not that
faith, that assuranceoffaith, that full assurance offaith, which can realize
and utilize His presence?
(W. B. Philpot, M. A.)
Christ and His disciples in the storm
Expository Discourses.
I. The apostles were not exempted from dangerbecause they were the
attendants of Christ. Believers, look forstorms!
II. While the apostles were exposedto the storm, they had Christ along with
them in the vessel.
III. The conduct of Christ during the storm was remarkable and instructive.
He was asleep.
IV. The feelings and conductof the disciples during the storm are strongly
illustrative of human character. Theirfaith was tried. They were afraid. They
apply to Christ. Prayernot always the language of faith.

V. The effectof this application of the disciples to Christ. He answeredtheir
prayer, though their faith was weak. He thus revealedHis Divine power. He
unveiled His ordinary agency.
VI. Christ, with the blessing, administers a rebuke. Mark your conduct under
trials. VII. The disciples came out of the trial with increasedadmiration of
Christ.
(Expository Discourses.)
Christ asleepin the vessel
C. H. Spurgeon.
I. The apparent indifference of the Lord to His people.
II. It is only apparent.
III. He has a real care for them at times when He seems indifferent.
IV. They shall see this to be the case by and by.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Trust in Godoften the last extremity
While a small steampacketwas crossing a stormy bay, the engine suddenly
stopped, and for a few minutes the situation was one of real peril. One old
lady rushed to the captain with the anxious inquiry whether there was any
danger. "Madam," was the uncompromising reply, "we must trust in God."
"O sir!" wailedthe inquirer, "has it come to that?" A goodmany Christians
feel like that in times of peril; they are willing to trust in everything — except
God. There are some children, who are afraid that a thunderstorm is about to
burst over them every time a cloud gathers in the sky; and if the skyis
cloudless, they are certain that it is only the calm before the storm. They can
always see the coming storms, but cannot trust the goodnessthat sends them.

Help in answerto prayer
A fishing boat was struggling for life out on the sea, and the skipper had lost
all knowledge ofwhere the land was, and whither his boat was driving. In his
despair, the strong man cried to God for help. Just then a little beam from a
window light shone over the waters;the boat's prow was turned, and after a
little more manful fighting, she reachedthe haven. Was not that gleamof light
God's answerto the skipper's prayer? A missionary was returning home, and
just as he was nearing the coastsofhis country, a terrible storm came on, and
threatened to break the ship in pieces. The missionary went below, and
prayed to God earnestlyfor the safety of the ship. Presentlyhe came up and
told the captain with quiet confidence that the ship would live through the
storm. Captain and crew jeeredat him; they did not believe it. Yet the ship
came safelyto port. Was the missionary wrong when he saw in this an
instance of God's readiness to give the help His children ask?
Distrust rebuked by God's constantcare
Every miracle of God's grace is a standing rebuke of distrust. What if your
child, whom you had fed and clothed and housedfor years, should begin to be
anxious as to where his next meal or his next suit of clothes was to come from,
and whether he could be sure of having a roofover his head for another
night? What if he still persistedin his distrust, although you told him that you
would take care of all these things? If you canimagine your child acting in so
foolish a way, you have a picture of how most of us, day after day, treat the
God who cares forus, and who has promised to supply us with all things.
"Other little ships"
C. S. Robinson, D. D.
Those "otherlittle ships" gained a greatdeal that day from Christ's saying,
"Peacebe still!" which we do not discoverthat anybody was candid enoughto

acknowledge.The whole sea became tranquil, and they were saved. The world
receives many unappreciated benefits from Jesus Christ's presence in the
Church. Men are just so many little ships, taking entire benefit of the miracle
brought from God's great love for His own. Start with the commonestgain
that comes to the world through the Church.
1. See how property values are lifted by every kind of Christian effort.
2. See whatthe gospeldoes towards lifting a low and depraved neighbourhood
into respectability.
3. See how it enriches education.
4. See how it elevates woman.
5. See how it alleviates sickness. There is no need of pursuing the illustration
any farther.But there are just three lessons whichwill take force from the
figure, perhaps;. and these might as well be stated.
1. Why do not men of the world recognize whatthe Church of Christ is doing
daily and yearly for them, their wives, and their children?
2. Why do not men of the world see that the men in the "other little ships"
were the saferfrom the storm the nearer their boats were to that Jesus was
in?
3. Why do not men of the world perceive that the disciples were better off
than anybody else during that awful night upon Gennesareth? Oh, that is the
safestplace in the universe for any troubled soul to be in — among the chosen
friends of Jesus Christ the Lord, and keeping the very closestto His side!
(C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
Christ the Lord of nature
C. J. Vaughan, D. D.
Nature, in the sense in which we now use it, means the world of matter, and
the laws of its working. If Holy Scripture be listened to, He is so of right. "All

things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was
made." "God createdall things by Jesus Christ." There is no lordship like
that of creation. Christ in the days of His flesh actually gave proof of His
lordship on earth.
1. There is a class ofmiracles which had their place in what we may call
productive nature; in those processes whichhave to do with the supply of food
for man's life. Wine made at Cana;feeding of the five thousand; feeding of the
four thousand.
2. There is a class ofmiracles proving the dominion of Christ over animated
nature. The draught of fishes on the sea ofTiberias; the piece of money in the
fish's mouth.
3. We have examples of the sovereigntyof Christ over elementalnature, air,
and sea.
4. We have an example of Christ's sovereigntyin the domain of morbid
nature, disease and decay — "the fig tree dried up from the roots."Christthe
Lord of nature.
1. It was necessarythat the Son of God coming down from heaven for the
redemption of men should prove Himself to be very God by many infallible
and irresistible signs. It was in mercy as well as in wisdom that He gave this
demonstration.
2. It could scarcelybe but that He should as Son of God assertbelow His
dominion over God's creation, and over the processesofGod's providence.
3. Let us be careful how we speak of miracles, suchas these, as if they were
contradictions of God's natural laws, or contradictions of God's providential
operations. When Christ wrought a miracle upon nature it was to give a
glimpse of some goodthing lost, of some perfect thing deteriorated, of some
joyous thing spoilt, by reasonof the Fall, and to be given back to man by
virtue of redemption.
4. In these miracles which attestthe sovereigntyof Christ over nature we have
one of the surest grounds of comfort for Christian souls.(1)In their literal

sense, to regard Him as sovereignofthe universe in which they dwell.(2)In
their parabolic significance as stilling the inward storm.
5. There is also warning for the carelessand sinful. Upon His blessing or curse
depends all that makes existence a happiness or misery. The agenciesof
nature as of grace are in the hands of Christ.
(C. J. Vaughan, D. D.)
Christ asleep
Dr. Bushnell.
There is a very great spiritual importance in the fact that Jesus sleeps. In this
sleepof Jesus, A VERY GREAT MISTAKE INTO WHICH WE ARE APT
TO FALL IS CORRECTED OR PREVENTED;the mistake, I mean, of
silently assuming that Christ, being Divine, takes nothing as we do, and is
really not under our human conditions far enough to suffer exhaustions of
nature by work or by feeling, by hunger, the want of sleep, dejections or
recoils of wounded sensibility. Able to do even miracles — to healthe sick, or
cure the blind, or raise the dead, or still the sea — we fall into the impression
that His works really costHim nothing, and that while His lot appears to be
outwardly dejected, He has, in fact, an easytime of it. Exactly contrary to this,
He feels it, even when virtue goes outonly from the hem of His garment. And
when He gives the word of healing, it is a draft, we know not how great, upon
His powers. In the same way every sympathy requires all expenditure of
strength proportioned to the measure of that sympathy. Every sort of tension,
or attention, every argument, teaching, restraint of patience, concernof
charity, is a putting forth with costto Him, as it is to us. Notice also more
particularly THE CONDITIONS OR BESTOWMENTSOF THE SLEEP OF
JESUS AND ESPECIALLY THEIR CORRESPONDENCEWITH HIS
REDEMPTIVE UNDERTAKING. Saying nothing of infants, who in a certain
proper sense are calledinnocent, there have been two examples of full-grown
innocent sleepin our world: that of Adam in the garden, and that of Christ
the secondAdam, whose nights overtook Him with no place where to bestow

