Other boats were with him. They had overcome many storms before. Two miracles of Jesus Christ recorded in Scripture tell of Him calming storms on the Sea of Galilee. Actually, this short transition is vastly important for setting the stage for this familiar story of the stilling of the storm. He may also have wished to indicate that the unfolding story would chart the definition of the new community of disciples soon to exercise the mind of Jesus. The crossing to the other side was dangerous – a very strong wind squall on an inhospitable sea. The chapter is concluded by the narrative of his calming the great storm (Mark 4:35-41). Commentary on Mark 4:35-41. After a … First Reading. Some years ago I was on a flight from Puerto Allegre in the far south of Brazil to Buenos Aires, Argentina. What does he know about storms and waters? The parable of the seed, and the four sorts of ground (v. 1-9), with the exposition of it (v. 10-20), and the application of it (v. 21-25). Commentary on Job 38:1-11. And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. 35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. Mark 4:35-41 The New Community (1) Defining the Features. Its truth had no other criterion than its resonance, beyond projection, with the deepest inner core of each person. Mark obviously wished that the point not be lost on his own community. Resume Prayer. It carried feelings associated not just with otherness but with uncleanness and an instinctive abhorrence of idolatry. Mark 4:35-41. Chapter 4 In this chapter, we have, I. If that is the case, then they failed, because they were so scared that they woke Jesus up to find out whether he cared if they all drowned. Mark 4:35 - And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. In the overall structure of Mark's Gospel we now move into material that follows the Parable of the . "Crossing to the other side with Jesus may be a risky, unpredictable proposition, and in this passage, the wind and the sea create a visual manifestation of the dangers of being in the boat with him." Mark 4:35, ESV: "On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”" Mark 4:35, KJV: "And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side." 35 And the same day, when the evening was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. Active. 2 Jesus explains … June 21, 2009. Did it really happen? Jesus responded negatively to the disciples’ panic. Mark 4:35-41: Faith Over Fear. Second, if you act like Jesus and simply command the chaos to "be still," then you will at least achieve some inner sense of peace and thus be less troubled by what is occurring. How did the disciples react to this storm? An outcome of this production was the New Testament for English Readers (4 vols. It is a short sermon, only about 12 minutes in length. How is it you have no faith? How Jesus manages to stay asleep though this is unknown but traditional commentaries on the passage say that he slept deliberately in order to test the faith of the apostles. The geography would be significant, not for its factual detail but for its symbolism. He apparently saw a response of panic as a lack of faith. They believed in experience, strength, and skills. He did not consider that he had a specific mission to non-Jews. Mark may have wished to make a statement about Jesus. That day, as it was getting later, [Jesus] said. During the trip across the Sea of Galilee, a large storm comes up - so large that the boat threatens to sink after so much water has entered it. In Mark’s mind it became important to review next the consequences for the community of disciples. Be silenced!”. 36 And when they had sent away the … ii. The other theme would be the intriguing question about the identity of Jesus: Who then is this? As Mark tells the story, the disciples were terrified that the boat was going to break up and everyone would die. For Jesus, this is a day of both significant teaching, including the seven parables of Matthew 13, and considerable testing. It was the same daythat he had preached out of a ship, when the even was come, Mark 4:35. The disciples are traveling with Jesus on his way to Jerusalem. What does Mark 4:35 mean? ). Their faith appeared weak, and their prayers strong. Commentary on 1 Samuel 17:[1a, 4-11, 19-23] 32-49 . And again he began to teach by the sea side and there is gathered unto him a very great multitude, so that he entered into a boat, and sat in the sea; and all the multitude were by the sea on the land. Returning once again to traditional commentaries on this passage, many say this story is supposed to teach us not to be fearful of the chaos and violence around us in our lives. Commentary on 1 Samuel 17:[1a, 4-11, 19-23] 32-49 . Why were you so frightened? Jesus teaches by means of *parables 4:1-34. On that journey through unfamiliar regions of the Sinai Peninsula, Moses had formed the unorganised rabble into a unified people, the People of God. It seemed now that the condemnation formerly reserved for the people generally was now directed sharply at the disciples. Copyright © 2016 John McKinnon - Site by Patrick Lim. • Mark 4:35-36: The starting point: “Let us cross over to the other side”. In the introduction to his work he had claimed that Jesus was both Christ and Son of God (1:1) At the beginning of the story he had presented the vision of the heavens torn apart, the Spirit of God descending, and the (unidentified) voice from heaven proclaiming to Jesus that he was God’s son, the beloved (1:9). No doubt, He was completely exhausted, as any preacher could testify. Most of the disciples were former fishermen. I am delighted to accept Jesus’ invitation to board the boat, and all goes well for a while. They did not know that events beyond their own