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Even the Wind and the Sea Obey, pt. 2

Even the Wind and the Sea Obey, pt. 2

Last updated on: May 4, 2023 at 9:00 am by Rev. Jared V. Ingle

Even the Wind and the Sea Obey, pt. 2 2023-04-26T17:03:15-04:00 Rev. Jared V. Ingle

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Even the Wind and the Sea Obey, pt. 2

He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. (Mark 4.39, NRSV)

This is part 2 of a series. To read part 1 CLICK

Peace! Be Still! can also be translated Quiet down!

My favorite translation: My Mom taught kid’s class at church, set up a makeshift boat, all the kids piled in, and Melissa wanted to be Jesus. Mom told the story and everyone acted it out. When she got to this part, Melissa stood up and yelled to the storm, “Stop it! Just stop it!” Melissa’s translation is closer to strength of the Greek verbiage.

Jesus quiets a raging storm that is terrifying seasoned fishermen.

Is Mark teaching us about the power of the spoken Word? The Greek is clear, Jesus rebukes it, like He rebukes demons![1]

Is He speaking to the storm, or some sort of personal force behind it? The spoken Word of God has the power to heal, deliver, and command nature.

The storm knows who Christ is, do we?

Do our storms know who He is?

Now we see the hope of the Gospel in 2 simple questions

He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ (Mark 4.40-41)

1) “Why are you so afraid?” and 2) “Who is this man?”

Why are you so afraid?

They’re afraid. They’re afraid of the storm, and with good reason. But they’re also afraid of what could be behind the storm, or below it.

Now Christ calms the storm and the underworld with 1 command!

They were afraid of the storm, but now they’re afraid of Christ! Some translations say, “filled with great awe,” but afraid is more accurate.

There is a Jewish saying this matches. “They feared a great fear!”[2]

They are terrified.

We want Christ to show up, but are we ever afraid to witness His glory?

Who is this man?

The Twelve ask, “Who is this man?” This is the crux of this story…
the crux of the Gospel!

Like ancient biographers, Mark focuses on the identity of the key player.[3]

Who is He?
Storms obey.
Chaos yields.
The underworld submits.

Why are you so afraid?

Who is this man?

These are crucial questions both then and now.

David Mullen | After The Hurricane

notes:

picture credit: Yoav Aziz | sun after rain | Sea of Galilee | 12.22.20 | unsplash.com

Ben Witherington III, The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2001), 176.
Ibid.
Ibid., 177.

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Even the Wind and the Sea Obey, pt. 1

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