Himself. And the sleepof both, different as far as possible in the manner, is
yet more exactlyappropriate, in each, to his peculiar work and office. One is
laid to sleepin a paradise of beauty, lulled by the music of birds and running
brooks, shadedand shelteredby the over-hanging trees, shortly to wake and
look upon a kindred nature standing by, offered him to be the partner and
secondlife of his life. The other, as pure and spotless as he, and ripe, as he is
not, in the unassailable righteousnessofcharacter, tears Himself awayfrom
clamorous multitudes that crowd upon Him suing piteously for His care, and
drops, even out of miracle itself, on the hard plank deck, or bottom, of a
fisherman's boat, and there, in lightning and thunder and tempest, sheetedas
it were in the generalwrath of the waters and the air, He sleeps — only to
wake atthe supplicating touch of fear and distress. One is the sleepof the
world's Father; the other that of the world's Redeemer. One has never known
as yet the way of sin, the other has come into the tainted blood and ruin of it,
to bear and suffer under it, and drink the cup it mixes; so to still the storm
and be a reconciling peace. Bothsleepin character. Were the question raised
which of the two will be crucified, we should have no doubt. Visibly, the toil-
worn Jesus, He that takes the storm, curtained in it as by the curse — He is
the Redeemer. His sleep agreeswith His mangerbirth, His poverty, His
agony, His cross;and what is more, as the cross that is maddening in His
enemies is the retributive disorder of God's just penalty following their sin, so
the fury of that night shadows it all the more fitly, that what He encounters in
it is the wrathful castof Providence.
(Dr. Bushnell.)
The ship of the world
G. F. Cushman, D. D.
In one of the prophets we have the picture of a stately ship which is a type of
the world. She is all splendour and magnificence;she walks the waters like a
thing of life. The fir trees of Senir and the cedars ofLebanon have contributed
to her beauty; her oars are wrought from the oaks ofBashan, her sails are of
fine linen and broidered work. She has a gay and gallant crew;the multitudes

who throng her decks are full of joy and thoughtless of danger. Out they sail
into the great waters;her rowers bring her into the midst of the sea;and when
the eastwind rises she is broken in the midst, and lies a helpless wreck upon
the greatoceanofeternity. There was no Christ in the ship to say, "Peace, be
still;" no pitying Jesus to answerthe bitter cry of "Lord, save us, we perish."
But not so was it with the little fisher boat. It had no pomp and vanities of
which to boast, no tinselled splendour; but it carriedJesus and His fortunes
— One who could rebuke the waves ofsin. The world, wanting Christ, wanted
all things else and was lost; the Church, with Christ in the ship, had nothing
more to ask;it was sure to be savedwith His "Peace, be still."
(G. F. Cushman, D. D.)
The strange inquiry concerning fear
R. Glover.
What we could understand well enough was a mystery to Christ. In our
glibness we could have explained their fear clearly. The lake was sixty fathoms
deep; stoutestswimmer could not have saved his life in such a sea;some were
married men; life is sweet;a storm is more terrible by night than day; and so
on. But what is all plain to everyone was a mystery Christ could not solve.
How a doubt of the love of God could enter a soulpassedHis comprehension.
Why men should be afraid of the Divine ordinance called death, He could not
understand. What fear was, He knew not. What a proof of Divine sanctity lies
in the fact that all fear and doubt were mysteries to Him!
(R. Glover.)
From one fear to another
R. Glover.
I. They escapedone fear, only to getinto another; losing the fear of the
tempest, they get a greaterfear, that of the Lord of the tempest.

II. They lose a bad fearto geta goodone — a fear which is reverent, and one
which has as much trust as awe in it. Such fear is the beginning of faith in
Christ's Godhead.
(R. Glover.).
Commentaries
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(39) Peace, be still.—Literally, be still, be silenced, The latter word is the same
as that used of the man who had not on a wedding garment, and was
“speechless” (Matthew 22:12). Note the vividness with which St. Mark gives
the very words addressedto the raging sea, as though it were a hostile power
rising in rebellion againstits true Lord.
The wind ceased.—Better, lulled.
MacLaren's Expositions
Mark
THE STORM STILLED
Mark 4:35.
Mark seldom dates his incidents, but he takes pains to tell us that this run
across the lake closeda day of labour, Jesus was wearied, and felt the need of

rest, He had been pressedon all day by ‘a very greatmultitude,’ and felt the
need of solitude. He could not land from the boat which had been His pulpit,
for that would have plunged Him into the thick of the crowd, and so the only
way to get awayfrom the throng was to cross the lake. But even there He was
followed;‘other boats were with Him.’
I. The first point to note is the weariedsleeper.
The disciples ‘take Him, . . . even as He was,’without preparation or delay,
the objectbeing simply to get awayas quickly as might be, so greatwas His
fatigue and longing for quiet. We almost see the hurried starting and the
intrusive followers scrambling into the little skiffs on the beachand making
after Him. The ‘multitude’ delights to push itself into the private hours of its
heroes, and is devoured with rude curiosity. There was a leather, or perhaps
wooden, movable seatin the stern for the steersman, on which a wearied-out
man might lay his head, while his body was stretchedin the bottom of the
boat. A hard ‘pillow’ indeed, which only exhaustion could make comfortable!
But it was softenough for the worn-out Christ, who had apparently flung
Himself down in sheer tiredness as soonas they set sail. How real such a small
detail makes the transcendent mystery of the Incarnation! Jesus is our pattern
in small common things as in greatones, and among the sublimities of
charactersetforth in Him as our example, let us not forgetthat the homely
virtue of hard work is also included. Jonahslept in a storm the sleepof a
skulking sluggard, Jesus sleptthe sleepof a weariedlabourer.
II. The next point is the terrified disciples.
The evening was coming on, and, as often on a lake setamong hills, the wind
rose as the sun sank behind the high land on the westernshore astern. The
fishermen disciples were used to such squalls, and, at first, would probably let

