Christ Can Handle It

Jesus and the storm

Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mark 4:40-41

The Bible is filled with lots of stories about Jesus. Some focus on his teaching. Others focus on his healing. Some focus on his life. Others focus on his death. And the resurrection is the story that changed everything about how people viewed Jesus. The quote above is from a story where Jesus is in a boat with his disciples and they are crossing the Sea of Galilee when a storm comes up. The disciples panicked. Jesus slept through most of it! Awakened by their fear he calms the storm and is astounded at how little they trust him to take care of the situation.

These various stories have been saved and told in order to expand people’s awareness that there was something special about Jesus. He was no ordinary person. The people who knew him wanted us to know that. Those who became followers after the resurrection were committed to being sure the stories weren’t lost and wrote them down for us to have.

So what does a story like the calming of the storm mean? Most importantly, Mark wanted us to know that the God who made creation and continues to work in it, is at work in Jesus. The wind and the sea obey Jesus’ commands because he is the same God who made the wind and the seas.

But the story also reminds us that because Jesus is not only Lord of the wind and the sea but also Lord of our lives, we have nothing to fear. The one who calms the storm has also conquered the grave and even if we die, Christ will usher us into all eternity and we will be well.

Mark shares this story not only to amaze us at Jesus’ power, but also to assure us that in Christ’s hands, we will be OK.

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