April 9 - Why Are You Afraid?

April 9 - Why Are You Afraid? - Mark 4:35-41

This passage is filled with detail. Can you imagine Peter relating this story to Mark and remembering the fear that gripped the disciples on the Sea of Galilee? At the point that he was telling Mark this story, he knew who Jesus was, so not only would he remember his fear, but he would realize that if he had only known at the time that he was in a boat with the Son of God, there would have been no reason for that fear.

The Sea of Galilee was surrounded by hills. Warm air rising into the cooler air from the hillside created very rough seas as the winds whipped the waters into a tempest. In Mark 4:37, the verb tense implies that the waves continued to break over the boat as it kept filling with water. No wonder the men panicked. What were they to do with their Master sound asleep on a cushion? Was he unable to sense the motion of the boat, could he not hear the roar of the wind and the sound of the waves breaking against the hull? They could stand it no longer and they woke him. It sounds as if they were a little annoyed with him, "Don't you care?"

There are several things to notice in this next interaction. Before Jesus dealt with His disciples, He dealt with that which influenced their emotions. The verb He uses means 'to muzzle' and the tense means, 'put the muzzle on and keep it on.' Jesus wasn't messing with this storm.

Then He turned to his disciples. I have an image of them cowering in the boat. They were probably a little bit green with sea-sickness and scared of dying in the water. To top it off, they just saw their friend and Master tell a storm to stop and it had immediately calmed. (I am discovering why verb tenses are so important in the Greek ... wow, we miss a lot of the implications in these sentences.)

These men had seen him do so much. He had been healing people and casting out demons and yet they still did not understand who was standing before them! They were terrified of the sea because they didn't realize that the one they followed had power over the sea. Does that sound like you and like me? We are terrified of the craziest things because we don't realize that the One we trust for our eternal salvation has power over those things. Jesus was telling them that if they had really trusted in God, they didn't need to wake Him up. They should have known that they would be safe. We should know that we are safe because we trust in the Lord of the Universe.

In Mark 4:41, the word for 'terrified' is different than the word Jesus used in Mark 4:40 for 'afraid.' This word means 'reverential fear, awe.' They still do not understand the power that Jesus wields. The do not yet know who He is.

Do you?