their sail down, and pull so as to keepthe boat’s head to the wind. But things
grew worse, and when the crazy, undeckedcraft beganto fill and getwater-
logged, they grew alarmed. The squall was fiercerthan usual, and must have
been pretty bad to have frightened such seasonedhands. They awokeJesus,
and there is a touch of petulant rebuke in their appeal, and of a sailor’s
impatience at a landsman lying sound asleepwhile the sweatis running down
their faces with their hard pulling. It is to Mark that we owe our knowledge of
that accentof complaint in their words, for he alone gives their ‘CarestThou
not?’
But it is not for us to fling stones atthem, seeing that we also often may catch
ourselves thinking that Jesus has gone to sleep when storms come on the
Church or on ourselves, andthat He is ignorant of, or indifferent to, our
plight. But though the disciples were wrong in their fright, and not altogether
right in the tone of their appeal to Jesus, they were supremely right in that
they did appealto Him. Fearwhich drives us to Jesus is not all wrong. The cry
to Him, even though it is the cry of unnecessaryterror, brings Him to His feet
for our help.
III. The next point is the word of power.
Again we have to thank Mark for the very words, so strangely, calmly
authoritative. May we take ‘Peace!’as spokento the howling wind, bidding it
to silence;and ‘Be still!’ as addressedto the tossing waves, smoothing them to
a calm plain? At all events, the two things to lay to heart are that Jesus here
exercises the divine prerogative of controlling matter by the bare expression
of His will, and that this divine attribute was exercisedby the weariedman,
who, a moment before, had been sleeping the sleepof human exhaustion. The
marvellous combination of apparent opposites, weakness, and divine
omnipotence, which yet do not clash, nor produce an incredible monster of a
being, but coalescein perfectharmony, is a featbeyond the reachof the

loftiest creative imagination. If the Evangelists are not simple biographers,
telling what eyes have seenand hands have handled, they have beaten the
greatestpoets and dramatists at their own weapons, andhave accomplished
‘things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme.’
A word of loving rebuke and encouragementfollows. Matthew puts it before
the stilling of the storm, but Mark’s order seems the more exact. How often
we too are taught the folly of our fears by experiencing some swift, easy
deliverance!Blessedbe God! He does not rebuke us first and help us
afterwards, but rebukes by helping. What could the disciples say, as they sat
there in the greatcalm, in answerto Christ’s question, ‘Why are ye fearful?’
Fearcan give no reasonable accountof itself, if Christ is in the boat. If our
faith unites us to Jesus, there is nothing that need shake our courage. If He is
‘our fear and our dread,’ we shall not need to ‘fear their fear,’ who have not
the all-conquering Christ to fight for them.
‘Well roars the storm to them who hear
A deeper voice across the storm.’
Jesus wonderedat the slownessofthe disciples to learn their lesson, and the
wonder was reflectedin the sadquestion, ‘Have ye not yet faith?’-not yet,
after so many miracles, and living beside Me for so long? How much more
keenthe edge of that question is when addressedto us, who know Him so
much better, and have centuries of His working for His servants to look back
on. When, in the tempests that sweepoverour own lives, we sometimes pass
into a greatcalm as suddenly as if we had entered the centre of a typhoon, we
wonder unbelievingly instead of saying, out of a faith nourished by experience,
‘It is just like Him.’
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

4:35-41 Christ was asleepin the storm, to try the faith of his disciples, and to
stir them up to pray. Their faith appeared weak, andtheir prayers strong.
When our wickedhearts are like the troubled sea which cannot rest, when our
passions are unruly, let us think we hear the law of Christ, saying, Be silent,
be dumb. When without are fightings, and within are fears, and the spirits are
in a tumult, if he say, Peace, be still, there is a greatcalm at once. Why are ye
so fearful? Though there may be cause forsome fear, yet not for such fearas
this. Those may suspecttheir faith, who can have such a thought as that Jesus
carethnot though his people perish. How imperfect are the bestof saints!
Faith and fear take their turns while we are in this world; but ere long, fear
will be overcome, and faith will be lost in sight.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Peace,be still - There is something exceedinglyauthoritative and majestic in
this command of our Lord. Standing amid the howling tempest, on the
heaving sea, and in the darkness ofnight, by his own powerhe stills the waves
and bids the storm subside. None but the God of the storms and the billows
could awe by a word the troubled elements, and send a universal peace and
stillness among the winds and waves. He must, therefore, be divine. The
following remarks by Dr. Thomson, long a resident in Syria, and familiar with
the sceneswhichoccur there, will farther illustrate this passage, andthe
parallel accountin Matthew 8:18-27, and also the passagein Matthew 14:23-
32. The extractwhich follows is takenfrom "The land and the Book,"vol. ii.
p. 32, 33:"To understand the causes ofthese sudden and violent tempests, we
must remember that the lake lies low - 600 feet lowerthan the ocean;that the
vast and nakedplateaus of the Jaulan rise to a greatheight, spreading
backwardto the wilds of the Hauran and upward to snowy Hermon; that the
water-courseshave cut out profound ravines and wild gorges,converging to
the head of this lake, and that these actlike gigantic "funnels" to draw down
the coldwinds from the mountains.
On the occasionreferredto we subsequently pitched our tents at the shore,
and remained for three days and nights exposedto this tremendous wind. We
had to double-pin all the tent-ropes, and frequently were obliged to hang with
our whole weight upon them to keepthe quivering tabernacle from being

carried up bodily into the air. No wonder the disciples toiled and rowed hard
all that night; and how natural their amazement and terror at the sight of
Jesus walking on the waves!The faith of Peterin desiring and "daring" to set
foot on such a sea is most striking and impressive; more so, indeed, than its
failure after he made the attempt. The whole lake, as we had it, was lashed
into fury; the waves repeatedly rolled up to our tent door, tumbling over the
ropes with such violence as to carry awaythe tent-pins. And moreover, those
winds are not only violent, but they come done suddenly, and often when the
sky is perfectly clear. I once went in to swim near the hot baths, and, before I
was aware, a wind came rushing over the cliffs with such force that it was
with greatdifficulty I could regainthe shore. Some such sudden wind it was, I
suppose, that filled the ship with waves so that it was now full, while Jesus was
asleepon a pillow in the hinder part of the ship; nor is it strange that the
disciples arousedhim with the cry of Master!Master!carestthou not that we
perish."
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
39. And he arose, and rebuked the wind—"and the raging of the water" (Lu
8:24).
and said unto the sea, Peace, be still—two sublime words of command, from a
Masterto His servants, the elements.
And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm—The sudden hushing of the
wind would not at once have calmed the sea, whose commotionwould have
settled only after a considerable time. But the word of command was given to
both elements at once.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Mark 4:35"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And he arose and rebuked the wind,.... He arose from off his pillow, and stood
up; and in a majestic and authoritative way reproved the wind, as if it was a

servant that had exceededhis commission;at which he shows some
resentment:
and said unto the sea, peace, be still; as if that which was very tumultuous and
boisterous, and threatened with shipwreck and the loss of lives, had ragedtoo
much and too long:
and the wind ceased, andthere was a greatcalm; which was very unusual and
extraordinary; for after the wind has ceased, and the storm is over, the waters
of the sea being agitatedthereby, keepraging, and in a violent motion, for a
considerable time; whereas here, as soonas everthe word was spoken,
immediately, at once, the wind ceased, andthe sea was calmed:a clearproof
this, that he must be the most high God, who gathers the winds in his fists, and
stills the noise of the seas and their waves.
Geneva Study Bible
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.
And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek Testament
Mark 4:39. Observe the poetic parallelism in this verse:wind and sea
separatelyaddressed, and the corresponding effects separatelyspecified:
lulled wind, calmed sea. The evangelistrealisesthe dramatic characterof the
situation.—σιώπα, πεφίμωσο, silence!hush! laconic, majestic, probably the
very words.—ἐκόπασεν, ceased, as if tired blowing, from κόπος (vide at
Matthew 14:32).
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
39. rebuked the wind] All three Evangelists recordthat He rebuked the wind
(comp. Psalm 106:9), St Mark alone adds His distinct address to the furious
elements. On be still see above, Mark 1:25. Comp. Matthew 8:26; Luke 8:24,
and note. The perfect imperative of the original implies the command that the
result should be instantaneous.