control had their own natural causes. Commentary on Mark 4:35-41 “On that day.” The phrase is so brief the reader could almost ignore it. Gospel. The end of a toil may perhaps be but the beginning of a toss. God’s speech from the whirlwind is a long time coming. Let's read the account of a severe storm on the Sea of Galilee. It's strange, though, that they don't understand who he is. I was sitting in the middle seat of the bulkhead row between a missionary buddy of mine and a woman who seemed to want nothing to do with a gringo and who sat as far away from me as she could. Mark would begin a new section of his narrative where Jesus would be continually moving around, across the sea, on the sea, in pagan territory, in Jewish territory. Mark seldom dates his incidents, but he takes pains to tell us that this run across the lake closed a day of labour, Jesus was wearied, and felt the need of rest, He had been pressed on all day by ‘a very great multitude,’ and felt the need of solitude. If so, he succeeded because they appear to be just as afraid of him now as they were moments ago of the storm. But Jesus was asleep (on a cushion no less, Mark notes, adding to the contrast between Jesus’ tranquility and the disciples’ panic), apparently oblivious to their pending doom. on this passage. At the same time, Mark would develop two further themes, as the narrative would immediately indicate: One theme would be the disciples’ continuing struggle to faith, their inner journey from initial fascination and response to deeper insight and commitment. A faith, not simply that Jesus was in control despite his apparent absence, but a faith that his message was essentially one of inclusion, the promise of a Kingdom where, despite all indications to the contrary (the mustard plant was really not all that impressive! iii. To the Jew, pagan meant more than simply non-Jewish. It is not coincidental that the following stories of Jesus involve further instances of combating forces more powerful than what has been seen thus far. Jesus did not say, “Let’s do the best we can and maybe we’ll all drown.” He promised a safe arrival, and the disciples could have chosen to trust in that promise, but they didn’t. 1 The *parable of the four soils 4:1-9. THE CONTEXT. Commentary on Job 38:1-11. The advent of the Kingdom, as well as something of its nature and its potential, had been introduced and briefly pondered. Read commentary on this popular Bible verse and understand the real meaning behind God's Word using John Gill's Exposition of the Bible. The attitudes of Christians, who accept the mystery that Jesus was equally human as divine, will fall somewhere along a spectrum. In Mark’s mind it became important to review next the consequences for the community of disciples. Mark 4:35-41 Commentary by James Boyce “On that day.” The phrase is so brief the reader could almost ignore it. Since its inception, people have cherished David … Jesus had spent the entire day teaching by the use of parables. As mentioned in relation to Jesus’ acts of healing, wonders were accepted as part of life by people of the time. Here Jesus is sleeping because the story of Jonah has him sleeping down in the ship. To the Jew generally, the water was a symbol that touched powerfully into their sense of the unfamiliar and the fearful. The locale would change, as would the mood. On a first read, Mark 4:35-41 looks like a demonstration of Jesus’ astonishing power — and so it is. Austin Cline, a former regional director for the Council for Secular Humanism, writes and lectures extensively about atheism and agnosticism. Mark 4:35 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓] Mark 4:35, NIV: "That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, 'Let us go over to the other side.'" Depending on their culture they posited numerous external personal forces - angels, gods or demons - as the arbitrary causes of much of what went on in their world. They had no clear idea of what people in the Western world today call the laws of nature. Mark 4:35-41 35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Commentary, Mark 4:35-41, Meda Stamper, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2012. Mark seldom dates his incidents, but he takes pains to tell us that this run across the lake closed a day of labour, Jesus was wearied, and felt the need of rest, He had been pressed on all day by ‘a very great multitude,’ and felt the need of solitude. When our wicked hearts are like the troubled sea which cannot rest, when our passions are unruly, let us think we hear the law of Christ, saying, Be silent, be dumb. Jesus’ prime focus of mission had been his own Jewish compatriots. Were non-Jews fit to become members, and, if so, under what conditions? Once the discourse on the parables was finished (Mk 4: 1-34), Jesus said, “Let us cross over to the other side!” They take Him on the boat just as He is in the boat in which He had made the discourse on the parables. Commentary on Mark 4:35-41. At the beginning of the journey, Jesus healed a blind man whose “sight was restored, and (he) saw everyone clearly” (8:22-26). Commentary on Mark 4:35-41. They each heard Jesus say, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake” (Mark 4:35). He was in the stern asleep on the cushion. It was as if he were seeking to remind his readers, before outlining a further significant development in the unfolding drama, just who and what this Jesus was. This is a sermon I recently preached on Mark 4:35-41, the account of Jesus’s calming of the storm on the Sea of Galilee. What sort of faith, then, did he expect? The first miracle of this type appears in Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; and Luke 8:22-25. Alternate First Reading. In this