Mark 4 Verses 35 to 41 When Jesus Is In Your Boat April 27, 2025 Lesson 4 The Remarkable Journey Continues Class Presentation Notes AAAAA

Background Scriptures:

• 1 Peter 1:7 (NASB95)

so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

• 1 Peter 4:12–16 (NASB95)

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;

13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer or

an a troublesome meddler;

16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.

• 1 Peter 5:7 (NASB95)

casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

• 2 Corinthians 1:8–9 (NASB95)

8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life;

9 indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;

• 2 Corinthians 12:7–9 (NASB95)

7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!

8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.

9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

• Isaiah 43:2–7 (NASB95)

2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,

Nor will the flame burn you.

3 “For I am the LORD your God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I have given Egypt as your ransom,

Cush and Seba in your place.

4 “Since you are precious in My sight,

Since you are honored and I love you,

I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your

life.

5 “Do not fear, for I am with you;

I will bring your offspring from the east,

And gather you from the west.

6 “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’

And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’

Bring My sons from afar

And My daughters from the ends of the earth,

7 Everyone who is called by My name,

And whom I have created for My glory,

Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”

Main Idea:

• God will test our faith in order to purify our faith.

Study Aim:

• To understand that Jesus will either calm the storm or calm you.

Create Interest:

• After the selection of parables comes this story of Jesus’ power over the wind and waves. The change from relatively calm teaching discourse to a violent storm and the display of Jesus’ awesome authority over the forces of nature jolts the reader with a reminder that Jesus is more than a religious teacher. The parables are veiled discourse, and Jesus has spoken of the presence of the kingdom of God in him as still something of a “secret” (4:11), “hidden” and “concealed” (4:22). In this story something of the true significance of Jesus flashes forth momentarily, revealing briefly the full light to come.

• This incident also illustrates that the disciples, though given “the secret of the kingdom of God,” have their own problems in perceiving Jesus clearly. Their astonished questioning (4:41), Who is this?

o If you have ever had doubts like the apostles had, hang with me on these notes and explore.

Lesson In Historical Context:

• THE Lake/Sea of Galilee was notorious for its storms. They came literally out of the blue with shattering and terrifying suddenness. A writer describes them like this: “It is not unusual to see terrible squalls hurl themselves, even when the sky is perfectly clear, upon these waters which are ordinarily so calm. The numerous ravines which to the north-east and east debouch upon the upper part of the lake operate as so many dangerous defiles in which the winds from the heights of Hauran, the plateau of Trachonitis, and the summit of Mount Hermon are caught and compressed in such a way that, rushing with tremendous force through a narrow space and then being suddenly released, they agitate the little Lake of Gennesaret in the most frightful fashion.” The voyager across the lake was always liable to encounter just such sudden storms as this.

• In stilling the sea, Jesus emphasizes his divine power to his disciples, in order to graciously assist their faith in Him as Messiah. He commands them to go out on the sea and into a storm (4:35–37). He awakens from sleep and calms the sea with a word, showing his lordship over the storm (4:38–41). The terrified and stunned disciples ask the proper question: “Who is this who can do such things?”

• While he was blinding outsiders by his parables (4:10–12), Jesus was strengthening the disciples, who were weak in their faith and who may have been confused by all the controversy surrounding Jesus’ identity (2:7; 3:21, 22, 30).

• These men will be the foundation layers of the Christian church, who will take the word to the ends of the world (3:13–19; 16:15; Matt 28:18–20). They needed confirming in their faith so that they would listen to him and follow.

Bible Study:

God Is Working in the Circumstances of Our Lives

Mark 4:35–37 (NASB95)

35 On that day, when evening came, He *said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.”

36 Leaving the crowd, they *took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him.

37 And there *arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.

• As any student knows, teaching always leads to testing. The purpose of a test is to demonstrate mastery of a subject or skill and to reveal areas needing improvement. As Jesus conducted His ministry of teaching and preaching, the Twelve heard the Lord’s lessons many times over. After hearing the same discourses repeated dozens of times, they undoubtedly could recite them and convince an audience they understood every word. But had they truly learned anything? A test would tell all.

o On one particular day, Jesus, the Twelve, and an unknown number of other followers climbed into a boat and began a journey across the Sea of Galilee. Mark’s description suggests they traveled from the Bay of Parables southeast to a region near the southern shore known as Gerasa, of which Gadara was a principal city.

• “The same day” refers to the day on which Jesus gave the “parables of the kingdom.” He had been teaching His disciples the Word and now He would give them a practical test to see how much they had really learned. After all, the hearing of God’s Word is intended to produce faith (Rom. 10:17); and faith must always be tested.

o It is not enough for us merely to learn a lesson or be able to repeat a teaching……………………………..therefore…………….

o We must also be able to practice that lesson by faith, and that is one reason why God permits trials to come to our lives.

• Did Jesus know that the storm was coming? Of course He did! The storm was a part of that day’s curriculum. It would help the disciples understand a lesson that they did not even know they needed to learn: Jesus can be trusted in the storms of life.

o Many people have the idea that storms come to their lives only when they have disobeyed God, but this is not always the case.

o Jonah ended up in a storm because of his disobedience, but the disciples got into a storm because of their obedience to the Lord.

• To begin with, they had His promise that they were going to the other side (Mark 4:35). His commandments are always His enablement and nothing can hinder the working out of His plans. He did not promise an easy trip, but He did promise a guaranteed arrival at their destination.

• Second, the Lord Himself was with them, so what was there to fear? They had already seen His power demonstrated in His miracles, so they should have had complete confidence that He could handle the situation. For some reason, the disciples did not yet understand that He was indeed the Master of every situation.

• Finally, they could see that Jesus was perfectly at peace, even in the midst of the storm. This fact alone should have encouraged them. Jesus was in God’s will and knew that the Father would care for Him, so He took a nap. Jonah slept during a storm because he had a false sense of security, even though he was running from God. Jesus slept in the storm because He was truly secure in God’s will.

o Psalm 4:8 (NASB95) In peace I will both lie down and sleep,

For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.

Jesus was Human Aside from Sin

Mark 4:38 (NASB95)

38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they *woke Him and *said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

• The Bible affirms, and the church has always believed, that Jesus is both fully God and fully man, two natures united in one person. He is 100 percent divine and 100 percent human in the one person, the God man.

• The only qualification related to His humanity is that He is without sin. He had no sin nature, and He never committed a single sin—not one. Two texts make this clear:

o He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor 5:21)

o For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. (Heb 4:15)

• Both His humanity and His deity are put on display in this story, and it is humanity that appears so clearly when He is in stern of the boat, fast asleep on a cushion. The Bible repeatedly teaches our Lord’s full and true humanity.

o He got hungry (Matt 4:2).

o He got angry (Mark 3:5).

o He cried (John 11:35).

o He died (the cross).

o Now we see He slept. He had an exhausting day, and He kept on sleeping right through the storm.

• Yes, He was human. But there is something else. He has complete trust in the providential care of His Father. The veteran seamen may be terrified, but the Carpenter from Nazareth slept soundly. Jesus knew He had a work to complete on the cross. He was confident in His Father’s promise to see Him finish

We Panic When We Lose Faith in the One We Should Trust

Mark 4:38 (NASB95)

38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they *woke Him and *said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

• Here we see the normal human reaction to something we cannot control. We do not see the spiritual response one would expect from those who have been with Jesus.

• How often in the trials of life we are prone to imitate the faithless disciples and cry out, “Lord, don’t You care?” Of course, He cares! He arose and rebuked the storm, and immediately there was a great calm.

o Jesus can calm any storm of life for us.

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Mt. 28:18).

• “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4).

• But Jesus did not stop with the calming of the elements, for the greatest danger was not the wind or the waves: it was the unbelief in the hearts of the disciples.

o Our greatest problems are within us, not around us. This explains why Jesus rebuked them and called them “men of little faith.” They had heard Him teach the Word and had even seen Him perform miracles, and yet they still had little faith.

• It was their unbelief that caused their fear, and their fear made them question whether Jesus really cared. We must beware of “an evil heart of unbelief” (Heb. 3:12).

• The apostles, in a panic, wake Jesus up. Just as the captain of Jonah’s ship chewed him out for sleeping while they were perishing, so the apostles criticize Jesus as well. Mark says they called Him “Teacher.” Matthew 8:25 says “Lord.” These are terms of respect and honor.

o But then they demand, “Do you not care that we are perishing?” They question His love and concern for them. Frustrated by what appears to be indifference to their plight and facing a desperate situation they have no hope of handling themselves, they lash out in a rude outburst rather than exhibiting faith in the One who has proven Himself trustworthy.

 It pains me greatly to see myself in the disciples. Jesus has proven Himself faithful to me over and over, yet when caught by surprise and squeezed in a vice of trouble, I fume rather than show faith.

• Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher, said, “God is too wise to err, too good to be unkind; leave off doubting Him, and begin to trust Him, for in so doing, you will put a crown on His head” (Spurgeon, Spurgeon’s Sermons, 3:1857).

o Let’s crown Him in faith, not doubt Him in unbelief.

Jesus Has Authority over Nature Because He Is God

Mark 4:39 (NASB95)

39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

• God and only God is thrice “omni.”

o He is omniscient: He knows all things (actual and potential).

o He is omnipresent: He always exists everywhere.

o He is omnipotent: He is all-powerful.

• Rudely awakened, Jesus addressed the storm in the language of an exorcist confronting one possessed. He spoke two words: one to the noisy wind, “Silence!”; the other to the raging waters, “Be muzzled!” As if weary from exertion, the wind ceased and the water became very calm.

• The miracles of Jesus, especially the “nature miracles,” are an offense to those who reject the supernatural. But has it not ever been so?

o 1 Corinthians 1:23 (NASB95) “but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,”

• When one grants the greatest of all miracles, the Incarnation, the miracles of the New Testament are quite in order. In any case, a rejection of this miracle simply discounts Mark’s responsible account.

• The word “rebuke” can mean censure. It is the same word used in Mark 1:25 when Jesus rebukes the demons! Could this storm have been demonically instigated? “Be still” carries the idea of “muzzle.” The idea is “be still and stay still.” The response of both wind and wave is immediate because their Master has spoken.

o Here is our Lord’s deity on full and glorious display! Hurricane force winds are stopped with a single word. Only God could do this. Jesus must be God.

 This is the direction in which Jesus seeks to drive the disciples.

• That kind of supernatural power over creation, repeatedly demonstrated by Jesus throughout His ministry, has only one explanation: it belongs to the Creator Himself.

o As the New Testament declares of Jesus Christ, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:3).

o The apostle Paul echoed that truth in Colossians 1:16, where he said of Christ, “by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him” (cf. 1 Cor. 8:6; Heb. 1:2).

 The miracles of Jesus were but a small glimpse at the infinite power He possesses as the Son of God.

Trials and Difficulties Come for the Benefit of Our Faith

Mark 4:40 (NASB95)

40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”

• Jesus rebuked the disciples for the lack of faith expressed in their terror and fear. This is the first in a series of rebukes (cf. Mark 7:18; 8:17 f., 21, 32 f.; 9:19) and its placement at this point is important.

 It indicates that despite Mark 4:11 (NASB95) 11, 34

11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables,

34 and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.

o the difference is one of degree, not of kind, between the disciples who have received through revelation some insight into the secret of the Kingdom of God as having come near in the person of Jesus and the multitude who see only a riddle.

o The disciples themselves are still quite blind and filled with misunderstanding. When Jesus asks, “Do you not yet have faith?” he means specifically faith in God’s saving power as this is present and released through his own person. The failure of the disciples to understand this is expressed in their awe-inspired question, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

• We, in contrast, have no excuse.

o We know Jesus is all-powerful and all-knowing God.

o We know He has taken care of all our sin.

o We know He rose from the dead.

o We know He can be trusted no matter what!

o Trials and difficulties are divine appointments to strengthen our faith.

 So why are we still afraid? Do we still have no faith?

2 Corinthians 1:3–5 (NASB95)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

The Identity of Jesus Is an Issue We All Must Settle

Mark 4:41 (NASB95)

They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

• This story ends with the disciples’ asking a question every one of us must face.

o It is not the outward circumstances we have to fear, but the inward waves of fear and faithlessness that well up within us.

o The Lord has given us His Word that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

o Therefore, no matter how strong the storm might seem, no matter the force of the waves that beat upon our boat, if we love God and are called according to His purpose, all things will work together for good (Romans 8:28);

o He will complete that which He began in us (Philippians 1:6)—and we can be at peace.

• This is the first of three boat scenes in Mark’s Gospel (cf. 6:45–52; 8:14–21). Each is associated with a miracle. Each is a challenge to understand and settle the identity of Jesus. Each is adequate for them to draw the conclusion we must draw as well—“You are the Christ, the Son of God.”

Conclusion

• The apostles still did not understand who Jesus really was. In Mark the mystery of who Jesus is continues until his death and resurrection and even beyond. The last part of the verse, however, seems to require the idea “they were filled with awe” (RSV; similar NRSV, NEB, REB). In this case the disciples’ fear stemmed from a real understanding that somehow the divine had met them in this teacher. The use of a different word (phobon) from the one in v. 40 (deilos) may support this. In the classical Greek we find…..

o A variety of emotions are conjured by phobeō and its cognates. It suggests first of all a response to some (superior) force or power (ibid., 9:193). The range of emotions covers “terror, respect,” and “reverence.” A sense of utter dread is not always present; rather, the term can simply suggest “regard” for something.

o In the New Testament usage we gain additional clarity………..

“Fearing God”—not anxious, desperate terror (cf. Luke 8:50; Hebrews 13:6; Romans 8:15) but heartfelt awe and reverence—is essential to the Christian faith. Reward awaits those who “fear (His) name” (Revelation 11:18; cf. Romans 11:20). In one sense “fear” is expressed not only in an attitude toward God (Revelation 19:5) but also in life-style before others.

• The entire story reassured the believers who had already experienced popular abuse and were facing the prospect of official persecution.

o Although Jesus may not always appear to be present or to care, he will deliver his people who are in various kinds of trouble.

 Therefore, his disciples should never doubt.

• The parallels between Jesus stilling the storm and the story of Jonah should not surprise us. Jesus called Himself the true Jonah in Matthew 12:40.

o He is the true Jonah who was consumed by the stormy sea of God’s wrath as He hung on the cross.

o He endured the storm so that we could find peace and be saved.

o Jesus calmed the only storm that could truly drown us: God’s wrath and judgment.

o He went down in the storm only to emerge three days later as the One who stilled the just and righteous wrath of God against sinners.

Questions to stir your thoughts.

What do you usually feel like doing after a long, hard day of work?

When was the last time you felt out of control?

How do you tend to handle stress—thrive, panic, seek out distractions, procrastinate, etc.?

When did the events of this story take place? (4:35)

Where did Jesus and His disciples go? How? (4:35–36)

Why did the disciples take Jesus along “just as He was”? (4:36)

What emergency situation arose? (4:37)

Why were the disciples surprised with Jesus? (4:37–38)

What was Jesus doing during a violent storm? (4:38)

How was Jesus coping with the storm that threatened Him and His men? (4:38)

What is significant about the disciples’ questioning Jesus by asking, “Don’t you care if we drown?” (4:38)

How would you compare Jesus’ behavior during this crisis with that of His disciples? (4:38)

How did Jesus solve the dilemma He and His disciples were facing? (4:39)

Why did Jesus rebuke His disciples? (4:40)

What was the answer to the rhetorical question that the disciples asked? (4:41)

What did the disciples learn about Jesus from this event? (4:39–41)

How do you think Jesus felt after long days of teaching the people, responding to His opponents, and healing the sick?

Where do you think Jesus found the strength to maintain such an exhausting level of ministry?

When have you ever felt as the disciples did—distressed at events out of control?

What have been some of the “storms” in your personal life?

What “storms” or difficulties are you going through right now?

How has God helped you handle your fears and frustrations during difficult times?

In what specific ways has God shown His care and love for you?

What difference does it make to you that Jesus has authority over all the powers and forces of our world?

In what area of your life is your faith lacking?

How can you trust more completely in the power and authority of Jesus?