QUIET! BE STILL!
Three words that amazed the disciples of Jesus 2000 years ago and still resound through history. We trace the story in Mark 4;
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!”
As the squall beat down upon them, the disciples desperately worked the oars to keep the boat afloat. Seeing Jesus asleep, they woke him up, hoping that he would lend them a hand to help stabilize the boat. Instead he stood up and rebuked the wind and spoke to the waves, the three words that everyone now knows only too well.
Just imagine the incredulous look on the disciples’ faces when he would have done that! Perhaps he has gone nuts, they would have thought. How can one speak to nature and expect a response? Yet, both the winds and the waves calm down and everything becomes calm all around them.
The fact that Jesus rebuked the wind shows that it was an aberration. The Bible teaches that world we see around us and the earth we live in is messed up because of man’s sin. Unexpected events are not only possible because of this altered dynamic, but also because as in the case of Job’s story, they can be brought on by Satan’s forces to cause harm. Aberrations exist not only in nature but also within us as the sinful nature takes hold of man and directs him away from God’s path.
This incident also shows that these aberrations are responsive and Jesus does have the power to still them. Every thing we see around us is God’s creation and does have the image of God in them to varying extents. And so while the objects in nature do not respond like man does, they still have the ability to respond to God’s command. And if men unite themselves to God’s will and exercise faith, ‘they will move mountains’as Jesus predicted of his disciples.
The final response of the disciples is interesting. Seeing what was accomplished, the disciples were terrified of Jesus. They started being afraid of the squall, but end up being terrified of One greater. And it is this wonder, awe, respect and fear of the greatest Man who ever lived, that drove them to leave all for his sake and fear none as they gladly welcomed death.
5 thoughts on “QUIET! BE STILL!”
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If it is God’s will and we have no doubts, then we can accomplish anything. Philippians 4:13 explains that we can do anything with the help of God
“The Bible teaches that world we see around us and the earth we live in is messed up because of man’s sin. Unexpected events are not only possible because of this altered dynamic, but also because as in the case of Job’s story, they can be brought on by Satan’s forces to cause harm.” – How should we view natural disasters?
A computer that gets infected with viruses, behaves abnormally and would soon be ready only to be dumped. The biblical view of the earth is one of gradual deterioration because of sin, finally to be replaced by God as foretold in Revelation. Natural disasters do have physical contributors, but from a spiritual standpoint need to be seen in the above light- that of aberrant behavior caused by deterioration from man’s sin.
Sir,
He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
How should the disciples have responded to the situation of that sinking boat? What were Jesus’ expectations from the disciples at that moment?
Praveen,
Thanks for the question. I think, Jesus expected them to recognize the will of God for that moment, which was to still the storm and which Jesus accomplished for them. He would no doubt have appreciated them if they had gone on to recognize that will of God and stilled the storm themselves. Asking Jesus to do it was the next best thing to do, but he was encouraging them to go higher. The disciples did finally get there and accomplished greater miracles after the resurrection and the Pentecost as recorded in Acts.