What does Mark 4:37 mean?
During a drought in 1986, two fishermen brothers who were also amateur archaeologists found a boat in the Sea of Galilee. They contacted antiquity authorities who excavated the remains and dated the cedar boat to between 100 BC and AD 200.Originally, the boat was about 27 feet long, 7-1/2 feet wide, and 4 feet high. It had a sail, a pointed bow, and a rounded aft section. It's likely Jesus and His disciples were in a similar type of boat. The experienced fishermen in Jesus' group could have maneuvered such a boat easily, but it still would have been big enough to fit Jesus and the twelve, at least under calm weather conditions.
The Sea of Galilee sits 680 feet below sea level and is nearly surrounded by hills. Winds, as high as sixty miles an hour, blow from the southwest and cause great storms, usually in the afternoon. The water is fairly shallow at 200 feet, causing violent waves as high as ten feet on the shores. The Golan Heights grab the winds and swirl them around unpredictably. When the storms come at night, they are even fiercer.
In this incident, the skies are dark. The waves are high. The winds are violent enough to tear the sail. The boat is filling with water. And even if the experienced fishermen could see the other boats that came with them, they wouldn't be able to reach them. Experienced Bible-readers know what happens next—the disciples awaken Jesus, and Jesus calms the storm and scolds them for their lack of faith.
But what would our reaction be in similar circumstances? When our world grows dark and everything seems turned around, it's easy to get frightened. When we call out for Jesus' help, do we ask in faith that He will hear us?
