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. 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. The end of a toil may perhaps be but the beginning of a toss. Mark 4:35-41. When a violent storm threatens to destroy the boat and its inhabitants, Jesus somehow manages to remain “asleep on the cushion.” The advent of the Kingdom, as well as something of its nature and its potential, had been introduced and briefly pondered. 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. 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. 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. Mark 4:35. It seemed now that the condemnation formerly reserved for the people generally was now directed sharply at the disciples. God made the escape possible by means of a strong wind that blew all night and dried the seabed, so enabling the Hebrew people to cross dry-shod and safe. What sort of faith, then, did he expect? At the beginning of the journey, Jesus healed a blind man whose “sight was restored, and (he) saw everyone clearly” (8:22-26). Some years ago I was on a flight from Puerto Allegre in the far south of Brazil to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Their faith appeared weak, and their prayers strong. Alternate First Reading. Jesus proceeds to end the storm and restore the sea to calm - but why? So how strong can we surmise this storm was? It was the same daythat he had preached out of a ship, when the even was come, Mark 4:35. Whatever the case, this appears to be another example of the apostles being portrayed as dolts. Gospel. The geography would be significant, not for its factual detail but for its symbolism. (Mark 4:35-36 RSV) It is clear that this comes when our Lord was at the point of utter physical exhaustion. Now we’re in a place where we can see what Jesus’ disciples are made of. Mark 4:35-41: Faith Over Fear. Commentary, Mark 4:35-41, Meda Stamper, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2012. Mark 4:35-36 (NASB) And on that day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us go over to the other side." The disciples are traveling with Jesus on his way to Jerusalem. 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. It carried feelings associated not just with otherness but with uncleanness and an instinctive abhorrence of idolatry. In Mark’s mind it became important to review next the consequences for the community of disciples. Did it really happen? Gospel. EXEGESIS: MARK 4-8. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. Text: Mark 4:35-41. Actually, this short transition is vastly important for setting the stage for this familiar story of the stilling of the storm. Jesus’ prime focus of mission had been his own Jewish compatriots. 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. Commentary on Mark 4:35-41. The issue was significant for many Christian communities that came into existence after Jesus’ death. Calming the storm doesn't appear to have been absolutely necessary because he rebukes the others for not having faith - presumably, they should have trusted that nothing would happen to them while he was around. The locale would change, as would the mood. A more plausible explanation is that the author of Mark has Jesus sleeping out of literary necessity: Jesus' calming the storm is designed to evoke the story of Jonah. As mentioned in relation to Jesus’ acts of healing, wonders were accepted as part of life by people of the time. The locale would change, as would the mood. The first miracle of this type appears in Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; and Luke 8:22-25.For Jesus, this is a day of both significant teaching, including the seven parables of Matthew 13, and considerable testing. 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. A. “Teacher, does it not concern you that we are sinking?”, and said to the sea, “Be calmed! Jesus Walks on Water: Faith During a Storm (Mark 6:45-52), Jesus Walks on Water Bible Story Study Guide, Jesus Punishes the Swine With Demons (Mark 5:10-20), The Syro-Phoenician Woman's Faith in Jesus (Mark 7:24-30), The Woman Who Touched Jesus' Garment (Mark 5:21-34), Jesus Heals Jairus' Daughter (Mark 5:35-43), Saint Patrick's Friendship with His Guardian Angel, Victor, Jesus Heals a Blind Man in Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26), Relive the Resurrection Story of Jesus Christ. 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. 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. (They were fisherman: 1:16-19.) Commentary on Job 38:1-11. Mark 4:35-41 The New Community (1) Defining the Features. 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. Most of the disciples were former fishermen. ii. The first miracle of this type appears in Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; and Luke 8:22-25. 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. They were familiar with the sea of Galilee. Mark 4:35-41. For Jesus, this is a day of both significant teaching, including the seven parables of Matthew 13, and considerable testing. 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. Here Jesus is sleeping because the story of Jonah has him sleeping down in the ship. 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. HENRY ALFORD The Greek New Testament Commentary on the Gospel of Mark. 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. Jesus and the disciples crossed to the other shore. Jesus responded negatively to the disciples’ panic. 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. 1 The *parable of the four soils 4:1-9. In this sense they had no faith. Since its inception, people have cherished David … Mark 4:35-41 "On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, 'Let us go across to the other side.' Some thoughts on today's scripture. 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. First Reading. 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.. Let's read verses 35-41. Although it is still relatively early in his ministry, he has been explaining to them all of the secret meanings of his parables. Mark 4:35. ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, on that day) See App. Yet Mark would be insistent that Jesus did on occasion enter their territory and did engage with them. 36 And when they had sent away the … Ed. And leaving the multitude, they took Him along with them, just as He was, in the boat; and other boats were with Him. THE CONTEXT. They did not know that events beyond their own control had their own natural causes. 1. In this incident, the disciples and Jesus moved away from the shoreline, and put out over the water. 1. David is introduced to the reader in Ruth 4:17. As Mark tells the story, the disciples were terrified that the boat was going to break up and everyone would die. 