Who Is This?
By Shirley Mitchell
“That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don't you care if we drown?’
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’
They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’
Mark 4:35-41
Jesus and the disciples were in a furious squall; the waves were breaking over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. Verse 37 says that Jesus was sleeping. The disciples woke Him up and said, “Teacher don’t you care if we drown?” Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” The disciples were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him?” WHO IS THIS?
They understood Him to be Teacher and Rabbi. They understood Him to be the Jewish Messiah who would release them from captivity – they thought from the Roman oppression. However, they didn’t realize that it would be much greater than earthly power. He would release them from spiritual bondage.
They had seen the miracles of healing and the casting out of the demons. As men who knew the sea, they understood the great physical power of the sea and its ability to swallow a man within seconds. They knew the force of the water. They were familiar with man’s inability to combat and tame lightning. Man had subdued and captured some wild creatures, but man’s only protection against lightning was to flee to shelter.
So when they heard His simple words that commanded the storm to be still, they were in awe of His strength. It was hard for their minds to wrap around who He was. Even though they had walked with Him for some time, He was still mysterious and intriguing to them. They did not understand the fullness of His power as the Son of God.
If you’ve walked with God very long, the more you know Him, the more you realize that you’ve only started to know Him because He is so much more than our limited minds can fathom. He calmed the storm because the storm was subject to Him since He was the Creator and in control.
Job 38:35 says that God sends the lightning bolts on their way, and they report to Him, “Here we are.” John’s words in the opening part of his Gospel in verse 3 say, “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” Colossians 1:16 says, “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” Everything was made by God’s will speaking it into existence through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord our God created the world. “The Lord our God is one,” echad which means “one.” It is a compound unity noun. This grammar structure is important because it demonstrates oneness or unity, but at the same time contains several entities. It holds to the oneness of God, yet includes Jesus as part of the plural (tri-fold) unity. For example, echad is used in Gen 1:5 to speak of one day referring to both morning and evening.
“The Lord our God is one,” echad, did not create the universe then hide in heaven because His created world was raging out of His control. When Jesus came to earth, He did not lay down His power until the crucifixion. He exhibited His power in accordance with God’s will for His life on earth.
In John 10:25, Jesus says, “The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me.” The miracles that Jesus did in His Father’s name speak for Him that He is the Christ, the promised Messiah for the Jews. Jesus taught through performing miracles something that could not be taught through His teaching discourses or His parables. He provided proof that the Messiah had come and that the kingdom of God was being manifested upon the earth. He revealed Himself in new ways to continue to stretch the disciples’ minds at the glimpses of greatness of our God. They were awestruck!
Pray with me: Dear Heavenly Lord, You are all powerful. Jesus, You are mighty! Holy Spirit, You are all powerful! I worship You. My heart is filled with praise and worship to You. When I think of the power that You possess, the world that You control, the nations that You have full authority over, I am awestruck! I am speechless! You are still mysterious and intriguing to me. Stretch my mind. Reveal Yourself in new ways. Give me glimpses of Your Greatness so that my heart can worship You more! It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, I pray. Amen.
Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study, Copyright ©2008 Christ Compels