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Commentary on Mark 4 verses 35–41
This miracle which Christ wrought for the relief of his disciples, in stilling the storm, we had before (Mat 8:23, etc.); but it is here more fully related. Observe,
1.It was the same day that he had preached out of a ship, when the even was come, Mar 4:35. When he had been labouring in the word and doctrine all day, instead of reposing himself, he exposeth himself, to teach us not to think of a constant remaining rest till we come to heaven. The end of a toil may perhaps be but the beginning of a toss. But observe, the ship that Christ made his pulpit is taken under his special protection, and, though in danger, cannot sink. What is used for Christ, he will take particular care of.
2.He himself proposed putting to sea at night, because he would lose no time; Let us pass over to the other side; for we shall find, in the next chapter, he has work to do there. Christ went about doing good, and no difficulties in his way should hinder him; thus industrious we should be in serving him, and our generation according to his will.
3.They did not put to sea, till they had sent away the multitude, that is, had given to each of them that which they came for, and answered all their requests; for he sent none home complaining that they had attended him in vain. Or, They sent them away with a solemn blessing; for Christ came into the world, not only to pronounce, but to command, and to give, the blessing.
4.They took him even as he was, that is, in the same dress that he was in when he preached, without any cloak to throw over him, which he ought to have had, to keep him warm, when he went to sea at night, especially after preaching. We must not hence infer that we may be careless of our health, but we may learn hence not to be over nice and solicitous about the body.
5.The storm was so great, that the ship was full of water (Mar 4:37), not by springing a leak, but perhaps partly with the shower, for the word here used signifies a tempest of wind with rain; however, the ship being little, the waves beat into it so that it was full. Note, It is no new thing for that ship to be greatly hurried and endangered, in which Christ and his disciples, Christ and his name and gospel, are embarked.
6.There were with him other little ships, which, no doubt, shared in the distress and danger. Probably, these little ships carried those who were desirous to go along with Christ, for the benefit of his preaching and miracles on the other side. The multitude went away when he put to sea, but some there were, that would venture upon the water with him. Those follow the Lamb aright, that follow him wherever he goes. And those that hope for a happiness in Christ, must be willing to take their lot with him, and run the same risks that he runs. One may boldly and cheerfully put to sea in Christ's company, yea though we foresee a storm.
7.Christ was asleep in this storm; and here we are told that it was in the hinder part of the ship, the pilot's place: he lay at the helm, to intimate that, as Mr. George Herbert expresses it,
When winds and waves assault my keel,
He doth preserve it, he doth steer,
Ev'n when the boat seems most to reel.
Storms are the triumph of his art;
Though he may close his eyes, yet not his heart.
He had a pillow there, such a one as a fisherman's ship would furnish him with. And he slept, to try the faith of his disciples and to stir up prayer: upon the trial, their faith appeared weak, and their prayers strong. Note, Sometimes when the church is in a storm, Christ seems as if he were asleep, unconcerned in the troubles of his people, and regardless of their prayers, and doth not presently appear for their relief. Verily he is a God that hideth himself, Isa 45:15. But as, when he tarries, he doth not tarry (Hab 2:3), so when he sleeps he doth not sleep; the keeper of Israel doth not so much as slumber (Psa 121:3, Psa 121:4); he slept, but his heart was awake, as the spouse, Sol 5:2.
8.His disciples encouraged themselves with their having his presence, and thought it the best way to improve that, and appeal to that, and ply the oar of prayer rather than their other oars. Their confidence lay in this, that they had their Master with them; and the ship that has Christ in it, though it may be tossed, cannot sink; the bush that has God in it, though it may burn, shall not consume. Caesar encouraged the master of the ship, that had him on board, with this, Caesarem vehis, et fortunam Caesaris - Thou hast Caesar on board, and Caesar's fortune. They awoke Christ. Had not the necessity of the case called for it, they would not have stirred up or awoke their Master, till he had pleased (Sol 2:7); but they knew he would forgive them this wrong. When Christ seems as if he slept in a storm, he is awaked by the prayers of his people; when we know not what to do, our eye must be to him (Ch2 20:12); we may be at our wits' end, but not at our faith's end, while we have such a Saviour to go to. Their address to Christ is here expressed very emphatically; Master, carest thou not that we perish? I confess this sounds somewhat harsh, rather like chiding him for sleeping than begging him to awake. I know no excuse for it, but the great familiarity which he was pleased to admit them into, and the freedom he allowed them; and the present distress they were in, which put them into such a fright, that they knew not what they said. They do Christ a deal of wrong, who suspect him to be careless of his people in distress. The matter is not so; he is not willing that any should perish, much less any of his little ones, Mat 18:14.