the wind ceased]Lit. grew tired. We have the same word in Matthew 14:32,
and againin Mark 6:51. As a rule, after a storm the waves continue to heave
and swellfor hours, but here at the word of the Lord of Nature there was a
“greatcalm.”
Bengel's Gnomen
Mark 4:39. Σιώπα, be silent) cease from roaring.—πεφίμωσο, be still) cease
from violence [i.e., the σιώπα refers to the noise;πεφίμωσο, to the furious
violence of the waves].—γαλήνη, a calm) of the sea;which, under other
circumstances, wouldhave continued in a troubled state even after the wind
had lulled.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 39. - And he arose - literally, he awoke (διεγερθεὶς) - and rebuked the
wind, and saidunto the sea, Peace,be still (Σιώπα πεφίμωσο); literally, Be
silent! be muzzled! The Greek perfectimplies that before the word was
uttered, the thing was done by the simple fiat of his will preceding the word.
The combined descriptions of the synoptists show that the storm was very
violent, such as no human powercould have composedor stilled. So that these
words indicate the supreme authority of Christ as God, ruling the sea with his
mighty power. Thus Christ shows himself to be God. In like manner, Christ is
able to overrule and control the persecutions of the Church and the
temptations of the soul. St. Augustine says that "whenwe allow temptations to
overcome us, Christ sleeps in us. We forgetChrist at such times. Let us, then,
remember him. Let us awake him. He will speak. He will rebuke the tempest
in the soul, and there will be a greatcalm." There was a greatcalm. Forall
creationperceives its Creator. He never speaks in vain. It is observable that,
as in his miracles of healing, the subjects of them usually passedat once to
perfect soundness, so here, there was no gradual subsiding of the storm, as in
the ordinary operations of nature, but almostbefore the word had escapedhis
lips there was a perfectcalm.
Vincent's Word Studies

Peace,be still (σιώπα, πεφίμωσο)
Lit., be silent! be muzzled! Wyc., rather tamely, wax dumb! How much more
vivid than the narratives of either Matthew or Luke is this personificationand
rebuke of the sea as a raging monster.
Ceased(ἐκόπασεν)
From κόπος meaning, 1, beating; 2, toil; 3, weariness.A beautiful and
picturesque word. The sea sank to restas if exhaustedby its own beating.
There was (ἐγένετο)
More strictly, there arose orensued. The aorist tense indicates something
immediate. Tynd. has followed.
Calm
Wyc., peaceableness.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
DANIEL AKIN
Trust the One Who Controls the Storm
Mark 4:35-41
Introduction: 1) Psalm107 is a wonderful song that celebratesthe goodnessof
God and His

greatworks of deliverance. In light of the story of Jesus calming the storm,
vs. 23-32 are
especiallypowerful and relevant, “Some went down to the sea in ships, doing
business on the
greatwaters;they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the
deep. Forhe
commanded and raisedthe stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They mounted up
to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted awayin their
evil plight; they
reeledand staggeredlike drunken men and were at their wits' end. Then they
cried to the LORD
in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 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. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfastlove,
for his wondrous
works to the children of man! Let them extol him in the congregationofthe
people, and praise
him in the assemblyof the elders.”
2) These verses are almostprophetic in light of what happened to the 12
disciples of Jesus one
evening on the Sea of Galilee. Theyalso point to the inescapable truth for
those who have ears
to hear and eyes to see (4:1-34): Jesus is the God of Psalm107 who “calms the
storm, so that its

waves are still” (v. 29).
3) This is the first of a series ofstories that bear witness to Jesus poweras a
miracle worker.
They begin here and run to the end of chapter5.
→ He has authority overnature (4:35-41).
→ He has authority overdemons (5:1-20).
→ He has authority oversickness (5:25-34).
2
→ He has authority overdeath (5:21-24, 35-43).
4) In Mark 4:35-41 we have a historicalstory marked by careful accuracyand
detail. No doubt
we have the reminisces of Peter, the eyewitness authority behind Mark’s
gospel. He
remembered the time of day (“evening”, 4:35), the cushionin the boat (4:38),
the place where
Jesus slept(“in the stern”, 4:38), the fact there were other boats (4:36).
Further, the less than
flattering picture of the disciples is not the kind of thing one makes up about
themselves. Their
embarrassing fearand lack of faith (v. 40) was something they could not
forget.
5) God orchestrates anevent in the lives of the disciples to increase their faith
in the One they
should alreadytrust. Why? BecauseHe is Godand “with Godnothing will
be impossible”

(Luke 1:37).
6) Few stories have been more poorly interpreted and applied than this one.
It is not about Jesus
getting you thru the storms of life. That of course is true, but it is not the
point of this story. It is
about the One who is the sovereignand all powerful Lord whom demons
rightly recognize as
God (5:7) and we should fully trust.
Transition: Six biblical truths stand out for our considerationand edification
in this fascinating
story.
I. God is working in the everyday circumstances ofour lives 4:35-37
Jesus has had a full day of teaching (“on the same day,” v. 35). It is now
evening and
like everyone else, He and the twelve need to getaway and get some rest.
There is
nothing unusual or extraordinary about this.
He tells them, “Let us go across to the other side” (v. 35). He says “goodbye”
to the
crowdon the seashore (v. 36). He heads easttoward “the country of the
Gerasenes”(5:1)
with a flotilla. “Other boats were with Him” (v. 36). Even now He cannot get
away
3

completely from those who are following Him. Once in the boat, Jesus
immediately falls
into a very deep sleep.
Then in verse 37, suddenly everything turns upside/down. Note:1) a great
windstorm
arose. The wordspeaks ofhurricane type winds! 2) “The waves were
breaking into the
boat.” 3) “The boat was already filling.”
The words, and many aspects ofthis story, echo the story of Jonahon the
ship in chapter
1 of the book that bears His name. Seasonedsailorsand fishermen suddenly
find
themselves in a storm unlike anything they had ever experienced.
Now, there is a crucialpoint that must be noted at this point: it was Jesus
who led them
into the storm! On a normal evening taking a normal boat ride normal men
suddenly find
themselves in an abnormal storm and a severe crisis. This was not accidental.
This was
not a surprise to God that caughtHim off guard.
We should not be surprised by surprises in our lives. Theyare divinely
ordained
moments whereby God is working in the everyday circumstances ofour lives
to reveal
who He is, who we are, and who we need! Trials and tribulation, difficulties
and

