Chapter # 4 Paragraph # 9 Study # 3
August 4, 2020
Moss Bluff, Louisiana

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NASB

37 And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.
38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"
39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.
40 And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"

• I. The Coming of a "Hurricane" (the definition given by the Logos Library System 2.0).
  • A. The "gale" of wind (NASB).
    • 1. The "gale" is a lailaps. The word is used three times in the New Testament. (Luke 8:23 is the same as Mark 4:37 and 1 Peter 2:17 is a metaphoric use in a description of false teachers). The Logos Library contains the definition, "hurricane", but that is unlikely on the sea of Galilee if taken as "literal". It is the result of a great wind and produced high and deadly waves.
      • a. One of the most obvious, and therefore overlooked, issues of this "gale of wind" is that it has stirred up a "sea of water" that is deadly to any/all who breathe air, yet cannot deliver themselves if cast into it.
        • 1) Water is both absolutely necessary for "life" and deadly if one is subjected to "too much".
        • 2) The disciples were not, typically, afraid of being in a boat on the Sea of Galilee because the occasions of "storms" were not their normal experience. But, put them in a boat on that sea and bring a massive storm into play and their "fear" becomes totally dominating. This "fear" is a testament to the deeply held values of the heart.
          • a) It is in such situations that "truth" surfaces in respect to professions of "love" and "faith".
          • b) It is because of that "truth" that such events come our way: "fears" cannot be overcome except by confrontation of them and "love" and "faith" be rearranged.
      • b. The "greatness" of the "gale" is, most likely, the reason for the translation "hurricane".
        • 1) Mark uses this descriptor in 17 texts, the first of which is 1:26; a description of the sound produced by the demon whom Jesus had commanded to "come out" of the man in the synagogue who objected to Jesus' presence and teaching.
        • 2) Mark's next use is in 4:32 where it twice refers to the size of both the mustard plant and its branches.
        • 3) 4:37 is our current text.
        • 4) 4:39 describes the "greatness" of the calm that "came into being" upon His word.
        • 5) 4:41 is a description of the amount of fear that came over the disciples because of the events in this paragraph.
        • 6) 5:7 is like unto 1:26 except that in 5:7 it is the result of "Legion" being commanded by Jesus to "come out of the man". It is highly likely that the creation of such a loud sound is a display of the magnitude of the resisting disappointment of the unclean spirits who are about to lose their "host body".
        • 7) 5:11 uses the word to describe the size of the herd of swine (numbering about 2,000).
        • 8) 5:42 describes the level of response that is given when Jesus raises the daughter of Jairus, an official of the synagogue from the dead ("...they were completely astounded...").
        • 9) 9:34 presents the disciples arguing over who was "the greatest".
        • 10) 10:42 defines the rulers of the Gentiles as "their great men".
        • 11) 10:43 uses the same concept to identify the "lust" of the disciples for "greatness".
        • 12) 12:31 says there are no "greater" commandments than "Love God...love your neighbor".
        • 13) 13:2 uses this word to describe the impressiveness of the Temple.
        • 14) 14:15 uses this word to describe the size of the room where the Last Supper was to take place (this, perhaps, is the least "impressive" use of the word).
        • 15) 15:34 and 37 both describe Jesus' "loud" cry on the cross; the first, a quote from Psalm 22:1 and the subsequent one, His final utterance at death.
        • 16) 16:4 is Mark's final use and it describes the "extremely large" stone that had been used to seal off the tomb where Jesus was laid.
    • 2. The essence of the "gale": a "wind".
      • a. This word is used in 6 of Mark's texts (4:37, 39, 41; 6:48, 51; and 13:27) with 5 of them referring to storms on the sea of Galilee with Jesus calming the wind in 4:39 and walking in its midst upon the water in 6:48.
        • 1) Both of these records involve great winds blowing upon the sea, preventing the disciples' progress.
        • 2) Both of these records involve Jesus causing the winds to cease.
        • 3) Both of these records involve a "fearful" set of disciples.
        • 4) Both of these records are followed by a great number of those who "recognize" Him (demons in the first case, people wanting healing in the second).
      • b. The only other use is in 13:27 where Jesus says the angels will gather the elect "from the four winds". This implies that the "winds" are the reason the elect are scattered to the far reaches of earth and heaven (the record of Luke in Acts 8:1 and 11:19 tells of a "scattering" of the church by means of a persecution and this may well be an action that mirrors that of demonic opposition to the Gospel).
      • c. In a "behind-the-scene" peek, Revelation 7:1 reveals a participation of four angelic persons who are seen "holding back the four winds of the earth" whose intent is "to harm the earth and sea" (7:2-3). This raises the possibility of angelic (demonic) activity in attempting to harm the disciples/Jesus. It is clear from John 13:27 that Satan was directing Iscariot in the betrayal and following crucifixion of Jesus. It is, then, no surprise at all that as soon as "the boat" reached land, a "Legion" of demons confronted Jesus in some trepidation because the "hurricane" was unable to accomplish its intention.
  • B. "Comes into existence" (Present Indicative; emphatic historical narrative).
    • 1. Mark used this verb in 43 texts of his record; seven of these uses are present tense, 3rd person, indicative.
    • 2. At first, a normal experience upon a deceptive surface of the sea; then, "a fierce gale of wind is coming".

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This is article #177.
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