Christ in All of Scripture – Mark 4:35-41

Mark 4:35-41
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 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?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 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?”

Jesus continues to display his expanding range of power in every sphere of creation: power over the laws and forces of nature (Mark 4:35–41), power over the spiritual and demonic world (Mark 5:1–20), and power over human illness and death (Mark 5:21–43).

Jesus is not merely a political messiah along the lines of a Davidic king (cf. 2 Sam. 7:12–15). Rather, this Messiah is God, the eternal Son (see Psalm 2; Psalm 110:1, 5; Dan. 7:13–14; cf. 2 Sam. 7:16). He is Yahweh, come in the flesh (Isa. 40:3). It is crucial to realize this, since only God has the power to deliver and to save from the brokenness of our world and the bondage of sinful rebellion against him (e.g., Isa. 25:9; Isa. 33:22; Isa. 35:4; Isa. 37:20; Isa. 38:20; Jer. 17:14; Zech. 8:7; Zech.9:16; Heb. 7:25).

It is a great source of encouragement for followers of Jesus to remember who they serve: the triune Creator of this universe. The power of the eternal Son protects and guides with utter reliability, even in great distress. Since Jesus has paid the price for our sinful rebellion and has overcome the powers of Satan and the grip of death, his followers are in good hands—whether at any given moment this results in life or in death (Phil. 1:20–23). For in the gospel we know that because Christ has died and risen, and we are united to him, all that happens to us comes to us from the hand of a loving Father. All wrath has been removed. He does everything for our good.

This series of posts pairs a brief passage of Scripture with associated study notes drawn from the Gospel Transformation Bible.

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