desperate moments are often the times when God does His greatestwork in
our lives. By
bringing us to the end of ourselves we are driven to Him and Him alone as
Savior and
rescuer. If He does not act we will not be saved. Would you really want it any
other
way? Faith says a resounding no!
II. Jesus is human apart from sin 4:38
The Bible affirms and the Church has always believed that Jesus is both fully
God and
fully man, two natures united in one person. He is 100% divine and 100%
human in the
one person, the God-man.
4
The only qualification that needs to be made relatedto His humanity is that
He is without
sin. He had no sin nature (but one like Adam and Eve prior to the fall) and
He never
sinned a single sin, not one. Two text, in particular, make this clear:
2 Corinthians 5:21, “Forour sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so
that in him
we might become the righteousness ofGod.”
Hebrews 4:15, “Forwe do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize
with our

weaknesses, but one who in every respecthas been tempted as we are, yet
without sin.”
Both His humanity and deity are put on display in this story, and it is
humanity that
appears so clearly in v. 38. Amazingly, even astonishing, He is in stern of the
boat, fast
asleepon a cushion.
The Bible repeatedlyteaches our Lord’s full and true humanity.
→ He gothungry (Matt 4:2, “And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he
was
hungry”).
→ He gotangry (Mark 3:5)
→He cried (John 11:35)
→He died (The cross)
Now we see He slept. He had had such an exhausting day he quickly fell
asleepand kept
on sleeping right thru the storm. Interestingly, this is the only time in the
gospels that we
read of Jesus sleeping. Jesushad His “sound machine” seton waves!
Yes, He is human. But there is something else. He has a complete confidence
and trust
in the providential care of His Father. The veteranseamanmay be terrified
and in a
panic, but the carpenter from Nazarethsleeps soundly thru it all! What faith.
What trust.
5

Illustration: Lottie Moonsaid, “We are immortal until our work on earth is
finished.”
Jesus knew He had a work to complete on the cross. He was confident in His
Father’s
promise to see Him finish His work.
III. Humans panic when they lose faith in the one they should trust 4:38
Verse 38b records the normal human reactionto something we cannot
control. It does not
record the spiritual response one would expectfrom those who have been with
Jesus.
The disciples, in a panic, wake Jesus up. Justas the captain of Jonah’s ship
chewedhim
out for sleeping while they were perishing, so the disciples jump on Jesus as
well. Mark
says they calledhim “Teacher.” Matt8:25 says “Lord.” Luke 8:24 records
them saying
“Master, Master.” Ihave no doubt they said all of this and more! These are
terms of
respectand honor. The question they fire in His direction is not.
“Do you not care that we are perishing?” Theyquestion His love and
concernfor them,
something none of us would do, right? Frustrated by what appears to be His
indifference
to their plight (and ignoring the fact He was asleep)and facing a desperate
situation they

have no hope of handling themselves, they lash out in a rude outburst rather
than exhibit
faith in the one who has proven Himself trustworthy againand again.
It pains me greatlyto see myself in the disciples. Jesus has proven Himself
faithful to me
over and over and yet when caught by surprise and put into a vice of difficulty
and
trouble, I fume rather than show faith.
Spurgeon, the great Baptistpreachersaid, “Godis too wise to err, too goodto
be unkind;
leave off doubting Him, and begin to trust Him, for in so doing, you will put a
crownon
His head” (Vol. 3:1857, #156, “FearNot”).
Let’s crownHim in faith, not doubt Him in unbelief.
6
IV. Jesus has authority over nature because He is God 4:39
The Bible teaches thatGod and only God is thrice “omni.”
→ Omniscient: He know all things (actualand potential)
→ Omnipresent: He is everywhere present
→ Omnipotent: He is all powerful
Jesus awakesfrom His sleephaving been disturbed by His disciples. His
gracious
humility is immediately on display as He does not rebuke or chastenthe
disciples for

their less than charitable summons. In a simple, non-elaborate, non-magical
statement
He 1) rebukes the wind and 2) says to the sea “Peace!Be still!”
- The word “rebuke” canmean censure. It is the same word used in Mark
1:25; 3:12
when Jesus rebukes the demons! Could this storm have been demonically
instigated?
- “Be still” carries the idea of “muzzle.” It is a perf. imp. The idea is “be still
and stay
still.”
The response of both wind and wave is immediate because its Masterhas
spoken:“the
wind ceased, andthere was a greatcalm.”
Here is our Lord’s deity on full and glorious display!
- Hurricane force winds are stopped with a single word.
- There is no struggle, no difficulty.
- Suddenly, a mega calm is present.
- Only God could do this. Jesus must be God.
This is the direction in which Jesus seeksto drive the disciples. WhatHe says
in v. 40
makes this clear.
V. Trials and difficulties come for the benefit of our faith 4:40
7

Jesus now turns from speaking to the storm to speaking to the disciples. His
2 questions
contain a mild but obvious rebuke:
1) Why are you so afraid? 2) Have you still no faith?
It is time for another lessonin discipleship. Jesus has againrevealedHimself
to His inner
circle, His closestfollowers. His goalis to increase their ability to hear and see
thru their
trial and difficulty. What they should have by now is greatercomprehension
and
increasedfaith in His person. This was a golden teaching moment but they
came up
short.
It is interesting to note the entire story is told from disciples perspective.
They take Jesus
with them (v. 36), raise Him from His sleep(v. 38), they are afraid and lacking
in faith
(v. 40), and they are perplexed about who this personJesus is (v. 41).
In the eye of the storm, the disciples accuseJesus offorsaking them (v. 38)
rather than
trusting Him. Unfortunately this will not be the last time Jesus questions their
lack of
faith (7:18; 8:17; 21; 33; 9:9). Until they see the resurrectedChrist, and fully
understand
what He did for them on the cross they are going to struggle.
We, in contrast, have no excuse.

- We know He is God.
- We know He is all-powerful and all-knowing.
- We know He has takencare of all our sin.
- We know He rose from the dead.
- We know He can be trusted no matter what!
Transition: Trials and difficulties are divine appointments to increase and
strengthen our faith.
So: 1) Why are we still afraid? 2) Do we still have no faith?
8
VI. The identity of Jesus is an issue we all must settle 4:41
This story ends with the disciples asking a question every one of us must ask
and answer.
It is unavoidable and allows for no neutrality. You cannot “sit this one out.”
Verse 41 reveals that the storm is now in the boat! It is one thing to be
terrified by a
storm on the sea. It is another thing to be terrified by Godin your boat!
The text says they were “filled with great fear.” Amazing! The fear of the
disciples at
what Jesus has done and who He might be exceeds the fear they had over the
storm. At
this point, I commend them.
The presence of God is far more fearful and frightening than the most
destructive forces
of nature. One can take your life. The other canclaim your soul.

Our text concludes then with this question on the lips of the disciples, “Who
then is this,
that even the wind and the sea obeyhim?” Amazing again. Despite their
recent
experiences and their past associationwith Jesus as He taught and performed
miracles,
they still aren’t sure just who He is.
Interestingly, this is the first of 3 boat scenes in Mark’s gospel. The other2
are in 6:45
52 and 8:14-21.
- Eachis associatedwith a miracle.
- Eachis a challenge to understand and settle the identity of Jesus.
- Eachis adequate for them to draw the conclusionwe must draw as well,
“You are the
Christ, the Son of God.”
The famous atheist Bertrand Russell(1872-1970)was askedwhathe would
say to God if
He discoveredupon his death that God existed and he was wrong. His
response was I
will say, “Notenough evidence, God, not enough evidence.” Thatexcuse will
not fly.
9
That answerwill not save him. The evidence is in and it is overwhelming.
The time to
settle the issue is now.

