It had been an incredibly long day. Jesus had spent most of the day teaching the people, telling one parable after another. He was tired, the group was tired, and he could see that even Jesus was tired. He hadn’t been so thankful for sunset in a long time. As the last rays of the sun disappeared on the western horizon, the last of the people trickled away toward their homes for the night. He was ready for sleep himself.
But instead, Jesus said, “Let us cross over to the other side.” (Mark 4:35)
Wordlessly, Peter stood up and helped Jesus to His feet. The other disciples got up as well, and they all walked silently over to Peter’s boat, too tired to say much of anything. As they tumbled into the boat, Peter noticed that some of the people who had been there all day came back and got into their boats as well. Peter smiled. He understood their eagerness to be wherever Jesus was.
Everyone took their place on the boat, the fisherman grabbing the ropes with experienced hands, while the others found comfortable places to sit down and rest. The evening was beautiful. A gentle breeze blew across the water causing ripples of water to rhythmically slap against the side of the boat. The moon slowly rose and shined brighter and brighter on the sea. It was the perfect ending to the day. Peter loved being on the water.
Peter was so caught up with his surroundings as they made their way slowly across the Sea of Galilee, that he hadn’t noticed the progressively darkening sky or the wind gradually getting stronger. It wasn’t until a flash of lightening split the sky that he realized a storm was fast approaching.
No worries. He had been through countless storms during his career as a professional fisherman. He looked around the boat and saw that his former partners were already preparing the boat for the storm. This storm would blow over soon. These storms always did.
But rather than dissipating, the storm kept growing stronger and stronger. It was all Peter could do to keep hold of the ropes he was in charge of. He looked over at Andrew, James, and John and saw that they, too, were struggling at their stations on the boat. Peter began calling out to the other disciples giving them directions on what they could do to help. They needed all hands on deck for this storm.
The boat began to pitch precariously. The waves were now high enough to break over the sides of the boat. The wind was whipping around so fiercely that they couldn’t even talk to each. No sound could get past the wind.
A strong, tall wave crashed on the deck and the boat shuddered. Peter looked wildly around the boat at all the men working so hard to stay the course. Peter could see the terror in their eyes. They had never been through a storm like this.
A deafening thunder crack and a simultaneous lightning strike caused Peter to whip his attention to the back of the boat. The brief moment of light revealed Jesus, stretched out at the back of the boat, sound asleep, not bothered at all by the raging storm. For a moment Peter wondered how he had forgotten about Jesus. But then he knew. He had been too busy with battling the storm to think about much of anything else.
Peter grabbed the closest disciple and handed him the ropes he had been holding, and then he carefully and painfully made his way to the back of the boat. He was knocked over more than once and would have been swept off the boat had he not been holding one of the side rails so tightly. Peter could see John out of the corner of his eye making his own way to the back of the boat. John must have remembered Jesus’ presence about the same time he had.
Peter and John reached Jesus at just about the same time. They grabbed His shoulders and began to shake Jesus awake. As Jesus came to consciousness, they cried over the roar of the storm, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38)
Once those words were out of their mouths, Peter wished he could take them back. Pain flashed in Jesus’ eyes for a moment as though the words had slapped Him across the face. Of course Jesus cared, Peter thought. What a stupid thing to say! But before Peter could apologize, the pain left Jesus’ eyes and was replaced with loving concern. Jesus smiled at Peter and John and grabbed Peter’s arm as He stood up.
Jesus wobbled to the side of the boat and grabbed the hand rail. Staring out at the roiling sea, Jesus “rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:39)
The instant silence was deafening. Some of the disciples fell onto the deck at the sudden ceasing of rocking. Peter would have found that funny if they hadn’t just been close to losing their lives and then being miraculously saved by the word of the Master.
Once everyone on the boat had regained their composure, they surrounded Jesus and voiced their thanks for what He had just done.
Jesus turned and looked at those in the group. All were soaking wet and yet filled with relief. In response to their gratefulness, Jesus gently asked, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40)
Jesus reached out and squeezed Peter’s shoulder, and then He returned to the back of the boat leaving the group to their thoughts.
“And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’” (Mark 4:41)
The disciples scattered around the boat to clean up the mess and to guide the boat to the shore. But Peter stood where he was transfixed. He stared at the once again sleeping form of Jesus with a heart filled with wonder. Peter wanted what Jesus had. Peter wanted to be like Jesus. He didn’t know how, but he knew that if he stuck with Jesus, someday, somehow, he would be transformed into Jesus’ likeness. Peter looked up into the clear night sky and breathed a pleading prayer to Jehovah God. And then he turned and joined the others.
Peter, the other disciples, and those who had followed along were all caught up in the fiercest storm they had ever experienced. They tried everything their professional training and taught them to do. Nothing worked. They were losing the battle against the sea. They were becoming exhausted by the fight. The storm almost took their lives. And then, when all else failed, they remembered Jesus. They ran to Him with their problem, and with a word from Jesus, peace reigned in an instant.
I wonder, what if they had remembered Jesus at the first sign of rain instead of thinking that their own abilities would be enough to weather the storm? Perhaps they would have been spared this horrible experience. When we face such fierce storms, when do we remember Jesus? Let’s run to Jesus at the first drops of rain.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)
This is why Binding Broken Hearts is passionate about getting God’s Word into prisons and into the hands of inmates who so desperately need it so they can know that true peace can be immediately found in Jesus through His Word. Because these are men and women who need Jesus most.
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