All throughout the Old Testament, only one individual has power over the sea. It’s God. The seas are a terrifying place. They can kill you in a moment. For all of our human intelligence and invention we can only cooperate with the sea — we cannot control it. The only one who can control the uncontrollable is God. Now, if Jesus truly is God, then He has immense power. Power to do whatever He wants. And, honestly, that’s terrifying. How many of us have witnessed the damage done by those with unchecked power? This is why the disciples begin to fear Him. Andyet,Jesusdoesn’t useHispower tocoerceor intimidate. If his goal was to prove that He was God, then why not turn the sky purple or set his enemies ablaze? Surely, that would cause everyone to take Him seriously. But, that’s not the kind of God Jesus is. He doesn’t use His power to show off. He doesn’t have anything to prove. And yet, when He does use His power, He uses it to bring peace to the chaos. And so, when He speaks to the chaos of this world, the world responds. When the waves hear the command of their maker, they fall silent. Mark recounts this story to show us Jesus’ unparalleled power over the chaos. He wants us to see his grace that saves those he loves. Because, if we can marvel at Jesus’ power and love, then we can trust Him when we face the storm, too. One day, Jesus would calm the storm by being thrown into it. Just like Jonah who was asleep in the boat and cast into the sea to be swallowed by a whale, Jesus will be cast into death and swallowed by the Earth.
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