Conclusion
1) We have noted a number of interesting parallels with Jesus stilling the
storm and the
story of Jonah. This should not surprise us. Jesus calledHimself the true
Jonahin
Matthew 12:40. And He is! He is the true Jonah who was consumedby the
stormy sea
of God’s wrath as He hung on the cross. He endured the storm so that we
could find
peace and calm and be saved. Jesus calmedthe only storm that could truly
sink and
drown us, the storm of God’s wrath and judgment. He went down in the
storm only to
emerge 3 days later as the one who stilled the just and righteous wrath of God
against
sinners. If He took care of that storm, this divine-man can certainly be
trusted to handle
any other storm we may encounter.
2) “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? (4:41). Ask
the demons
(5:7)! They know Him. And…we can know Him and trust Him no matter
what may
come our way!

Mark 4:35-41 3-17-13Life Storms I. Slide#1Announce: A. Slide#2a
St.Patricks day: Didyouknow the shamrock wasa sacredplantin ancient
Ireland because itsymbolized the rebirth of spring. Our Springs rebirth is this
Wed, 3/20. 1. Froma cold-deadwinterto the beautiful life ofSpring. 2.
Slide#2bMarch31stwe celebratethe realdeathcome to life in the celebration
of the ResurrectionofJesusChrist. Joinus outdoors, 7:30am, lowercampus. B.
Slide#3 InHis Fields: Dave LeCompte 1. Slide#4Dave behindus is a picture of
Chechnya before & after...Whathas takenplace overthere? 2. Slide#5 Whatis
drawing your heartback to Chechnya? [kids thathadgottensavedorthat you
knew from before. Small# ofChechens saved. Maleeka& Adreese]3. Slide#6
Explain the Well projectyou’re starting up. [Helen& Kenmoving there] 4.
What are some opportunities for ministry in the future? [TeachEnglish;
Pediatricians(explainState ofthe Art Hospitals) PTSD; MMAFighters] 5.
Slide#7 How people canpartnerwith you now? Needs?
II. Slide#8 Intro: Life’s Storms Mrk.4:35-41A. Slide#9 St. Patrickwasneither
Irish nor Roman Catholic 1. BorninBritain. Carried offby pirates at age 16.
He was forcedto work as a slave inIreland. After 6 years, during which he
experienceda conversion, he thenescaped& returnedto Britain & his family. 2.
Later, he had a night vision in whichhe receiveda callto evangelize Ireland. St.
Patrick endedup becoming the greatestsingle force inthe Christianization of
Ireland. Wayto Go Pat! Makesme wantto go Green. 3. Iwould saygetting
yankedfrom your homeland as a junior in H.S. & live as a slave till your 22
would have been a pretty toughLife Stormto ride out. a) Buthe did so, by
experiencing the presence ofJesus!
B. After a long day ofteaching…time forsome practical tests to seewhat
they’ve learned! 1. Slide#10This stormwas partofthe day’s curriculum.
[Stormtheology101] a) The journeyofthis boat is a picture ofthe journey of
life. 2. Slide#11a+bJesuscanYoube trusted in the storms of life? 3. Many
think that storms only come whenthey’ve disobeyedGod.
1
a) Jonahendedup in a storm because ofhis disobedience; The disciples gotinto
a storm because oftheirobedience.

III. Slide#12LESSONSON THE SEA(35,36)A. Slide#13a Crisis= [from
Greek krisis “decisive moment”] 1. Crisis is a situationorperiod in which
things are very uncertain, difficult, orpainful. 2. Crisis is a critical moment: a
time when something very important for the future happens or is decided. B.
Slide#13bCrisis is a goodthing…ithelps people change! 1. Godknowsthat,
and lovingly provides those times of crisis forus. 2. Theycancome incountless
forms: disaster; catastrophe; emergency; calamity; predicament; jobloss;
spouse loss; childloss; etc. 3. RememberIssac NewtonFirstLaw ofMotion,
“Everything continues in a state ofrestunless it is compelledto change by
forces impresseduponit.” a) No one is willing to do realChange until real
Crisis comes! 4. Somepeople willchange whentheysee the light; others change
only when they feelthe heat! 5. Justas we vaccinateourchildren w/the very
disease we don’twantthem to get, to build up their immune system; So Christ
builds our Spiritual Immune Systemw/ Slide#13cstorms, waves, wind, trials!
C. Jesus canbe trustedin the storms of life. 1. Youcansailwith Him right into
a sea oftribulation. 2. WithHim you’ll neversuffer the shipwreck ofyour soul.
D. It’s like soaring like a kite. Youhave to run right into/againstthe wind...to
make it go up,up,up! E. Slide#14 Time forR&R (36) - The easternshore was
relatively uninhabited. F. Slide#15 Sea ofGalilee- 700’below sealevel(13m.
Long x 8m.wide) [LakeElsinore is 6m.x1.5m.] 1. Situatedina pocket, hills on
every side. Windwould rush down the ravines from the MediterraneanSea
causing a sudden whirlwind action. [see redarrow] 2. The waveskeptbeating
into the boat. It was alreadyfilling w/water.
IV. Slide#16CHICKEN OF THE SEA(37, 38b, 41) A. Slide#17a Doyounot
care? (38) We’ve allaskedHim...Aren’tyouconcerned? Don’tyouknow? If
you were only here earlier? Don’tyou care?...OfcourseHe does! 1. Itis much
easierto trust Godwhen the sun is shining, than to trust Him whenthe storm is
raging around us.
2
a) He does care ifyou spiritually drown! b) Don’t be hastyto think He doesn’t
care...evenwhenyour sinking and He seems to be asleepinthe stern. B.
Slide#17bWe are perishing – WE? [Really, Jesusis going to sink?] 1. Hymn:

No waters canswallowthe ship, where lies, The Masterofocean& earth&
skies. 2. The stormcouldn’t disturb Him, but the unbelief of His disciples did!
C. Maybe you’ve asked, Jesus, whydid you fall asleepatthis important time in
my life? 1. Although Goddoes notalways shieldus from the destructiveness of
all life’s storms. He canalways be trusted to be there in the storm with us!1 D.
If you sense Jesus is asleepinthe stormyou’re going thru...relax!1. Ifyou sense
Jesus is notdoing anything it means: He’s notpacing. He’s notanxious. He’s
not worried. He’s resting! a) Youtoo mayrest, thoughthat isn’t easy. 2.
Slide#18Rememberalso, atanymoment Jesus canstandup & speak a word,
and immediately the stormwill stop. 3. How manytimes have you made Him
stopthe testing early? 4. How manytimes have you rode out the storm,
w/Christonyour vessel?
E. Seasonedsailors withcowardlyterror. (40) 1. Jesus didn’t stopw/the
calming of the elements, forthatwasn’ttheir greatestdanger, itwas the
unbelief of their hearts! a) Ourgreatestproblems are within us not around us!
2. Slide#19aThe Masterthatday taughtHis disciples that the cure for fearis
faith! a) Fearis looking atthe storm; faithis looking atthe Savior; b) Fearis
looking atthe circumstances; faithis looking atGod! (1) Oh& whatwas itlike
to be in one of the otherlittle boats? (36b) 3. OswaldChambers said, “Beware
of worshipping Jesus as the SonofGod, andprofessing your faith in Him as the
Saviorof the world, while you blaspheme Him by the complete evidence in
your daily life that He is powerless to do anything in and through you.” ouch!
F. (41) Nowtheyfearedexceedingly, ina different way. 1. This time it was
AWE in the face ofthe majestic power& presenceofChrist.
3
1 Shepherd’s Notes, Mark, pg.33
2. FearofGodeliminates cowardlyfear! a) “The fearofGodis the beginning of
wisdom!” 3. Slide#19b[lit.] Who thenis this? – Theyknew He could forgive
sins, castoutdemons, healallsorts ofdiseases, butnow even the wind & waves
obeyedHim. a) This must mean He is in constant control ofeverysituation! b)

