Time and time again I’ve heard the events of Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4:35-41. It’s actually recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke which tells me it’s one of those really significant events that God really wanted us to take notice of. So as I was studying I went backwards to put this event into full context of the time and what I saw blew me away.

Going back to Mark chapter 3 we see that Jesus has just called His disciples and the crowds are starting to follow him taking in his every word. Mark 3:20 says they didnt even have time to eat. Why? Because so many people wanted something from Jesus and they were amazed at his teaching. The heart of the Messiah drew people in and they possibly or probably didn’t know why.  But Mark 3:21 it says “When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.  And then in Mark 3:31-35 it says his family tried to come and see Him, I’m guessing once again to take him home and He says my followers are now my family.  He had to step away from that familial relationship because they did not believe, but Jesus goes on teaching.

Moving into Mark 4 Jesus begins to teach in parables, the parable of the sower is recorded first and then Jesus explains the meaning of the parable to the 12 privately. The first seed Jesus describes in Mark 4:4 is the seed that falls on the footpath and the birds quickly eat it.  When Jesus explains this seed He says… “The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. What I realized was Jesus was actually describing His own family! And the weight of those words He spoke became heavier. Because i am created in the image of God and because i have these strong familial ties I know that Jesus had to have that too. He must have been broken hearted over being rejected and even insulted by his own mother.

After this, we see The Storm.  Usually when the events of Jesus calming this storm are taught it’s in relationship to the storms of life and Jesus being the one who can calm those storms. But what I had never thought about was in the midst of the physical storm that was happening on that sea Jesus too was in the midst of his own storm. He was tired, and hungry and his family called him crazy. The people who should have known him best didn’t believe and turned on him.

The mother who had been visited by the angel telling her she was favored to bear the Messiah simply couldn’t understand. Hebrews 4:15 says “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.” Jesus knows what it’s like to be caught in between your family and the spiritual world. Jesus knows what it’s like to be rejected by those who are supposed to support you. Jesus knows that sometimes we have to give up our families to follow him…counting the cost of eternity and He knows it hurts.

The wonderful truth is that Jesus did calm that storm that day.  And He went back and pursued His family and they believed in Him (see the book of James written by Jesus’ brother). Dear Sister, He knows your storm. He will calm it if you let Him, but it first requires surrendering the storm to Him otherwise we just keep stirring it up. It also requires the faith and trust that He is calming the storm even when we cant see Him working.