For the church to which the evangelist Mark is writing his gospel the world is a combat zone. Everywhere around them they could see evidence that God and Satan are locked in a struggle to the death. It is easy for us, in the midst of the confusion of our time, to identify with that feeling. Then as now, the Church—the people in the boat—is surrounded by chaos. The social order is disrupted and disorderly, even violent. Viciousness and criminality triumph over gentleness and virtue. The forces of nature are destructive and dangerous—droughts, famines, and earthquakes. The chaos outside is mirrored in the life of the Christian community. False leaders appear to lead the weak astray, and conflict arises within families because of the preaching of the Gospel. There are legal entanglements and persecutions to contend with. Demonic forces are hard at work everywhere, and there is uncertainty and fear in the community.
That is what the church of St. Mark was contending with. It is no wonder that the story of the stilling of the sea (4:35-41) resonated with them. They wanted and needed a man of power to save them, a hero, and they found him in Jesus, who "woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace! Be still!' Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm" (4:39). The story proclaims the good news that Jesus has authority over the natural world of wind and waves, just as he demonstrates his power over the supernatural realm, the world of demons and evil spirits, in the story that follows--5:1-20.
It all happens in the evening and that is important for the meaning of the story. Evening is the time when the resurrected Lord appears to his disciples, and this is an Easter evening story. One evening on the Sea of Galilee the disciples are with Jesus in the boat. The boat is the most ancient symbol of the Church. The Church is the ark of salvation; like the ark of Noah, it is mankind's only source of life and salvation in a dangerous and potentially deadly world. Suddenly a storm breaks upon the tiny boat, and Jesus' disciples are terrified by the apocalyptic chaos that surrounds them.
But where is Jesus? The gospel writer tells us he is right there in the stern of boat, asleep on the cushion. He is apparently serene and untroubled by the violence of the storm; he is certain of his power to command—but the disciples aren't so sure. And in to those chaotic moments when our lives seem most out of control we are also tempted to wonder where the Lord is and whether he cares about our predicament. We mistake detachment for indifference.
So do the disciples. They wake Jesus with a rebuke about his lack of concern—"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing." You see, they could be as passive-aggressive as we sometimes are. Mark is always at pains to place the first followers of Jesus in the most unflattering light possible. They are cowards. They are "perishers." They are not even sure what they expect him to do for them.
But the response Jesus makes is immediate and decisive—as it always is in Mark's gospel. He is never a perisher, like us. He commands the howling wind—"Peace! Be still!" Literally he says—"Be muzzled!" Or in even more vulgar language—"Shut up!" It is in exactly these words and with this tone that Jesus addresses demons—Mark 1:25. No nonsense. And sure enough the wind ceases, and there is a dead calm. A natural explanation is possible, of course; the storm may have just blown itself out. But that is not the point for Mark , for whom Jesus is the Man of Power, who has the authority to rebuke both demons and the demonic energies of the natural world.
He rebukes the cowardly disciples too. "Why are you afraid?" he wants to know. "Have you still no faith?" And we need to notice that fear is made the opposite of faith, not doubt, which is just its absence. When it comes to following Jesus, faith and courage are one and the same. The miracle of the stilling of the sea impresses the disciples, but it does not create faith in them. They are still "perishers." They are filled with "great awe," but they are not illuminated. At the end of the story they are left asking—"Who then is this, that even the winds obey him?" Miracles may produce the awestruck question—Who then is this?--but the disciples do not have the "Easter evening faith" necessary to frame the right answer—Jesus is the powerful Lord of the Church. But we do. The Holy Spirit, the presence of Jesus, provides that faith. We know that in the midst of the chaos of our lives the Lord is always in the boat with us, and not only "the wind and the sea," but all the powers that worry and harass us "obey him.
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