And when they had sent away 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 great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
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.
And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?
And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" — Mark 4:35-41
Several years ago in a small, family-owned Christian bookstore, I came across a framed print of a painting entitled Peace, Be Still. The artist had captured in expert detail, the scene of Jesus calming the storm as told about in scripture. The raging waters, the wind-tossed boat, the terror on the men’s faces, and the total serenity of Jesus as He raised His hand to command nature to obey.
I connected with that painting and would have bought it that day, had I not been short on funds. A few weeks later when I went back to make the purchase, the art piece was gone. I am still searching for it. Why does that portrayal of one event of Jesus’ life, still have such an impact on me? It shows the true Christ.
Like so many of the events of Jesus’ life, this story is told in three of the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. To get the complete narrative, I like to read all three Gospel accounts. We see that Jesus had been teaching and healing near the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd pressed Him close to the sea and needing rest and time away from crowds, Jesus decided that He and the Apostles would take a boat to the opposite shore. Soon after they sailed, an exhausted Jesus fell asleep and a storm arose. When the boat started to take on water, the Apostles feared for their lives and pleaded with Jesus, Master, don’t you care if we drown?
This story reveals the true humanity of Christ. He needed rest and time away. Often His ministry left Him without time to eat or sleep. Jesus was so fatigued that a raging storm didn’t wake Him. This should help us realize that Jesus was genuinely human and had the same basic human needs that we have. He understands us. In Hebrews 2:17, we see that Christ’s humanity is part of what makes Him qualified to be our merciful intercessor with God the Father.
We also see that the Apostles suffered a lack of faith. This should remind us that even those who lived and walked with Jesus, witnessed His miracles, and received His teaching first-hand, still found it difficult to be completely faith-filled 100 percent of the time. But just as the Apostles' lack of faith was rebuked, so is ours. Jesus rescued the Apostles from the storm and is able to rescue us from the storms of everyday life. He was with the Apostles, and He is with us in the midst of our storms.
But the story doesn’t end there. Not only do we see the true humanity of Jesus, we also see the deity of Jesus. Only God can make the wind and water obey. Only God has true power over nature and can command the elements. Only God can bring true peace.
This can be enormously comforting to Christians in a storm. Remember that faith in Christ is never misplaced. If He can calm the storms of the sea with one word, He can calm the storms of life.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for the promise that You will be with me in the midst of the storms in my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment