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Gospel of Mark

After the Storm: Mark 5:1-2

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After the Storm

5 1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him.

Mark 5:1-2

Horsham, 30th May 2024

Part of my process as I move through Mark’s Gospel is to imagine I was there, watching and listening as events unfold. Sometimes I see things that I have never noticed before. I’ve spent quite a lot of time thinking about the calming of the storm over the past few days. I’ve been thinking about the chronology of the trip, following the disciples as they travel across the lake. Something which grabbed my attention. Those precious missing moments, after the storm.

You know the story. Jesus and his disciples decide to cross the Lake, so they get into a boat somewhere near Capernaum. They set off during the evening (Mark 4:35), presumably in good weather, and set out to travel the 20km to the far side of the Lake. It’s been a busy day, and Jesus falls asleep in the back of the boat. Part way into the journey, they are overwhelmed by a serious storm, and are in danger of drowning. The disciples awaken Jesus, who rebukes the storm. In an instant, the wind drops and the violent sea becomes calm. You can read the full story here.

The journey from Capernaum to Gerasenes is about 20km / 14miles. On a good day, with the wind blowing in the right direction, the boat would travel under sail power at around 4 knots (6-7kmh / 4-5 mph), so the journey should take 3-4 hours.  If there was no wind at all, the disciples would have needed to row, which would have taken much longer. If the wind was blowing from the wrong direction, the journey would have been slow, with the need to tack regularly to make progress. There’s a great post about the climate of the Sea of Galilee here.

We have no idea which way the wind was blowing, but we do know that part way through, the boat was hit by a very serious storm. That would have slowed them down considerably.

In my mind, I see the boat travelling quietly before the storm, the waves lapping gently against the wooden boards. Lulled by the gentle progress of the vessel, Jesus is asleep. The disciples in his boat would be chatting in whispers so as to not awaken Jesus. Then, out of nowhere, the sudden and incredibly powerful storm. The sail is taken down. The wind is roaring. The waves quickly build until they are crashing over the side of the boat. The well of the boat is filling with water. Everything, including the disciples, is soaked. There is fear. There is screaming. Jesus – ‘Wake Up!’ – ‘Master, don’t you care that we’re drowning!’

In an instant, Jesus calms the storm. After the raging wind and crashing waves, the silence, broken only by the waves, once more lapping gently against the wooden boards, must have been extraordinary.  The chastened disciples, filled with terror at what they have witnessed. Exchanging silent glances. Tired arms keep rowing, steering, adjusting sails. Cold, wet clothes. Exhaustion. The gentle splashing of the water.

Jesus, sitting – perhaps sleeping again – in the back of the boat. How long? How many hours of this extraordinary silence?

They left Capernaum in the evening. Now it is morning.

And then they arrive on the other side. A beach in the area called Gerasenes. And here is a man who is suffering from what appears to be serious mental illness.

And so the story continues.

After the storm.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Gospel of Mark

Calming the Storm: Mark 4:35-41

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Calming the Storm

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Mark 4:35-41

Horsham, 28th May 2024

There is so much I want to say about this story.

It appears in very similar form in both Matthew (Matthew 8:23-27) and Luke (Luke 8:22-25).

We have already seen several dramatic miracles performed by Christ, all of them directed at individuals. A man has been cleansed of a spirit. A paralytic, a leper and many others have been rescued from sickness. Here we have an extraordinary account which demonstrates Christ’s power over the very forces of nature.

I want you to see the journey across the lake as symbolic of our own journey through life. We have times of calm, and we have times of unexpected and sometimes dramatic challenge. For followers of Jesus, he is present in both. In Matthew’s version, he emphasises that it is Jesus who gets into the boat first (Matthew 8:23). In our journey through life, Jesus goes before us.

In this post, I want to focus on  the three rebukes.  The Disciples, one of them at least, rebukes Jesus for being asleep during the height of the storm. Jesus rebukes the storm, which immediately becomes calm. Jesus then rebukes the disciples for their lack of faith.

I’ve been in a storm at sea, although always on a boat many times bigger than the disciples were using. It can be a very scary place. No wonder these guys, even the experienced fishermen, were frightened. The waves are crashing over the boat. The boat is filling with water. They’re losing the battle to survive. Yet somehow in the middle of this, Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat. I can hear the panic in the voice… ‘Teacher! Don’t you care if we’re going to drown…’   This is the rebuke that says, ‘don’t you care that we’re sinking! Get up and start bailing out!’.  The first rebuke.

Jesus gets up. His response comes to us in English sounding pretty gentle. ‘Peace! Be Still!’. Yet the phrase used is the same as when Jesus rebuked the demon in Mark 1:25.  It’s a strong rebuke. In a word, it means ‘STOP!’. The wind drops. That’s a miracle. An even greater miracle is the calming of the sea. When the wind stops blowing, it can take hours for the energy in the waves to dissipate.  Not here. One word from Jesus and in an instant, the wind stops and it’s completely calm. The second rebuke.

The Disciples are somewhere between absolute relief and sheer terror. Jesus turns to them. “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The third rebuke.

Let’s touch base again with our own journey through life. Scripture says Jesus goes before us. He is always with us. During the calm times, we can easily forget he’s there. We get out of practice of relying on Jesus. We get out of practice of telling him about our lives. As if he’s asleep in the back of the boat.

That becomes an issue when we hit the challenge. Our default is to try to deal with the problem ourselves. Only when we run out of options, when our boat is overwhelmed and sinking, do we remember he’s there.  Then we shout.  ‘Don’t you care that I’ve got this exam…’ ‘Don’t you care that I’m broke and I’ve got this bill to pay..’ ‘Don’t you care that someone I love is sick..’ ‘Jesus! Don’t you care?’ The First Rebuke.

Of course, we’re great at telling him what he needs to do. We’ve been dealing with the problem – we know what we need him to do.  We’re sinking – bail us out! But this is the Christ who is capable of doing much more than we would have thought or believed (Ephesians 3:20). This is the Christ of supreme power. This is the God who sees the big picture and delivers what we really need. This is the God who helps us to confront the challenge in His strength, although his solution is not always what we expect. This is the God who rebukes the wind and calms the raging storm. The second rebuke.

This the Jesus who looks  our own suggested solutions and sees far beyond them. He looks at the constraints of our perspective and smiles. Learn to trust me! Practice depending on me! Think bigger! ‘Where is your faith!’ I, the Son of God, am here with you. “Why are you afraid?” The third rebuke.

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

There really is so much I want to say about this story.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK