Verse 23-27

Wind and Wave Obey Jesus ( Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25)

Verse 23-27: “And when Jesus entered the ship, his disciples embarked with him. And suddenly, behold, there arose a violent storm on the sea, so that the vessel was covered by the waves. But Jesus was asleep: and his disciples came to awake him, and said to him: ‘Our Lord, deliver us; we are perishing!’

Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you small in faith!’ Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the sea; and there was great tranquility. 
And the men were amazed; and they said, ‘What a man is this, to whom the winds and the sea are obedient!’”

Jesus Christ as Son of God has authority over: 
· The Laws of God
· Our body 
· Demons 
· And nature 

Sea of Galilee: The Sea of Galilee, known to Israelis as Lake Kinneret, is only 13 miles (North–South ) by 7 miles, but is one of the most well-known bodies of water in the world. Its depth is 680 feet below sea level. The Jordan River flows from North into this sea then flows south from it. The Sea of Galilee is mentioned in the Bible by 3 other names: 
1. The Sea of Kinnereth (or Chinnereth) from its harp-like shape (Num 34:1; Josh 12:3, 13: 27)
2. The Sea of Tiberius (John 6:1; 21:1) 
3. The Lake of Gennesareth (Luke 5:1) 

It was on these beautiful shores that Jesus delivered sermons and performed miracles. Four of the apostles (St .Peter, St. Andrew, St. James, and St. John) were fisherman here. Many famous sites are located around the lake, including Capernaum, home to at least five of the twelve disciples. Jesus stilled the raging storm on the Sea of Galilee that was about to swamp their boat. Lord and St. Peter, to a limited extent, walked on the water there. Near its shores, Lord fed the five thousand men, women, and children from the miraculous multiplication of five loaves of bread and two fish. Mary of Magdala, the first human to see and speak with the Savior after His resurrection, was from the town of Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

“Jesus was sleeping”:

If we refer to Mark 4:1-35, Lord was teaching from this boat, before starting the journey. He was tired and slept. This is a human character. The words of the Lord “hungry”, “thirsty”, “tired on the way”, “cried”, etc. all proves to the fact that he was a complete human. 

“And his disciples came to awake him, and said to him: ‘Our Lord, deliver us; we are perishing!’” 

Lord is our only refuge during our adverse times. Many of the disciples were fishermen who were skilled in guiding the boat. But there is a limit to human abilities. God’s words, “It is possible for God what is not possible by man” (Matt. 19:26) can be remembered here. But Lord is asking them: 1) Why you are afraid? 2) Haven’t you seen the miracles? 3) Still your faith has not increased after seeing all this?

When we think about it: 
· Anyone who has strong belief about Lord’s presence will never be disturbed by anything; this is what David writes in Psalms.
· Church can be compared to ship here. Because of our Lord’s presence in it, doors of netherworld will not win over it and it will remain forever.
· At the time this tempest, Lord was sleeping while the disciples were awake. But today we are sleeping and Lord is awake and is doing intercession for us to Father.

St. Augustine: “We are traveling in this world like in an ocean. The wind blows. The wind of trials blows. Because Christ sleeps in you. That is in your heart, the faith in Jesus Christ is sleeping. Wake Him up and tell him, Lord we are being destroyed. He will wake up and faith will come to you by itself.”

Terthullian : “A boat is similar to the church and a boat traversing in the sea is similar to the trials and tribulations of the world. Lord will wake up by the prayer of His saints and peace will prevail.” 

Verse 8:27: “And the men were amazed; and they said, ‘What a man is this, to whom the winds and the sea are obedient.’” 

The disciples believe that this person - whom even nature is obedient to- is God (‘O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness surrounds You. You rule the raging of the sea; when waves rise, You still them.’ [Psalm 89:8-9]).

Healing of the Gadarene Demoniacs (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) 

Gadarene: A village approximately 6 miles East of the Sea of Galilee. This could be a Gentile village as there were pigs there since for Jews, pigs are forbidden. Both St. Luke and St .Mark say that there were two demoniacs.