Which situation canyou apply this truth to in your life today? G. Don’tonly
Wonderw/the Intellect, but Worship w/the Heart!
V. Slide#20 LORD HIGHADMIRAL OF THE SEA (38a, 39, 40) A. So here we
have The Lord High Admiral of the sea, rightnext to the Chickenofthe sea! B.
Slide#21Peace, be still(39) – Or, be muzzled, & staymuzzled. 1. Lenski, “Put
the muzzle on & keepiton” 2. A greatcalm– A double miracle here. Notonly
the wind above the sea, butalso the current below. a) Ican’tevenspeak to the
Carbonationofa Coke running overthe top ofmy glass, “no, no, no”, andhave
it listen to me! b) Slide#22Prov. 30:4Who has gatheredthe wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has establishedallthe ends of
the earth? Whatis His name, and whatis His Son’s name, Ifyou know?
C. Slide#23 Jesus’trustin His GreatFatherwas so firmthat He rockedin the
cradle ofthe deep! 1. His disciples causedHim more disquiet than the storm. a)
They awokeHim, notthe wind, not the waves, notthe boatfilling w/water, not
the rocking back & forth, notthe noise. None ofthese wokeHim, TheyDid! D.
What a greatcry though: “Lord” “Save us” “We are Perishing”.
E. Make Jesusyouranchor, yourrudder, your lighthouse, your life-boat, &
evenyour harbor! 1. Jesus, fullyman (asleepfromfatigue) & fully God
(calming the storm). F. Jesus showedHimselfLord overthe Naturalrealm &
next week He will overthe Supernatural realm. [Theydon’tevenrealize
they’re heading right into anotherstorm]
VI. Slide#243 REASONS NOTTO FEAR A. Slide#25TheyhadHis promise
they were going to the otherside! [Promise] 1. To the otherside, He didn’t say,
“to the middle of the lake to be drowned!” 2. His commandments are His
enablement’s! 3. He didn’t promise an easytrip, but He did guarantee arrival
at their destination.
4
a) And so w/salvation. B. Slide#26 Jesus waswiththem! [Presence] 1. Is Jesus’
presence inyour life enough? a) InEx.3 God’s presencewasn’tenoughfor
Moses, he neededthe dramatic & spectacular. [rtafterburning bush & promise
“I will certainlybe with you” 3:12] b) InEx.33 God’s presencewasallthat

mattered to him. (1) Context: AfterGodwas so madw/goldencalfevent, He
finally said, “Depart& go upfrom here...& I’llsendMy Angel before
you(33:1,2). Mosessaid, “IfYourPresence doesnotgo withus, do not bring us
up from here.” (33:15) 2. TheyalreadyhadseenHis powerdemonstratedin
His miracles, theyshould have had complete confidence He couldhandle this
situation. 3. Theyhadn’t realizedHe is Masterofeverysituation...Haveyou? a)
Even…Bankruptcy, disease, tragedy, enslavedw/addiction, yourfortunes lost
in the stock market, a marriage lostto infidelity, one of your kids went prodigal
on you. b) Everysituation? - A financial storm? A business storm? A
professional storm? Acollegestorm? Ahouseholdstorm? Amarriage storm? A
medicalstorm? 4. Again, His goalis to strengthenyou…notshipwreck you! C.
Slide#27Jesus wasperfectlyatpeace![Peace] 1. Davidsaid, Iwillboth lie
down in peace, andsleep; ForYoualone, O LORD, make me dwellin safety.
Ps.4:8
D. Slide#28 Prayer: He displays His powerin the whirlwind and the storm. The
billowing clouds are the dust beneathhis feet. Nahum1:3b [Life storms]
BRIANBELL
DAVID LEGGE
Turn to Mark's Gospelchapter 4 for our reading, Mark chapter 4 beginning
to read at verse 35:"And the same day, when the even was come, he saith
unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sentaway
the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also
with him other little ships. And there arose a greatstorm of wind, and the
waves beatinto the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part
of the ship, asleepon a pillow: and they awakehim, and say unto him, Master,
carestthou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said
unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, andthere was a greatcalm.
And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

And they fearedexceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is
this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?".
Here we have a vivid account, more than any other of the writers, of this first
greatmiracle of our Lord Jesus recordedin Mark...
I've entitled my messagetoday'In The Same Boat'. Now we are entering a
new sectionof Mark's gospeltodaythat spans from our first verse, chapter 4
verse 35, through to chapter 5 verse 43. Therein are containedfour of the
greatestmiracles that were ever performed by our Lord Jesus. So we see
Mark's pattern is that after the parables follow the miracles. We have spent
four, even five weeks looking atfour parables, and now we come to the
miracles of the Servant of Jehovah. Now there is a very interesting lessonfor
us all, because the works of the Lord Jesus are following His words. He had
spoken, and now He authenticates His words by the works that He performs -
that's very important for us as Christians. It's one thing to say that we are
Christians, to quote the verses, but it's another thing to live up to them, to
follow in the Master's footsteps.
Here we have a vivid account, more than any other of the writers, of this first
greatmiracle of our Lord Jesus recordedin Mark. Again it indicates that he
probably receivedthis accountfrom an eyewitness, mostlikely Peterthe
apostle who was in the boat. But I want you to see this morning that, whilst
these miracles are coming after the parables, these miracles - particularly
here in Mark's gospel, atthis moment - are actuallyparables in themselves,
but they, if you like, are parables in action. They are wrought one after the
other within the course of a few days, and indeed the one we're going to look
at this morning was performed on the very day, the same day that he gave the
four parables that He spoke.
First of all we have this storm at sea in verses 35 to 41, which demonstrates
the powerof the Servant of Jehovah, the Lord Jesus, overthe forces ofnature.
Then in verses 1-20 in chapter 5, we see this wonderful story of the demoniac
and his deliverance from the legionof demons, and that demonstrates the
powerof the Servant over the world of spirits. Then we find in chapter 5 also,
verses 25 to 34, that the Lord delivers a woman of an incurable disease, the

