Mark 4:35-41
Asleep on a Cushion in the Storm
Read the passage
35When that evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side.”
36After they had dismissed the crowd, they took Jesus with them, since He was already in the boat. And there were other boats with Him.
37Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped.
38But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?”
39Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.
40“Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?”
41Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Evening comes after Jesus’ teaching beside the sea, and He tells the disciples to cross to the other side. They take Him in the boat, with other boats accompanying them. A violent storm soon sends waves breaking over the side until their boat is being swamped.
Jesus is asleep in the stern on a cushion. The disciples wake Him with a frightened accusation: does He care that they are perishing? The danger is real, but their words also reveal what His sleep has led them to question.
He rises and commands the wind and sea to be quiet. The wind ceases, and the water becomes completely calm. Psalm 107 describes the LORD stilling a storm for sailors who cry out to Him. Jesus does what that psalm attributes to God.
Another biblical storm includes a sleeping man: Jonah, fleeing the LORD. Here the sleeper is the One who commands the storm. He asks the disciples why they are afraid and whether they still have no faith.
The calm does not end their fear. Now they wonder who can be obeyed by wind and sea. Their question reaches beyond the help they needed to the identity of the One beside them. Jesus has rescued them and exposed how little they yet understand about Him.
How We Know
Psalm 107 tells of sailors crying to the LORD during a storm and of His calming the waves. Mark records Jesus commanding the wind and sea, followed by the disciples’ question about His identity. The scriptural connection helps us hear the weight of that question; it is not separate historical verification of the event.
Questions
1 What danger do the disciples face?
AnswerWaves are breaking over the boat and swamping it. Their fear arises in a genuinely dangerous situation.
2 What do they question when they wake Jesus?
AnswerWhether He cares that they are perishing. They interpret His sleep as possible indifference to their danger.
3 How does Psalm 107 help us understand His response?
AnswerIt describes the LORD calming a storm and hushing the waves. Jesus’ command displays the authority over the sea that the psalm assigns to God.
4 What can we bring to Jesus when fear makes us question His care?
AnswerTell Him plainly what frightens us and ask for help. We can also ask Him to correct the conclusions fear draws about who He is and whether He cares.
What This Means for Us
Fear can make an unanswered request feel like evidence that Jesus is indifferent. The disciples voice that suspicion, and He meets them with both rescue and correction. We can bring Him honest fear without treating every conclusion fear draws as true.
This account does not promise that each crisis will end as quickly as the storm. It shows who receives our prayers. Seek the practical help the danger requires, and ask the Lord who commands the sea to sustain your trust while you wait.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we are often frightened by what we cannot control. Hear our need and forgive the suspicion that You do not care. Help us trust Your authority and receive the help You provide. Amen.