This morning I was reading in a book sent me for evaluation by a publisher. It was the latest book from the pen of Timothy Keller, entitled King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus (NY: Dutton (Penguin Group), 2011). I was struck by the way the author handled the story of Jesus and the stormy sea in Mark 4: 35-41.

Storms are and were common on the Sea of Galilee. The sea lies about 650 feet below sea level and Mount Hermon rises 9200 feet nearby. When cold air from the mountain clashes with the warm air rising from the Sea, spectacular and unexpected thunderstorms occur. That means that anyone sailing regularly on the Sea of Galilee is an expert at it. So the storm mentioned in the text, and its consequences for the boat, must have been unusually severe, because the disciples of Jesus were overwhelmed enough to wake Jesus up hoping for some help.

According to the story in Mark, Jesus awoke and two amazing things happened. The wind immediately died down and the sea became calm ("a great calm"), smooth as glass. All in an instant. Both events together was amazing, since it usually takes a while for the sea to calm down after a storm abates.

There is a further element to the story. Jesus doesn’t wave a wand or recite an incantation, the way someone does when they are calling on a higher power. Jesus simply says, "Quiet! Be still!" (Two different Greek words to say roughly the same thing). He spoke as one who had authority over such things.

There was a consensus among the ancients that the sea was uncontrollable by anyone other than God or the chief among the gods. It was a symbol of unstoppable destruction. The ocean was so ungovernable that only God could control it. But Jesus was able to effortlessly exercise the kind of power that only God has. He did not just have power that was derived from His connection to someone or something else, He was power. That power resided within Himself. He was Lord of the storm. For us today, that means that no matter what shape the world is in, Jesus can provide all the healing, power and rest that we need.

But there is still more to the story. In the face of the storm, the disciples were afraid. Mark 4:40. But after Jesus calms the storm, the disciples are terrified ("fearing with great fear")! Mark 4:41. They were more terrified in the calm than they were in the storm. Why? Because they came to realize that Jesus is as uncontrollable as a storm. The storm had immense power, they couldn’t control it, it’s no wonder they were afraid. But now they realized that Jesus had even more power than the storm, so He was even more uncontrollable!

Why was this so terrifying? In part, it was the realization that Jesus didn’t have to wait until the boat was almost swamped to intervene. He could have stopped the storm at any time or even completely prevented it if He had wanted to. The natural question in the disciples’ minds was, "Do you really love us? Because if you really loved us, you would have kept this storm from happening." But Jesus doesn’t buy into their line of thinking (and often ours). The implication of His question, "Why are you so afraid?", is that their basic premise was wrong. "You should have known better. I do allow people I love to pass through storms. Why don’t you just trust me?" Mark 4:40.

It reminds me of the Chronicles of Narnia. When one of the children asks if the lion Aslan is safe, the beaver replies, "‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king." In Mark’s story Jesus is most certainly not safe. He is even more uncontrollable than the stormy sea. But there is a big difference between Jesus and the stormy sea. A storm doesn’t love you. Nor does the sea care one bit. Nature is an unfeeling and unmanageable power that will get you sooner or later, in one way or another. In many ways Jesus seems similar; unmanageable power that leaves a trail of suffering in my life. But the Bible portrays Jesus as more than just powerful. He is also infinitely wise and infinitely loving. His power is without boundary, but so also are His wisdom and love. If the disciples had understood this, they would not have been terrified at Him. They would have realized that He could love someone and still let bad things happen to them, because He knows better than they do. We serve a God who is great enough and wise enough to have reasons we cannot understand. He is beyond my biggest notion of what He is up to. He’s the king.