issue of blood, and that demonstrates the powerof the Servant of the Lord
over physical illness. Then in this section, finally in verse 35 of chapter 5 to 43,
we see that the Lord was able to deliver a young child from death, the power
of the Servant over the realm of death.
In eachcase in this section, these four miracles demonstrate the power of
Christ overcoming hostile forces - whether it be the forces of nature, demonic
forces, the forces ofdisease and illness, or the very force of death itself...
In eachcase in this section, these four miracles demonstrate the power of
Christ overcoming hostile forces - whether it be the forces of nature, demonic
forces, the forces ofdisease and illness, or the very force of death itself.
Mark's emphasis is: man's extremity is God's opportunity. God loves to
display Himself in the midst of our problems. There are crises ofdiffering
kinds in this section. We have a storm that no seamancould overcome. We
have a demoniac that no man could tame. We have a disease that no physician
could cure, and we have a tragedy that no parent could avert. These differing
trials and crises also differed in the type of people that they affected. You have
a storm that is affecting a company of men on the sea, some ofthem were
fishermen, sailors. You have demons affecting one man alone among the
tombs. You have disease affecting one womanwho sought to hide in the
crowd. Then you have death affecting a child in her ownfather's house.
What Mark is presenting to us is the Servant of the Lord, Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, the One who would become the Saviour of the world, proved His
sufficiency for every circumstance, and took an opportunity to show it in the
midst of men's extremity.
Now let us look at this first miracle that Mark presents to us, this storm at sea.
Let me suggestto you first of all - I have three headings, the first is: the
satanic storm. I believe that this storm was satanic in origin. If you look at
verses 35 and 36, let's read them again: ' And the same day, when the even
was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when
they had sent awaythe multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship.
And there were also with him other little ships'. Now that's an interesting
statementthat we'll come back to againlater on: they took Him along in the

boat as He was. Immediately, without any provisions or preparations, after
teaching these four parables, they pushed off to sea taking the Lord Jesus in
the same boat from which He had preached those parables in that afternoon,
during that day. They take Him into the middle of the lake, and other little
ships accompanythem.
Now I don't know whether you know much about the Sea ofGalilee, but it's
only about eight miles across, andit's notoriously prone to storms, squalls of a
very violent nature. It is situated at about 700 feetbelow sea level, and it's
surrounded west, north and eastby mountains that rise about three or four
thousand feet above sea level - and that causes a phenomenon, because ofthe
geographyof where the lake is, that there is a varying climate at lake leveland
at peak level of the mountains. The climate varies so greatlythat freak storms
can happen very suddenly.
You might say: 'Well, if that is the case,and this is nothing abnormal, why are
you saying that this is a satanic storm?'. Well, the first reasonis that it would
seemmore severe than the usual storms on the Lake of Galilee. These
hardened fishermen - we know that Peter, Andrew, James and John, at least,
were experiencedin sailing - they were terrified. It would seemunusual that,
if they had experience out on this lake and of this type of storm, that they
would have been so terrified. But also verse 39 gives us a clue as to the satanic
origin of the storm, because the Lord's rebuke of it is: 'Peace, be still' - which,
literally in the original language, couldbe translated 'be muzzled'. It was used
in chapter 1 and verse 25 of the Lord's exorcismof a demon, where He told it
to be quiet.
Satan, we know, in the Gospels was constantlyattempting to disrupt the
Servant of the Lord's service in the will of God. You remember the people of
Nazarethattempting to push the Lord Jesus overthe cliff, but He was
delivered from that because He was doing God's will. We see in chapter 5 and
verses 1-20 that the Lord is on His way to deliver a demoniac of a legion of
devils. He is here to deliver the demon-possessed, andI believe that Satan was
trying to disrupt Him in that work. But I want you to notice what seems to be
an irony even, some might say, a contradiction, though it is not: although
Satanis, I believe, involved in originating this storm, verse 35 tells us that it

was the Lord Jesus who saidto them: 'Let us pass over unto the other side'.
Now right awaywhat that presents us with is the mystery of God's
providence.
The messagethat it gives us right awayis that this raging sea is a picture of
the storms of life through which all believers are calledto pass...
Let me explain that to you: the Lord said, 'Let us go over to the other side',
and yet they're going into the midst of a storm that Satan instigates for them,
and the Lord allows them to go through it. It sounds a bit like life, doesn'tit?
How the Lord permits us to go through certain storms, we don't understand
why - and, as the book of Job teaches us, sometimes those storms can be of
satanic origin, but God allows them for His own purpose. I can't explain that -
neither canyou, by the way - but it's a fact. Storms will be allowedinto our
lives by God, even storms that are instigatedby the devil, He will allow them.
Now, as I've already said, this is a parable in action. The messagethat it gives
us right away is that this raging sea is a picture of the storms of life through
which all believers are calledto pass. The servantis not greaterthan his Lord,
and if He is the Servant of Jehovahand having to go down this path of
suffering that will lead to the cross, as Mark so graphically paints for us, we
must take up our crossesand go down the same road and face the same
storms. We must be in the same boat. Often times it's so perplexing, and we
might even wonder if the Saviour cares atall.
Let's see the bigger picture for a moment, because this parable in action is not
disconnectedfrom the preceding parables that were spoken. It follows on in
the same context. You remember I taught you last Sunday morning that these
were the mystery parables of the kingdom, and I'll not go into all of it, but
save to say that these particularly spoke prophetically about the interim
period when the King was absent. He had presentedthe kingdom, and the
kingdom had been rejectedby the Jews, andit is sownin the hearts of men
who believe in Him - but He's gone until He comes againto setup His earthly
kingdom. So we now have a parable in actionthat took place on the same day
as He spoke those kingdom mystery parables, happening in the same boat

from which He spoke them - and what do you think He is saying in this
parable in action? 'You will go through storms in my absence!'.
Mark wrote, of course, this gospelto encourage Romanbelievers who were
either facing or about to face Nero's terrible persecutions. It might have
seemedfor these early Christians that the King was absent, and He didn't
care what they were going through - being fed to the lions, and burned to
death. Maybe it seemedthat He wasn'tthere because He wasn'tpreventing
these storms taking place, but the Lord wanted these disciples and those who
would follow to know He does hear the cries of His disciples, and He reveals
Himself in the midst of life's storms. You see, Mark's readers were about to be
persecuted, and some of them martyred for their faith, they needed to know
that their Lord was the Suffering Servant, who suffered and died for them -
but they also neededto know that He was triumphant over death, and in Him
they could be triumphant even in the midst of death itself.
It's not surprising that, in the early church Christian art, the church was
depicted as a boat driven upon a perilous sea, and Jesus standing in the midst.
So this is a parable in action. After giving them these spokenparables about
what it would be like when He was awayfrom the earth until He comes again,
now He is showing them the type of storms that they would go through - but
Jesus will be in the midst! He's telling them there is nothing to fear. Now of
course that's the fact, but often it is not the reality that we experience - nor
was it the reality that the disciples experienced. They experienced, during this
satanic storm, the Servant asleep.
It's not surprising that, in the early church Christian art, the church was
depicted as a boat driven upon a perilous sea, and Jesus standing in the
midst...
In verse 38 we read: 'He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleepona pillow:
they woke him, and said, Master, do you not care that we perish?'. Let's
remember where we are here: the Lord Jesus has just spent the whole day
serving the Lord, this is the end of a hectic 24 hours. Remember where we've
come from: earlier in the day He has facedopposition from His enemies, who
said that He was possessedby Beelzebub. He is misunderstood by His own

JESUS QUIETS A STORM

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