Mark 4:41 – And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
Those rugged fishermen had been through storms before on the Sea of Galilee, but this was different. They really thought they were going to die and there lay Jesus asleep through it all.
He had been preaching and teaching to the multitudes for days. He had spent one entire night in prayer. And then while teaching He had friction with the religious rulers and even His own family tried to stop Him (Mark 3:31-35). Then He was thronged again, so He taught out of the bow of a boat. It was that evening when He and the disciples went across the sea for some solitude, which they didn’t get. He was asleep because He was absolutely exhausted and the disciples were frustrated because they wrongly assumed that Jesus was just like them – a man like other ordinary men. They had knothole perception seeing through their sinful eyes of flesh. He was human, but not only human!
When Jesus calmed the storm they quickly perceived the true actuality – Jesus is nothing like us! He never apologized for sleeping. He didn’t ask them what to do. He didn’t ask how He could assist them. He didn’t panic. And He didn’t try to calm them down. Instead He calmed the storm down! Yes there are similarities between us and Him because He is a man. But! He is also God! He is the Creator, we are the created. He is the Designer, we are the designed. He is the Giver, we are the receivers. He is infinite, we are finite.
Jesus is human and divine. He not only understands us, He knows more than we know; He sees more than we see; and He can do anything because He is God. If He sleeps during your storm, don’t get frustrated, just trust Him. He is in control of the ship, the waves, the rain, and the storm. He’s nothing like us!