9.The word of command with which Christ rebuked the storm, we have here, and had not in Matthew, Mar 4:39. He says, Peace, be still - Siōpa,̇pephimōso - be silent, be dumb. Let not the wind any longer roar, nor the sea rage. Thus he stills the noise of the sea, the noise of her waves; a particular emphasis is laid upon the noisiness of them, Psa 65:7, and Psa 93:3, Psa 93:4. The noise is threatening and terrifying; let us hear no more of it. This is, (1.) A word of command to us; when our wicked hearts are like the troubled sea which cannot rest (Isa 57:20); when our passions are up, and are unruly, let us think we hear the law of Christ, saying, Be silent, be dumb. Think not confusedly, speak not unadvisedly; but be still. (2.) A word of comfort to us, that, be the storm of trouble ever so loud, ever so strong, Jesus Christ can lay it with a word's speaking. When without are fightings, and within are fears, and the spirits are in a tumult, Christ can create the fruit of the lips, peace. If he say, Peace, be still, there is a great calm presently. It is spoken of as God's prerogative to command the seas, Jer 31:35. By this therefore Christ proves himself to be God. He that made the seas, can make them quiet.
10.The reproof Christ gave them for their fears, is here carried further than in Matthew. There it is, Why are ye fearful? Here, Why are ye so fearful? Though there may be cause for some fear, yet not for fear to such a degree as this. There it is, O ye of little faith. Here it is, How is it that ye have no faith? Not that the disciples were without faith. No, they believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; but at this time their fears prevailed so that they seemed to have no faith at all. It was out of the way, when they had occasion for it, and so it was as if they had not had it. "How is it, that in this matter ye have no faith, that ye think I would not come in with seasonable and effectual relief?" Those may suspect their faith, who can entertain such a thought as that Christ careth not though his people perish, and Christ justly takes it ill.
Lastly, The impression this miracle made upon the disciples, is here differently expressed. In Matthew it is said, The men marvelled; here it is said, They feared greatly. They feared a great fear; so the original reads it. Now their fear was rectified by their faith. When they feared the winds and the seas, it was for want of the reverence they ought to have had for Christ. But now that they saw a demonstration of his power over them, they feared them less, and him more. They feared lest they had offended Christ by their unbelieving fears; and therefore studied now to give him honour. They had feared the power and wrath of the Creator in the storm, and that fear had torment and amazement in it; but now they feared the power and grace of the Redeemer in the calm; they feared the Lord and his goodness, and it had pleasure and satisfaction in it, and by it they gave glory to Christ, as Jonah's mariners, who, when the sea ceased from her raging, feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, Jon 1:16. This sacrifice they offered to the honour of Christ; they said, What manner of man is this? Surely more than a man, for even the winds and the seas obey him.
For they were worthy to hear mysteries apart, in the most secret haunt of wisdom, for they were men, who, removed from the crowds of evil thoughts, remained in the solitude of virtue; and wisdom is received in a time of quiet.
After His teaching, they come from that place to the sea, and are tossed by the waves. Wherefore it is said, And the same day, when the even was come, &c.
Mystically, however, the hinder part of the ship is the beginning of the Church, in which the Lord sleeps in the body only, for He never sleepeth who keepeth Israel; for the ship with its skins of dead animals keeps in the living, and keeps out the waves, and is bound together by wood, that is, by the cross and the death of the Lord the Church is saved. The pillow is the body of the Lord, on which His Divinity, which is as His head, has come down. But the wind and the sea are devils and persecutors, to whom He says Peace, when He restrains the edicts of impious kings, as He will. The great calm is the peace of the Church after oppression, or a contemplative after an active life.
(Hom. in Matt. 28) The Lord took the disciples indeed, that they might be spectators of the miracle which was coming, but He took them alone, that no others might see that they were of such little faith. Wherefore, to show that others went across separately, it is said, And there were also with him other ships. Lest again the disciples might be proud of being alone taken, He permits them to be in danger; and besides this, in order that they might learn to bear temptations manfully. Wherefore it goes on, And there arose a great storm of wind; and that He might impress upon them a greater sense of the miracle which was to be done, He gives time for their fear, by sleeping. Wherefore there follows, And he was himself in the hinder part of the ship, &c. For if He had been awake, they would either not have feared, nor have asked Him to save them when the storm arose, or they would not have thought that He could do any such things.
