Mark 4:35-41

Who is This?

Devotional 24 of 50 · Mark chapter 4

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After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have told you.” So they hurried away from the tomb in fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came

Mark 4:35-41 · BSB

³⁵When that evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side.” ³⁶After they had dismissed the crowd, they took Jesus with them, since He was already in the boat. And there were other boats with Him. ³⁷Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped. ³⁸But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?” ³⁹Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm. ⁴⁰“Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?” ⁴¹Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Jesus

All of reality must have shifted for the disciples in that moment. Jesus, a man they have been traveling with and eating with, just spoke to the weather, and it obeyed Him. This defies all human rationale and understanding. How could He do this? Who can control the wind and waves with their very words? This is beyond what they ever imagined, and they were filled with fear as they witnessed the power of their friend.

People will say, If God is real, why doesn't He just show Himself in the sky? Jesus came to reveal the nature of the Father and humbled Himself so we could actually take in that nature. If God showed off all His glory, all doubt would be wiped out of people's minds, and they would serve Him out of fear after being floored by His brilliant holiness.

The disciples get a glimpse of His power, and fear grips them as they say, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” The disciples realize that Jesus is not human in the same way they are––He is able to control the wind and the waves. This is no ordinary Rabbi; this is God Himself, walking among us.

Notice how Jesus is unaffected by the storm. He has no fear that He will perish or His friends will die by this force of nature. Jesus is at complete peace because He understands the universe, His Father, and the forces of nature in a way His disciples cannot. He knows who is in control.

His Desires

After Jesus calmed the storm, He questioned them, asking, “Why are you so afraid?” and “Do you still have no faith?” He was surprised by their fear and little faith. Jesus desires for His disciples to have peace and faith in Him in the midst of the storm. He longs for us to see the storm the way that He does. It seems like He would even make room for us to nap with Him and be at peace while the storm rages on.

He wants us to know that, in the storm, He is taking care of us and that we can actually rest as we trust in the care of our almighty Heavenly Father.

Follow Through

Have faith that Jesus is the Son of God.
Take heart that He has control in the storm.
Rest in His protection.

Testimonies

This is where people will share how they actually obeyed this passage — and read what happened to everyone else who obeyed the same words.

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Comments

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