Mark 4:40-41 (ESV Strong's)
He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Subject: Faith
The character faith is revealed in t his story about Jesus, the disciples, the boat and the storm. The "team" gets into a boat to go to the other side of the lake. As they are rowing and/or sailing, Jesus falls asleep on a cushion. As the storm arrives the disciples try, in their strength, to combat the winds and waves. If you have ever been in a real storm on a large lake, or body of weather, you know how futile this can be. In desperation they would have rowed and rowed. Awaking Jesus solves the problem, however. He speaks to the storm, "Peace! Be still!" That command calmed the sea. Not a little calm, either. The Scripture says a "great calm." They (the disciples) are amazed. Jesus doesn't say, "Why didn't you just wake me up?" Instead, Jesus goes right to the aspect of faith. In essence, Jesus is telling them to use their reasoning to realize they must use their faith. If they would have thought about it, faith would have kicked in. They had Jesus in the boat. Their thought should not have been, "We might drown." Their thought should have been, "We have the Son of God in the boat. Why do we fear? If anything happens to Him it will happen to us." Faith is not absent reason. Faith is putting your trust in a God who has made secure and sure promises. That is not "blind faith." Our faith is based upon sound reasoning. Those who reject God and believe in nothing are the ones who have "blind faith." They believe in human teachings and superstition and myths passed on from age to age. All these things change from generation to generation to generation. Believers, hold faith in the promises of God. Jesus wanted the disciples to see Him there and realize they could trust that "fact." Instead they feared the unknown.
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