(Hom. in Matt. 28) showing His humility, and thus teaching us many lessons of wisdom. But not yet did the disciples who remained about Him know His glory; they thought indeed that if He arose He could command the winds, but could by no means do so reposing or asleep. And therefore there follows, And they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
For the Lord is said to have had three places of refuge, namely, the ship, the mountain, and the desert. As often as He was pressed upon by the multitude, he used to fly to one of these. When therefore the Lord saw many crowds about Him, as man, He wished to avoid their importunity, and ordered His disciples to go over to the other side. There follows: And sending away the multitudes, they took him, &c,
(ubi sup.) Or else the ship into which He embarked, is taken to mean the tree of His passion, by which the faithful attain to the security of the safe shore. The other ships which are said to have been with the Lord, signify those, who are imbued with faith in the cross of Christ, and are not beaten about by the whirlwind of tribulation; or who, after the storms of temptation, are enjoying the serenity of peace. And whilst His disciples are sailing on, Christ is asleep, because the time of our Lord's Passion came on His faithful ones, when they were meditating on the rest of His future reign. Wherefore it is related, that it took place late, that not only the sleep of our Lord, but the hour itself of departing light, might signify the setting of the true Sun. Again, when He ascended the cross, of which the stern of the ship was a type, His blaspheming persecutors rose like the waves against Him, driven on by the storms of the devils, by which, however, His own patience is not disturbed, but His foolish disciples are struck with amazement. The disciples awake the Lord, because they sought, with most earnest wishes, the resurrection of Him whom they had seen die. Rising up, He threatened the wind, because when He had triumphed in His resurrection, He prostrated the pride of the devil. He ordered the sea to be still, that is, in rising again, He cast down the rage of the Jews. The disciples are blamed, because after His resurrection, He chid them for their unbelief. And we also when being marked with the sign of the Lord's cross, we determine to quit the world, embark in the ship with Christ; we attempt to cross the sea; but, He goes to sleep, as we are sailing amidst the roaring of the waters, when amidst the strivings of our virtues, or amidst the attacks of evil spirits, of wicked men, or of our own thoughts, the flame of our love grows cold. Amongst storms of this sort, let us diligently strive to awake Him; He will soon restrain the tempest, pour down peace upon us, give us the harbour of salvation.
And he said to them: Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith? They are rightly reproached, who were afraid with Christ present, since certainly whoever adheres to him cannot perish. This is similar to when, after the sleep of death, he appeared to the disciples and reproached their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him after he had risen (Mark 16). And again he said to them: O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? (Luke 24) As if by the metaphor of a ship he were to say: Was it not necessary for Christ to be asleep, while waves from everywhere beat upon the ship in which he was sleeping, and thus, having been awakened, with the surging waves immediately calmed, to reveal the power of his divinity to all? And they feared with great fear, and said to one another: Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Matthew writes it thus: And the men were amazed, saying: What kind of man is this? etc. Therefore, not the disciples, but the sailors and the others who were in the ship were amazed, and doubted about the person to whom the wind and the sea obeyed. But if anyone contentiously wants to say that those who were amazed were the disciples, we will respond that they are rightly called men because they had not yet known the power of the Savior. And we too, each individually, imbued with the sign of the Lord's cross, intending to leave the world, indeed board the ship with Jesus, we try to cross the sea. But though he who watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps, yet he often seems to sleep while we sail, as among the roars of the sea itself, when amid the persistent efforts of virtues, or of unclean spirits, or of few men, or even by the force of our own thoughts, the brightness of faith becomes obscured, the height of hope melts away, the flame of love grows cold. Yet amid such storms, it is necessary for us to run to that helmsman, to rouse him diligently, who does not serve but commands the winds. Immediately he will calm the storms, restore tranquility, and grant the harbor of salvation.
Therefore He allowed them to fall into the fear of danger, that they might experience His power in themselves, who saw others benefitted by Him. But He was sleeping upon the pillow of the ship, that is, on a wooden one.
But He arising, rebukes first the wind, which was raising the tempest of the sea, and causing the waves to swell, and this is expressed in what follows, And he arose, and rebuked the wind; then He commands the sea; wherefore it goes on, And he said to the sea, Peace, be still.
He rebuked His disciples, for not having faith; for it goes on, And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have not faith? For if they had had faith, they would have believed that even when sleeping, He could preserve them safe. There follows, And they feared with a great fear, and said one to another, &c. For they were in doubt about Him, for since He stilled the sea, not with a rod like Moses, nor with prayers as Elisha at the Jordan, nor with the ark as Joshua, the son of Nun, on this account they thought Him truly God, but since He was asleep, they thought Him a man.
(non occ.) For from the troubling of the sea there arises a certain sound, which appears to be its voice threatening danger, and therefore, by a sort of metaphor, He fitly commands tranquillity by a word signifying silence: just as in the restraining of the winds, which trouble the sea with their violence, He uses a rebuke. For men who are in power are accustomed to curb those, who rudely disturb the peace of mankind, by threatening to punish them; by this, therefore, we are given to understand, that, as a king can repress violent men by threats, and by his edicts sooth the murmurs of his people, so Christ, the King of all creatures, by His threats restrained the violence of the winds, and compelled the sea to be silent. And immediately the effect followed, for it continues, And the wind ceased, which He had threatened, and there arose a great calm, that is, in the sea, to which He had commanded silence.
