The Ministry of Jesus in Galilee
Mark 1:16—8:30
A New King (1:16—3:6).
Kingdom is Near (1:15)
Popularity (1:16-45).
Conflict (2:1—3:6).
Jewish Leaders Reject Him (3:6)
A New Kingdom (3:7—6:6)
Kingdom Has Small Beginnings (4:3)
Continued Conflict (3:7-35).
Parables (4:1-34).
Identity (4:36—6:6).
Calming the Sea (4:35-41).
At evening Jesus was tired after a long day of teaching and wanted to “cross over to the other side.”
Mark 5:1 suggests they had gone to the country of the Gadarenes.
Some manuscripts say Gerasenes while Matthew says Gergesenes—more on that later.
“The other side” suggests they were headed to the area of Gadara, and were traveling in the middle of the Sea of Galilee.
Other little boats were with Him, suggesting not only the Twelve, but others as mentioned in 4:10, His extended disciples.
The cool air from the mountains like Mt. Hermon (tallest mountain in the area) mixed with warm air from the sea, and you often get storms like this, plus the boat is filling up with water.
Would you be afraid if you were on a small fishing boat filling with water in such a rough storm? Of course! What if Jesus were on your boat?
One nice touch showing this to be an eye-witness account—Jesus is sleeping on a pillow or cushion. This is a detail not found elsewhere—it was a deep sleep.
How could Jesus sleep at a time like this? He was clearly and completely exhausted (Eccl. 5:12). Not only that He had an absolutely clear conscience (Prov. 3:21-26).
They woke Jesus up: “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re dying?!” They certainly were fearful which is only natural.
But consider what miracles they had witnessed thus far yet still they feared:
Many saw Jesus baptized and heard the heavenly confirmation.
They have seen many demons cast out.
They have seen lepers cleansed and many people healed.
He could hear men’s thoughts and even forgive sins.
All Jesus had to say was three words, two words in Greek: “Σιώπα πεφίμωσο.”
The language here indicates that the calm was very sudden, not diminishing as a storm naturally would.
Jesus contrasts fear with faith—faith is bold and fearless. Faith allowed the early martyrs to face their deaths without fear (Phil. 1:21; 2 Tim. 4:18).
After this, they feared even more, likely a more reverential awe.
They ask a question of one another—Who is this?
The voice from heaven had already affirmed His identity.
The demons already have affirmed His identity many times—though He tried to silence them.
No one else has done miracles in over 400 years, and none to this degree.
Yet they still question who this can be.
This reminds me of King Saul questioning who David was after slaying Goliath even though he had already been Saul’s minstrel (1 Sam. 17:55-58).
Jesus wanted His disciples to be able to figure it out on their own.
What do we learn about Jesus from this miracle? Jesus is the Creator who can control His Creation (John 1:1-3).