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. If so, he succeeded because they appear to be just as afraid of him now as they were moments ago of the storm. He apparently saw a response of panic as a lack of faith. After a … In Mark’s mind it became important to review next the consequences for the community of disciples. Mark may have wished to make a statement about Jesus. He was indeed making a new statement about Jesus. 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. June 21, 2009. 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." They believed in experience, strength, and skills. Commentary on 1 Samuel 17:[1a, 4-11, 19-23] 32-49 . Mark 4:35-41 Commentary by James Boyce “On that day.” The phrase is so brief the reader could almost ignore it. 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. This other shore was unknown territory, pagan territory. Commentary on 1 Samuel 17:[1a, 4-11, 19-23] 32-49 . It is a short sermon, only about 12 minutes in length. Commentary on Job 38:1-11. On a first read, Mark 4:35-41 looks like a demonstration of Jesus’ astonishing power — and so it is. In the overall structure of Mark's Gospel we now move into material that follows the Parable of the . The crossing to the other side was dangerous – a very strong wind squall on an inhospitable sea. EXEGESIS: MARK 8:22 – 10:45. Commentary on Mark 4:35-41 “On that day.” The phrase is so brief the reader could almost ignore it. • Mark 4:35-36: The starting point: “Let us cross over to the other side”. And other boats were with him. Be silenced!”. Default. Why did they even wake him if they didn't think he might be able to do something? What does Mark 4:35 mean? It is an understanding “of the organization of material as related to a given context.”13 The emphasis of the relationship between words and phrases and Two miracles of Jesus Christ recorded in Scripture tell of Him calming storms on the Sea of Galilee. Austin Cline, a former regional director for the Council for Secular Humanism, writes and lectures extensively about atheism and agnosticism. on this passage. During the journey, Jesus’ disciples seemed unable to see anything clearly. When he had been labouring in the word and doctrineall day, instead of reposing himself, he exposeth himself, to teach us not to think of a constant remaining rest till we come to heaven. He did not consider that he had a specific mission to non-Jews. ), 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. 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. That day, as it was getting later, [Jesus] said. , After all, Jesus was a carpenter. 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. To the Jew generally, the water was a symbol that touched powerfully into their sense of the unfamiliar and the fearful. Crit. B. Read commentary on this popular Bible verse and understand the real meaning behind God's Word using John Gill's Exposition of the Bible. James Rosscup writes that "This was the great work in the life of the versatile Dean of Canterbury. 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. Chapter 4 opens with a series of parables (the sower, the lamp and the bushel basket, the growing seed, and the mustard seed). Jesus Stills the Storm (Mark 4:35-41) 23 analysis is an expression of the text. Mark obviously wished that the point not be lost on his own community. Was his purpose simply to create a display of naked power in order to impress his apostles? 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). An outcome of this production was the New Testament for English Readers (4 vols. 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. 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.'" Its truth had no other criterion than its resonance, beyond projection, with the deepest inner core of each person. 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. June 21, 2009. Mark 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries; Parallel Passages. With this story Mark presented something quite different from exorcisms and healings. The other theme would be the intriguing question about the identity of Jesus: Who then is this? Many, perhaps most, things that happened to them were beyond their understanding. 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. And what did many of them do for a living? Personal ownership of the dreams and values espoused by Jesus would be the fruit of inner growth and discovery. 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. Let's read the account of a severe storm on the Sea of Galilee. In its turn, faith in the Jesus who proclaimed the Kingdom would be determined by people’s sense of the authenticity of Jesus himself. The calming of a raging storm fits with other stories where Jesus' power is manifested against awesome, even mythic forces: raging seas, hordes of demons, and death itself. 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. Jesus had spent the entire day teaching by the use of parables. It's strange, though, that they don't understand who he is. Or if they had, do they simply not believe him? Commentary on Mark 4:35-41 (Read Mark 4:35-41) Christ was asleep in the storm, to try the faith of his disciples, and to stir them up to pray. 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. Resume Prayer. The chapter is concluded by the narrative of his calming the great storm (Mark 4:35-41). Commentary on Mark 4:35-41. One tendency leans more in the direction of some sort of “operational divinisation” of Jesus’ humanity, such that he could perform actions beyond the possibility of other humans (as, for example, rebuking the wind and stilling the sea). ). The advent of the Kingdom, as well as something of its nature and its potential, had been introduced and briefly pondered. Biblical Commentary (Bible study) Mark 4:35-41 . They each heard Jesus say, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake” (Mark 4:35). The question would arise and be answered from a variety of sources. 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. Was Mark reporting as fact stories that could not stand up to the rigorous critique of today’s scientific mindset? They had overcome many storms before. 2 Jesus explains … And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. 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). 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. Mt 13:1-2+ “That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. To the Jew, pagan meant more than simply non-Jewish. Mark 4:35 - And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. Jesus’ role as teacher is important in this Gospel. How did the disciples react to this storm? So ostensibly, had he not stopped the storm they would have made it across just fine. "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." God’s speech from the whirlwind to Job has been a long time coming. In the midst of the Christian storm, Jesus seemed to be absent, asleep, certainly giving no clear direction. 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