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SUMMARY
Following His dramatic demonstration of power over the elements, Jesus challenges His disciples' profound fear and apparent lack of faith during a life-threatening storm on the Sea of Galilee. His rhetorical questions expose the chasm between their panic and the trust they should have placed in His divine presence and authority, serving as a pivotal lesson on the nature of true faith in the face of overwhelming circumstances.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Mark 4:40 is rich in Rhetorical Questions, which Jesus uses not to elicit information but to provoke self-reflection and highlight a truth. "Why are ye so fearful?" and "how is it that ye have no faith?" force the disciples (and the reader) to confront the incongruity between their panic and Jesus' divine presence. There is also a strong element of Contrast in this passage: Jesus' serene sleep amidst the tempest stands in stark opposition to the disciples' frantic terror, and His calm authority over the storm sharply contrasts with their powerlessness and fear. This contrast underscores His unique identity. Furthermore, the scene employs Symbolism, where the violent storm represents the chaotic, unpredictable, and often terrifying challenges of life, while the boat symbolizes the community of believers. Jesus' presence in the boat, even when seemingly inactive, symbolizes His constant presence with His people through all trials.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Mark 4:40 profoundly connects to the broader biblical narrative of God's sovereignty over creation and His people's call to trust Him. The disciples' fear, though human, is portrayed as a failure of faith, a theological deficiency that Jesus directly addresses. This incident reveals that true faith is not merely intellectual assent but a radical trust in God's active presence and power, even when circumstances seem dire. It underscores the biblical truth that God is the ultimate controller of chaos, and His presence should dispel the deepest fears. This passage serves as a foundational teaching on the nature of discipleship, emphasizing that following Christ means learning to rest in His authority and care, regardless of the "storms" encountered.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Mark 4:40 speaks directly to the human experience of fear and anxiety in the face of life's inevitable "storms"—crises, uncertainties, and overwhelming challenges. Jesus' question to His disciples serves as a timeless challenge to all believers: when fear threatens to engulf us, where is our faith? This verse calls us to examine the root of our anxieties, prompting us to consider whether our fear stems from a lack of trust in God's unwavering presence, His infinite power, or His unfailing promises. Just as Jesus was physically present in the boat with His terrified disciples, He promises His spiritual presence with us through the Holy Spirit, enabling us to face any trial with courage. Cultivating a deeper, unwavering trust in God's sovereignty and care means actively choosing to believe His Word and character, even when circumstances seem dire, knowing that He is always in control and capable of calming any storm, whether literal or metaphorical.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Was it wrong for the disciples to be afraid, given the severity of the storm?
Answer: While a natural human response to a life-threatening situation is fear, Jesus' rebuke indicates that their fear was excessive and misplaced, revealing a deeper spiritual issue. The problem wasn't merely that they felt fear, but that their fear superseded their faith in Him, who was physically present with them. As the Lord of creation, Jesus' presence should have been a source of peace and assurance, transforming their natural fear into a confident trust in His power to save. His question, "how is it that ye have no faith?", points to the spiritual failure of not trusting in His divine ability and willingness to protect them, even when circumstances seemed dire.
What kind of faith did Jesus expect from His disciples in this moment?
Answer: Jesus expected a faith that recognized His unique identity and authority over all creation. Having witnessed His teachings and miracles, the disciples should have understood that His presence in the boat meant ultimate safety. The faith Jesus desired was not a blind optimism, but a deep, abiding trust in His person and power, a conviction that He was fully capable of delivering them, even from the most violent storm. This was a faith that looked beyond the immediate, terrifying circumstances to the sovereign Lord who was with them, demonstrating a reliance on Him that transcended their natural human limitations and fears. This kind of faith is foundational to following Jesus, as He teaches elsewhere about the power of even "mustard seed" faith to move mountains (Matthew 17:20).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Mark 4:40, while a direct challenge to the disciples' lack of faith, ultimately points to Jesus as the quintessential object and enabler of true faith. His divine authority over the raging storm—a power attributed only to God in the Old Testament—foreshadows His ultimate victory over the chaos of sin and death. The disciples' fear highlights humanity's inherent powerlessness against the forces of a fallen world, a powerlessness that only Christ can overcome. He is the one who not only calms literal storms but also brings peace to the tempest-tossed souls, offering deliverance from the ultimate fear of eternal separation from God (Romans 8:15). Our faith is not in our own ability to weather life's storms, but in the Son of God who has conquered the grave (1 Corinthians 15:55-57) and who promises His abiding presence, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Thus, Mark 4:40 beckons us to place our complete trust in Christ, the one who truly has "all authority in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18).