Lord Over Nature

Who is this man? . . . Even the wind and waves obey him!   Mark 4:41

The Gospel of Mark records four stories that illustrate Jesus’ authority over different dimensions of human darkness. Mark shows us that Jesus is Lord, and this is why we can trust him as Savior. The disciples learned this in stages. Every time they discovered a new dimension of his authority, they discovered a new sphere of his salvation.

It all began one evening when Jesus told the disciples to row over to the other side of the lake. They did what he asked, and halfway across the lake, they found themselves caught in a sudden storm.

Storms of this sort were not unusual, and the disciples had made their living on the lake, so they would have seen a few in their time. They knew how to handle a boat, but on this occasion, they were absolutely terrified. “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” (Mark 4:38). They pictured their obituaries in the following day’s newspaper:

Thirteen people died last night when a freak storm hit Lake Galilee. Meteorologists had failed to predict the weather system. Those who died included several local fishermen along with a former tax consultant, a religious teacher, and other unidentified friends. Eyewitnesses said the weather changed without warning. Rescue crafts were launched, but they were unable to identify any survivors.

There they were, in the middle of a life-threatening natural disaster, and the disciples must have been astonished at what happened next. Jesus stood up, “rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Silence! Be still!’ Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked [his disciples], ‘Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ The disciples were absolutely terrified. ‘Who is this man?’ they asked each other. ‘Even the wind and waves obey him!’” (Mark 4:39-41).

Think of the possibilities! If Jesus can subdue a storm, what about a volcano, a mudslide, a tornado, or a hurricane? If he is Lord over nature, then he can save us from its destructive power.

For further reading, see Mark 4