Who Is This, That Even the Wind Obeys Him?

On the evening of a long day in which Jesus had taught the crowds by the Sea of Galilee, he said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side” (Mark 4:35). They got into the boat, and some of them were experienced fishermen who knew those waters as coastal people know the waves of their own sea. But the wind rose suddenly, and Mark says: “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling” (Mark 4:37).

In the middle of all this, Jesus “was in the stern, asleep on the cushion” (Mark 4:38). The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Perhaps you too have said something like this on a hard night: God, do you not care what is happening to me?

What did Jesus do?

Mark says: “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). He did not raise his hands in pleading, and he did not ask anyone else to step in. He spoke to the wind and the sea as the master of a house speaks in his own home, and they obeyed him.

Then he said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40). His question was not harshness towards people who were afraid of drowning. It was an invitation to know who was with them in the boat.

A different kind of fear

What stands out is that the disciples' fear did not end when the storm calmed. It grew deeper: “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” (Mark 4:41). They had been afraid of the sea, and now they stood in awe before the one who commands the sea. This is not the terror that makes you run away. It is the awe of someone who discovers they are before one far greater than they thought.

The disciples had learned from the Psalms that it is God who stills the sea when its waves rise, and calms the storm so that it is hushed (see Psalm 89:9 and Psalm 107:28-29). So when they saw a man who had been asleep on a cushion get up and command the wind, and the wind obeyed him, the question was no longer “How do we survive the storm?” It became: “Who is this who is with us?”

The disciples did not understand everything that night. Afterwards they would go through many days of confusion and questions, and they would misunderstand many times. But Jesus did not leave them because they were slow to understand. He stayed with them, spoke to them, and showed them more and more of who he is. This is an encouragement for anyone starting out on the journey: you are not expected to understand everything on the first day.

How Mark begins his story

And if we go back to the first line of Mark's Gospel, we find that he does not hide his answer from us: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). The word “gospel” means good news. From the very start, Mark tells us that this news is about a person. Then he tells how John the Baptist prepared the way, and how Jesus began his preaching with clear words: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

In other words, Mark gives us the answer in the first line, then lets the disciples discover it step by step: in the boat, in homes and on the roads. And he invites us too to walk with them and to see what they saw.

The question of this course

The disciples' question that night is the question of our whole course: who is Jesus? Over the five lessons we will read what he said about himself, what he did, and what those who lived with him, heard him and saw him bore witness to. We will not ask you to believe anything because we said it. We invite you to read the texts for yourself, to ask honestly, and to give yourself time.

And if you are living through a storm of some kind today, fear or grief or confusion, notice that the story does not say the disciples never went through a storm. It says that the one whom the wind obeys was with them in the same boat. We do not promise you that every storm in your life will calm down tomorrow, but the Gospel invites you to know who it is that can say to the sea: be still.

And if the storm you are going through is a real danger to your life or safety, seek help first from your local emergency services or from someone you trust near you, and read what we have written on the “Your Safety First” page.

How to read these lessons

Read the Bible passage in each lesson slowly, ideally twice. Each time, ask yourself three simple questions: What does this passage say about Jesus? What does it say about the people around him? And what does it mean for me? Don't worry if some questions remain unanswered; carry them with you to the next lesson, as many of them become clearer as you read.

If you would like to ask someone about what you have read, write to us through the contact page; a pseudonym is enough. A small team from the church reads the messages and replies when they can, and replies may take a while.

Take your time and read at your own pace. God is not rushing you, and he welcomes anyone who asks him with an honest heart.