Mark 4:38 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

NIV: Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, don't you care if we drown?'

NASB: And yet Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they *woke Him and *said to Him, 'Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?'

CSB: He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher! Don't you care that we're going to die? "

NLT: Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, 'Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?'

KJV: And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

NKJV: But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

Adrift in a violent storm that threatens to swamp and capsize the boat, the disciples look to Jesus. The "cushion" Jesus is sleeping on may have been a sandbag used for ballast or an extra seat used for passengers. Either way, it wasn't designed for comfort. But Jesus is exhausted. His short ministry has been characterized by crowds of people (Mark 3:7–10; 4:1–2), little chance to eat (Mark 3:20), and not much rest (Mark 1:32–35). Not even a water-logged boat rocked by fierce waves can wake Him up.

Is it reasonable for the twelve to be afraid? To this point, the twelve have seen Jesus heal physical maladies, cast out demons, teach mobs, and argue with religious leaders. As miraculous as His powers are, the twelve have yet to see anything that indicates He has authority over natural phenomenon. Still they wake Him, not necessarily expecting Him to rescue them, but to invite Him into their panic.

In a crisis, the disciples go back to what they know. Storms on the Sea of Galilee are too dangerous for even the most skilled fisherman. Peter, Andrew, James, and John are out of their depth. But Jesus is calling them to be more than their worldly roles. He is calling them to give their lives over to Him. He has told them His plans for them, and they should trust that He will see them to completion (Mark 1:17; 3:13–14). But even more so, they must learn to fully give their lives to Him for His purposes. For ten of them, that will mean martyrdom, and for one it will mean exile.

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.