“That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.  There were also other boats with him.  A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.  He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Mark 4:35-41

This is one of the stories that stood out to me most when I first began my relationship with Jesus and it still remains as one of my favorites.  So often in my life I used to be afraid of storms, afraid of the way a storm could turn on a dime and change so quickly.  I used to be afraid of the lack of control I had in a storm because you couldn’t make it just “stop”.  I used to be afraid of the way a storm was so unpredictable and strong.  We can learn so much from this story and there are so many new details the Holy Spirit teaches me as I re-read this story.  

The first thing that stands out to me when I read this story is that Jesus got onto the boat and his disciples followed him.  Matthew’s account of this says, “Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.” Matthew 8:23  While this may seem like a seemingly unimportant detail, it teaches us so much.  The reason this sentence is so important is because we can learn that even when we follow Jesus, the storms will still come.  We may be in a storm wondering how it was we got there when we had been following Jesus, but sometimes Jesus says “come” and he leads us directly into the storm.  Jesus knew what was going to happen, yet he told them to follow him, and they followed him into the storm.  God will call us to certain situations, places, and experiences that will sometimes bring us directly into the storm, not away from it.  Sometimes Jesus calls us into the storm, but with him in the stern.  

Holy Spirit keeps inclining me towards the fact that Jesus was sleeping in the stern.  What might seem like a small, unimportant detail, is actually so specific and points to Jesus’ sovereignty.  Historically, the stern functioned as the captain’s sleeping quarters.  Being near the stern allowed for quick access in “in case of emergency” situations.  Jesus was already sleeping in the captain’s quarters amongst all these seasoned and well-trained fishermen.  The second thing about the stern that stands out to me is that the stern is where you’ll find the rudder, propeller, and in ancient Roman times, the main steering rows.  The stern controls the boat’s direction, and Jesus placed himself in the spot of main control within the boat.  In ancient Rome, the stern was a crucial part for functionality and leverage for controlling the rows that were mounted at the stern.  It provided protection and structure for enclosing the hull from debris of the sea.  The stern also provided accommodation and comfort to the captain.  Jesus, the author of all comfort, placed himself in the stern, knowing that he in fact is the captain of the ship and has power to control the direction and steer the boat in the right path.  

Nothing is coincidental or by chance within God’s Word.  God’s word is alive and active, used for teaching, rebuking, training, etc, so we can learn so much from the intentional words that are used within this story.  Learning that Jesus was sleeping in the stern tells us that Jesus was already in place of the captain.  Jesus placed himself to sleep in the spot that controls the direction of the boat, he placed himself in the spot that provided protection and structure from the rest of the sea.  He placed himself in the most important place on the boat because Jesus knows everything.  Jesus knew the storm was going to come and he knew that the storm was going to be intense and by his sovereignty, placed himself in stern.  

When we read the story of the storm, we have to remember that some of Jesus’ disciples were very experienced fishermen.  This is another extremely important detail in the story.  When Jesus said to his disciples to follow him and go to the other side, he was amongst ancient fishermen who knew the sea.  Ancient fishermen understood weather the way we don’t.  They knew when it was likely going to storm by having a deep understanding of the sea… they relied on ocean swells, wind patterns, cloud formations, and atmospheric changes.  They had many indicators of when a storm was coming, yet it seems like they didn’t have any hesitation to get in the boat within this story.  It doesn’t seem like these fishermen saw the storm coming since they had such willingness to just get in the boat and go with Jesus.  Even if the disciples did suspect a storm coming, they have likely experienced storms in a boat before and would know what to do in it, yet they still panicked.  The fishermen had a deep understanding of the sea, yet God tells us to not lean on our own understanding, but to trust in the Lord with all our heart and submit to him… follow him.  So the disciples followed Jesus and the storm still came. When we follow Jesus, it doesn’t necessarily shield us from going into the storm, but it does give us safety in the storm.  

At this point, I like to think that the disciples were likely questioning Jesus’ choice of crossing the lake.  “Jesus, why did you take us on the boat and tell us to cross if you knew the storm was coming?  Why did you allow this?  Why are you allowing us to ‘nearly drown’?” “The waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped”. Mark 4:37 Nearly is the keyword there.  It was nearly swamped, yet not fully swamped.  Jesus allowed the storm and also allowed the boat to get nearly swamped.  God will allow the storms to happen in our life and he will allow us to get to the point of being nearly swamped.  Our own understanding says “we are going to drown”, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Mark 4:38  By the disciples themselves calling out to him “teacher”, they should have known that Jesus was intending on teaching them from that very situation they were in.  Jesus was teaching them Proverbs 3:5-6 by application.  As they were crying out, Jesus “got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” Mark 4:39 The disciples were at their breaking point.  They were pushed all the way to the edge, likely losing their faith and crying out that they were going to drown, but God.  Jesus with all authority and in full sovereignty stilled the storm.  He stilled the entire sea and stilled the doubts, fears, and questions that rose upon them.  

The storm came out of nowhere… to the disciples, yet Jesus knew.  Jesus was ready to steer the storm by placing himself in the captain’s headquarters at the stern.  Jesus was already in the “in case of emergency” position.  We can understand from this story that when following Jesus, there will be times where He will in fact lead us directly into the storm.  We aren’t guaranteed freedom from storms just because we follow the one who controls them.  Will you still follow Jesus onto the boat, knowing that the sea may rage against you while you’re in it?  Will you still trust that even when the captain of the boat is sleeping, He’s still in control of it all?  Will you still believe that even when things feel out of control, Jesus can still the entire storm with the very words from his mouth?  Jesus, in his full sovereignty, power, and authority will calm every storm that he allows us to experience.  Jesus, after calming the storm, said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:40 Jesus is teaching us that the storm either has the power to strengthen your faith or dwindle it… which will it be for you?