incident, the disciples and Jesus moved away from the shoreline, and put out over the water. In the non-Jewish world many people had “mythical” explanations for simple things like the rising and setting of the sun, moon and stars, or accepted them without question. Jesus had been addressing the crowds from a boat moored at the edge of the lake. The question would arise and be answered from a variety of sources. Some thoughts on today's scripture. , After all, Jesus was a carpenter. Accepting such an explanation, though, requires accepting the idea that this story is a literary creation by the author and not an accurate historical narrative. Yet Mark would be insistent that Jesus did on occasion enter their territory and did engage with them. He had previously lamented the lack of faith of people, who look, but not perceive, who listen, but not understand, and indeed seemed to have exempted the disciples from the charge, explaining everything in private to them. Mark 4:35-41. 1. The advent of the Kingdom, as well as something of its nature and its potential, had been introduced and briefly pondered. The outcome of that conversion would be the intuition that the “face” of Jesus was nothing less than the most perfect human expression of the “face” of God. And leaving the multitude, they took Him along with them, just as He was, in the boat; and other boats were with Him. Now we’re in a place where we can see what Jesus’ disciples are made of. The little phrase, ‘Let us go over to the other side’ has strategic importance for Mark, and for my training as a disciple. So how strong can we surmise this storm was? The "sea" being crossed by Jesus and his followers is the Sea of Galilee, so the area they are moving on to would be the present-day Jordan. A. These two issues of faith and the identity of Jesus were not peripheral to the definition of the community of disciples. Biblical Commentary (Bible study) Mark 10:35-45 . In its turn, faith in the Jesus who proclaimed the Kingdom would be determined by people’s sense of the authenticity of Jesus himself. Jesus’ role as teacher is important in this Gospel. ), all the birds of the air can find shelter in its shade; where, despite the apparent inadequacy of resources, the harvest is capable of the thirty, sixty, hundredfold. Jesus proceeds to end the storm and restore the sea to calm - but why? THE CONTEXT. Whatever option readers may take about the historicity of the incident, its symbolism was what particularly interested Mark, and was the reason why he selected it, told it the way he did, and inserted it at this point in his narrative. You remember that in this section of Mark we are dealing with a theme which Mark emphasizes in several incidents -- the effects of popularity upon the ministry of Jesus. God’s speech from the whirlwind to Job has been a long time coming. Alternate First Reading. B. When a violent storm threatens to destroy the boat and its inhabitants, Jesus somehow manages to remain “asleep on the cushion.” New situations would present constant challenge to the Church across the centuries, provoking particularly in those in positions of leadership consternation and paralysis instead of openness to possibilities trusting in the guiding protection of the Spirit. Jesus and the disciples crossed to the other shore. (Mark 4:35-36 RSV) It is clear that this comes when our Lord was at the point of utter physical exhaustion. The weakness of Jesus, more than anything else, would reveal the truth of God. He was indeed making a new statement about Jesus. In the Christian communities the opening to Gentiles caused many a storm, and led some Jewish Christians to fear that they would be swamped and consequently perish. It is possible to raise in regard to this incident the same queries made about Jesus’ vision at the Jordan and about his healings and exorcisms. Let's read verses 35-41. Was Mark reporting as fact stories that could not stand up to the rigorous critique of today’s scientific mindset? Mark 4:35-41. This would take him into territory controlled by Gentiles, pointing to the eventual expansion of Jesus' message and community beyond Jews and to the Gentile world. Many, perhaps most, things that happened to them were beyond their understanding. In this sense they had no faith. Personal ownership of the dreams and values espoused by Jesus would be the fruit of inner growth and discovery. Default. 1. For the Jew the same phenomena were the result of either the direct action of God or of angelic powers, who also were the sources of the winds, etc.. Jesus Stills the Storm (Mark 4:35-41) 23 analysis is an expression of the text. COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: 1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23) 32-49 (C) Proper 7; Pentecost 6-- Mark 4:35-41-- Richard A. Jensen-- 1996. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. Two miracles of Jesus Christ recorded in Scripture tell of Him calming storms on the Sea of Galilee. 2 And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. Mt 13:1-2+ “That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. Chapter 4 opens with a series of parables (the sower, the lamp and the bushel basket, the growing seed, and the mustard seed). The Jews were familiar with the story of Moses who led the Hebrew people from their captivity in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. EXEGESIS: MARK 4-8. This other shore was unknown territory, pagan territory. Jesus’ disciples are traveling across the Sea of Galilee. As will become more obvious as the story unfolds, the basis of the community’s identity would not lie in ethnic identity, religious background or simple friendship or congeniality. Mark 4:35. 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