Mark 4:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side."

NIV: That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side."

NASB: On that day, when evening came, He *said to them, 'Let’s go over to the other side.'

CSB: On that day, when evening had come, he told them, "Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea."

NLT: As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, 'Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.'

KJV: And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.

NKJV: On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”

Jesus has been teaching by the Sea of Galilee, most likely near Capernaum. The crowd has grown so big that He has to sit in a boat offshore in order not to be mobbed (Mark 3:9; 4:1). His parables have focused on how the gospel will spread and what reactions His disciples should expect.

But now He is exhausted. His teaching and healing ministry often leaves Him without time to eat (Mark 3:20) or sleep (Mark 1:32–39). The crowd of people has heard all they can take in at that moment (Mark 4:33), and it's time to move on. It's unclear exactly where they are headed other than across the lake. Mark 5:1 says they will land in the "country of the Gerasenes," but we're not sure where that is. It's probably on the central east coast, about seven miles away.

Despite His fatigue, Jesus invites the twelve to leave with Him. Jesus carefully prioritizes how He spends His time. He slips away to speak with God (Mark 1:35), draws the twelve away for special training (Mark 3:13–14), welcomes a larger group of disciples who want to learn from Him (Mark 3:33–34; 4:10), and teaches parables to crowds (Mark 4:1–2). Soon He will spend extra time with Peter, James, and John (Mark 5:37; 9:2–8; 14:33). By keeping the disciples close, Jesus ensures they will learn the right lessons from their time together.

Mark 4:35–41 is part of a passage expounding on Jesus' authority. He has demonstrated power over sickness (Mark 3:7–10), demons (Mark 1:21–26), and the Sabbath (Mark 2:23–28). Now He controls the wind and the sea. Next, He will conquer a legion of demons (Mark 5:1–13), social conventions (Mark 5:25–34), and death (Mark 5:21–24, 35–43). In this miracle, Jesus displays His authority over nature, specifically conditions that His disciples know and rightfully fear. The story of the storm is also recorded in Matthew 8:23–27 and Luke 8:22–25.

Jesus speaks in parables to the assembled crowd, giving them an opportunity to decide how much spiritual truth they want to absorb. The disciples, wanting to learn more, ask Jesus to explain the meaning of the parables He has taught. As Jesus explains these ideas, He demonstrates that a person's spiritual knowledge is based on their willingness to pursue truth. After describing Jesus' teaching in some detail, the Gospel of Mark describes how Jesus calms a storm on the Sea of Galilee.

Mark 3 explores the different ways people react to Jesus' teaching and miracles. They either follow Him, use Him, hide Him, or destroy Him. In Mark 4, Jesus explains why people react the way they do. He uses parables to explain who is serious about learning from Him. The softer a person's heart is, the more truth God will reveal. Soon, the twelve will also spread Jesus' message, although they will not be responsible for the spiritual growth of those who believe. The following chapter returns to depicting Jesus' miracles, including two of His most famous.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.