Who is Jesus? Is he a good man? A teacher? A lunatic? A liar and a deceiver? A pretend Messiah? A man possessed by evil?
All these options are real live questions as people meet Jesus and hear about him in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John). But there is one event in Mark where Jesus breaks all the categories of his disciples. It was a simple boat journey across the Lake of Galilee.
But first, a touch of backstory.
The disciples were Jews which means most of them deeply steeped in passages just like this from Psalm 107 in the Jewish Scriptures (the Old Testament)
Others went to sea in ships,
conducting trade on the vast waters.
They saw the Lord’s works,
His wonderful works in the deep.
He spoke and raised a tempest
that stirred up the waves of the sea.
Rising up to the sky, sinking down to the depths,
their courage melting away in anguish,
they reeled and staggered like drunken men,
and all their skill was useless.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and He brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a murmur,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
They rejoiced when the waves grew quiet.
Then He guided them to the harbour they longed for.
Let them give thanks to the Lord
for His faithful love
and His wonderful works for all humanity.
Verses 23 to 31 - CSB
‘Lord’ here is God’s personal name - Yahweh. (The Jews didn’t like to write his personal name.). The Lord rules creation. It is his. It does what he wants. When he wants. A storm rages because of the Lord. Then he speaks to it and everything goes still and silent. The sea is hushed.
Which is why the small sailing trip breaks the disciples’ understanding of Jesus. Their categories for him are suddenly shattered.
On that day, when evening had come, Jesus told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” So they left the crowd and took Him along since He was already in the boat. And other boats were with Him. A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him up and said to Him, “Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die?”
He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Then He said to them, “Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?”
And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
Mark chapter 4 Verses 35-41 (CSB)
They were terrified of the waves but now they are terrified of Jesus. He has the power and authority of the Creator - the Lord. And so, all their categories for Jesus are shattered for it seems Jesus is the Lord - the Creator God.
Jesus is utterly unique in all of history. Reach out to us at Risen Church, we’d love to help you get started or restarted with Jesus and answer any questions you might have.
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