“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 and said to 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 4:37-41).
This is another example of Jesus’ power over circumstances. We read this now and wonder about the disciples. Didn’t they know that the boat won’t sink if Jesus is in it? Maybe they thought that before the storm came up but it’s different when the wind is blowing hard and the waves are breaking over the boat. They were frightened and thought they were going to die. If that wasn’t enough, Jesus was asleep on a cushion. Jesus, of course, calms the storm after they awaken Him.
The question the disciples ask at the end of this scene interests me. “Who is this?” If anyone knew who He was, it was these twelve men. They had seen miracle upon miracle. They had witnessed His power. Yet, somehow they had unconsciously placed Jesus in a box and when He stepped out of their preconceived limits they realized that they didn’t know everything about Him that there was to know.
That is our experience as well. He’s more wonderful than we imagined Him to be. He can handle any storm that comes our way. He is the Almighty Son of God!