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He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up, and told him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are dying?” (Mark 4:38)

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As the storm worsened and the “waves beat into the boat” they desperately tried to control the boat. They pulled with all their might on the rudders and tried to adjust the sail. But the storm was too powerful.  Of course Jesus cared! He had proved it repeatedly before their eyes. But in the first moments of the storm they were so overcome by panic they could not think clearly. 

 

Mental health experts today can explain the neuroscience of panic and various forms of distress. They tell us the first minutes of a shocking event can have a profound impact on its long term effects. God designed this “alarm system” in the brain to protect us from real dangers. It was not wrong for the disciplers to react to the unexpected events that night.  However, he never intended us to get stuck in the fear, the alarm system dof the brain blasting nonstop. Research toPart tells us that the longer stress-hormones surge unabated in our bodies the more vulnerable we are to various stree-related conditions–physical, emotional and even spiritual.  The “alarm” is so noisy it can even block out more logical thinking. The disciple’s accusation against Jesus reflected their own terror-induced insanity. Fear centers of their brains hijacked the logical faculties and propelled the fear even more. 

 

The contrast between the disciples' response to the storm and Jesus’ could not be more profound. Jesus was “in the stern, asleep on the cushion.” The Galilee Boat discovery suggests where Jesus was likely sleeping. They found a small deck-like feature in the stern. It was used to store fishing nets, extra sails or ballast weights. The Bible says Jesus was sleeping there on a “cushion”--probably the stored items themselves. 

No wonder they were so upset with Jesus! Fear had so hijacked their brains they couldn’t think straight. 

But what the disciples failed to understand, and what God needed to teach them, was his plan to manage the storms of life: not fear but faith; not panic but peace.Jesus had been preparing for moments like this all his life. Even his brain was ready for them. He was able to sleep because as the wind blew, as the waves rocked the boat and water began flooding the floorboards, Jesus felt no panic. He had long since learned to trust God more than fear the storm. 

 

Study Guide

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1. As the storm worsened and the “waves beat into the boat” they desperately tried to _________________________  ____________  _____________________,. They pulled with all their might on the ____________________________and tried to _______________  ________  __________________. But the storm was too powerful. 

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2.  The ____________________________  _______________________ of a ___________________  ____________________ can have a profound impact on its ________________________  ______________________ effects. 

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3. No wonder they were so __________________________ with Jesus! ________________ had so ___________________________ their brains they couldn’t think straight. 

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Reflection Questions

 

Think back to an unexpected or shocking event in your life. Describe if you can how you were affected in the first moments of your storm. Does your experience demonstrate the long term dangers of unmanaged high stress? 

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Even though Jesus was God and not an ordinary man, how would you explain his ability to sleep peacefully in the storm on Galilee? 

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How can  you apply Jesus’ example of suffering in your own life? 

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