Miracles of Jesus: Part 1: Jesus Calms the Storm
Jesus Calms the Storm (Mark 4)
Early in Jesus’s ministry, his followers were still trying to figure him out. Was he really the Messiah? Just how much power did he have? Why did he seem to always speak in riddles? Jesus was unlike any other person ever to live. Piece by piece, Jesus’s disciples saw how he treated people with grace and performed powerful miracles. At this point, the disciples had witnessed Jesus heal many people, but Jesus wanted to challenge their belief in him a bit more.
Mark chapter 4 gives the account of how Jesus calmed the storm. Jesus and the rest of the disciples were sailing on the Sea of Galilee, a body of water known to be very dangerous when storming. Sailing on the Sea of Galilee was dangerous because the sailing conditions could change quickly. One minute, it could be peaceful; the next, chaos. Waves could grow larger than the boat itself and beat against it. These storms could destroy ships and cause the sails to die in the process.
Everything seemed calm when Jesus and his disciples set out on the water. However, soon after they set sail, a fierce storm arose, and waves started crashing in on the boat. The boat began filling with water, and the disciples feared for their lives.
What is interesting about this story is that while the disciples were fighting for their lives, Jesus was inside the boat sleeping. Many larger ships of that day had compartments for storage or for people to sleep in. The Bible tells us that Jesus was sleeping while the storm was raging. The disciples woke Jesus up because they thought they were going to die. When Jesus saw the storm, he spoke and said, “Silence, be still!” and the storm completely stopped.
The disciples were astonished and said that Jesus was Lord even over the wind and the waves. They found out that day that Jesus was not only Lord over humanity but Lord over all of the Earth. The disciples had seen Jesus heal and cast out demons. But their faith took another leap when they saw Jesus calm the storm. Jesus proved that he had authority over everything, and there was nothing that he could not do.
Jesus’s authority was one of the most distinguishable features of his ministry. People had never seen a man who could command spirits and natural elements to obey him as Jesus did. That is why his death on the cross was so surprising to some. He could have commanded an army of angels to save him, but he did not. So instead, Jesus allowed himself to be killed. He willingly died so he could be a sacrifice for our sins. Without Jesus’s death, our sins would not be forgiven, and we would be bound for destruction. But now, we can celebrate eternal life through Jesus’s sacrifice.
Additional Learning:
This passage is a good reminder that we can never know all there is to know about Jesus. He continually pushed his disciples’ understanding of who he was and what he was capable of. As soon as they understood one aspect of him, he would reveal another. As followers of Jesus today, we are responsible for learning and seeking after him, so He can continue to reveal things to us. The more Jesus revealed to the disciples, the stronger their faith became. The same is true for us.
Key Takeaways:
Jesus is Lord of the Earth
Jesus has Authority
We can Always Learn More
Parents, 3treesKIDS will launch a new Series, The Miracles of Jesus, this Sunday! Join us as we learn more about Jesus calming the storm, both in-person and online.
Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.
To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit