Mark the Messiah’s Gospel

Jesus is the God of the Sea
Mark 4:35-41- 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 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?
“Let us pass over unto the other side”- This meant that Jesus wanted the disciples to go with Him outside of Jewish territory. The other side was the Roman Decapolis, where Jews dared not to enter. Was the Jewish Messiah going to take the message of the kingdom of God to a Gentile world?
“And the same day, when the even was come”-A lot had transpired during this day of the Messiah, as He had taught by the lake. The scriptures want us to know that without having time to rest Jesus entered into a ship “even as he was.”
“great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full”- Mark writes the Greek word megas for great, but the Hebrew word for great is gadol and is used to describe the dramatic story of Jonah the prophet from Galilee. Notice in this miracle of Jesus calming the storm that the same word is used to describe the great storm and the great calm. It wasn’t normal storm; it was a great storm! The boats in those days were made out of several different types of wood that caused the bottom of the boat to hold water. This served as a natural live-well for the fish they caught.
The little ships were less than 30 ft. long, so try to imagine being out in the middle of a raging sea in such a small vessel. Not that we have to have a scientific explanation, but cold air sweeps down from Mt. Hermon about 40 miles north. Mt. Hermon is 9,200 ft. above sea level. The cold air meets the hot air at the Sea of Galilee and a storm can build in a matter of minutes.
“And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow”- Jesus was exhausted from the busy day of pouring out His heart to the people and dealing with His enemies from Jerusalem. They kept floating cushions on the boats made out of leather. What a scene! The same Person who has power over nature also needs to sleep!
“Master, carest thou not that we perish?”- One can vision the disciples trying to bail water out of the ship and their faces and hearts were filled with fear, and they looked over and saw Jesus sleeping! The disciples did not know at this point that Jesus was the very God of Creation! So they cry out as though Jesus didn’t care if they drowned. This frustration about God not caring is expressed many times in the Old Testament. (Psalm 10:1, 44:23-26)
“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still”- This is one of the most powerful verses in the life and ministry of Jesus the Messiah. He has the power to rebuke sickness, the power to rebuke demons, and now He has the power to rebuke a raging storm! Wow! Jesus calmed the storm quicker than it started. The first thing Jesus did when He awoke was talk to the storm! The Hebrew word would have been “Shalom” that Jesus said to the sea. I am reminded of this beautiful psalm:
Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
“And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm”- Like a piece of glass, the waters obeyed the Master’s voice. Not only did the wind obey but the waters of the sea also obeyed as well. I am reminded of several powerful psalms:
Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them. Psalm 89:9
The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. Psalm 93:4
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Psalm 107:23-29
“Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?”- Jesus understands the disciples being afraid of the storm but He wanted them to know that His power was greater than the storm. In other words, “You will face many different kinds of storms, but your fear for God needs to be greater!” Jesus had just told them that very same day that some would hear the Word of God and when tribulations arise they would drop out. (Mark 4:17) The power of Christ, that calmed a raging storm, would go with the disciples when they left Israel into the known world.
“And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”- This happens to be one of this author’s favorite verses in the life and ministry of Jesus. Jesus is in storm with His disciples and if the ship goes down, He goes down with them. The disciples were afraid of the storm; afraid for their physical life: and now they were afraid because the God of Israel was standing in their boat! The Bible doesn’t say, but maybe Jesus went back to sleep, while they talked nervously among themselves. Before they could know the God-Man, Jesus the Messiah, they had to experience the fear of the storm. They must see His power over their fears before they can realize how great He really is! We succumb to our fears of life because we do not understand the glorious power of Christ!
These disciples would go through many struggles but in the end they would persevere even in the face of death. Jesus didn’t tell them that He would protect them from all the storms of life but that He would be with them through all their troubles, just like He will be with us through all of our troubles. He will never leave us!
What powerful words this miracle of Jesus must have been to the Jew and Gentile believers in Rome who were facing persecution. The god Poseidon or Neptune was not the god of the sea; Jesus was the God of the sea!