Mark 4:41
And they feared¹ exceedingly²,
and said one to another³,
What manner of man is this,
that even the wind⁴ and the sea obey him⁵?
¹) To scare away, to be afraid of one.
²) Feared exceedingly: Stricken by terror.
³) Said to each other; Said to themselves.
⁴) A very strong tempestuous wind.
⁵) Submit to Him.
Other translations:
And they were filled with great awe and feared exceedingly and said one to another, Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him? [AMP] And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?" [ESV] They were in absolute awe, staggered. "Who is this, anyway?" they asked. "Wind and sea at his beck and call!" [MSB] And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? [KJV] They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" [NIV] And they were filled with awe and said among themselves, "Who is this man, that even the wind and waves obey him?" [NLT] And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!" [NKJV]
Some further information:
They feared exceedingly
They were struck with deep awe.
It seems they were now more afraid of the power that Jesus demonstrated by stopping the storm and the raging of the sea, than they had been for the storm.
The disciples in the boat saw it with their own eyes.
The astounding display of power, the control of the storm in which men are as helpless as infants, filled them with awe. What manner of being could he be whom storm, wind, and sea obeyed? They had not yet learned that the word which the sea obeyed, was the obedience to the word by which the world itself was made.
The impression this miracle made upon the disciples, is here differently expressed. In Matthew it is said, “The men marvelled”; here it is said, “They feared greatly”. “They feared a great fear”; so the original reads it.
Now their fear was rectified by their faith.
When they feared the winds and the seas, it was for want of the reverence they ought to have had for Christ. But now that they saw a demonstration of His power over them, they feared them less, and Him more.
They feared lest they had offended Christ by their unbelieving fears; and therefore studied now to give him honour.
▪︎ They had feared the power of the storm, and that fear had torment and amazement in it;
▪︎ But now they feared the power and grace of the Redeemer in the calm; they feared the Lord and His goodness, and it had pleasure and satisfaction in it,
And by it they gave glory to Christ, as Jonah’s mariners, who, when the sea ceased from her raging, feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord (Jonah 1:16).
This sacrifice they offered to the honour of Christ; they said, What manner of man is this? Surely more than a man, for even the winds and the seas obey him.
What manner of man is this
“What is this?” Israel has all along been singing of their God
“Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, Thou stillest them!”
“The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea!” ( Psalms 89:9, 93:4 ).
But, see now, in this very boat of ours is One of our own flesh and blood, who with His word of command hath done the same!
Exhausted with the fatigues of the day, He was but a moment ago in a deep sleep, undisturbed by the howling tempest, and we had to waken Him with the cry of our terror; but rising at our call, His majesty was felt by the raging elements, for they were instantly hushed–“WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS THIS?”
What manner of man is this?
Who then is this one?
He was just a man, born of a woman…
BUT … He had received the Holy Spirit in all its fullness. (John 3:34)
AND … He was the Son of the Living God.
Such manifestation of power is very special (but available to those who believe, and are annointed with the Spirit).
▪︎ It is available to those who have the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)
▪︎ It is available to those who have faith in God (Matthew 17:20, 21:22; Mark 9:23, 11:22-24)
Examples of power over elements:
- Moses (Exodus 7:14-25; 9:13-35; 10:21-27; 14:16)
- Joshua (Joshua 10:12)
- Samuel (1 Samuel 7:9-12)
- Elijah (1 Kings 18:42-46; 2 Kings 1:10-15, 2:8; James 5:17)
- Elisha (2 Kings 2:14; 3:16-20; 4:1-7, 42-44; 6:1-7; 8:1-2)
- Two witnesses of the future tribulation (Revelation 11:3-11)
- Future Antichrist (Revelation 13:2, 13; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12)
Now let us reflect on this
The disciples go through troubled moments.
They have been hit by a storm that makes the Sea of Galilee notorious.
There is a danger of perishing with all hands.
And Jesus is sleeping.
Does He not care about their fate?
Yet, although the howling of the storm and the roaring of the sea did not wake Him up, the cries of His disciples do.
With royal authority, Jesus silences the storm. Apparently the disciples did not expect that, when their terror gives way to fear: Who is this, Who have we on board?; even the wind and the sea obey Him.
Is it ever storming in your soul, so badly that you are afraid of perishing?
And it looks like Jesus is sleeping?
When you call on Him in your trouble, He makes it quiet.
Or do you not have faith?
× 0 ×
Twitter: @SchoemakerHarry
Internet: http://harryschoemaker.nl
Website: https://devotionals.harryschoemaker.nl
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/worldwide.ekklesia/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/302675914424623/
About Author
