Jesus calms the storm and helps us overcome the fears that come with the adversities that come our way in life. When reference is made to a storm at sea, we think it is something very impressive.
However, there are storms that plague us during our lives that are very similar to those that nature offers us and that go back to the time of Jesus and his disciples, since in the sea he demonstrated his power and calmed that storm to teach him a lesson. to his disciples.
Jesus calms the storm. Reflection
Before analyzing this phrase “Jesus calms the storm” we must know the meaning of the words. According to the Greek the term storm is written seismós (σεισμός) which comes from the word seismo, which refers to an earthquake.
This gives us an idea of the magnitude of that storm to which reference is made in the Bible to explain the teaching about Jesus calming the storm, since it had manifested suddenly with strong and scandalous winds that formed his giant waves that made the boat rock almost to the point of sinking.
In this regard, in the Bible it appears that the waves covered the boat: “But a great storm of wind arose, and the waves threw into the boat, in such a way that it was already drowning.“(Mark 4:37)” On the other hand, in the book of the prophet Jonah we can find another story of sailors, who found themselves trapped in the middle of a terrible storm: (Jonah 1:4-5) “But Jehovah caused a great wind to rise on the sea, and there was such a great storm in the sea that it was thought that the ship would break. And the sailors were afraid, and each one cried out to his god” (Jonah 1:4-5)
You should also read:
In this sense, both the disciples of Jesus and the sailors who appear in Jonah’s story had to fight to control the ship, and we must not forget the fact that these were mostly experienced fishermen, who were raised in the sea.
However, the storm was so great that the efforts were not enough. Thus, in Jonah’s story, we can find that the sailors were also afflicted as they tried to fight against the storm to prevent the ship from sinking, while Jonah slept.
Likewise, Jesus slept in the middle of the storm and his disciples felt great fear. In Matthew it appears that the disciples cried: Lord, save us, we are perishing! Marcos says that they shouted: “Master, don’t you care that we perish?” While Lucas says that they said “Master, Master, we are perishing!”, (Luke 8:24).
So you can see that everyone was screaming in panic and crying out for Jesus to help them, but they didn’t realize that the help would be given to them because of their faith and belief that together with Jesus, they would be safe. The same happens in the daily life of people, in which adversities can overcome their beliefs and make them think that all is lost. But if we are hand in hand with Jesus, we can weather any storm and learn life lessons. Although in some cases the teaching is very hard and painful.
Strangely while these events were taking place in which the disciples feared for their lives, Jesus remained asleep in the stern of the boat. “And he was in the stern, sleeping on a headrest”, (Mark 4:38).
In the scriptures they show the tranquility of Jesus in the midst of the great storm in contrast to the panic of his disciples. This demonstrates the confidence and security that he had in his heavenly Father. For which neither the strong sound of the wind nor the enormous size of the waves and not even the constant rocking of the ship could wake him up.
This allows us to clearly see how we should act when we are submerged in a storm of this magnitude, since the trust placed in Jesus will allow us to rest in his lap and not lose control in the face of situations, problems and difficult moments that come our way.
However, he has mercy on us and understands our weakness and does not judge us, but shows us the way to achieve that peace that surpasses all understanding.
This scene where Jesus calms the storm shows us that when we have faith, peace is with us even though we are in the midst of the worst moments of our lives.
In the story referring to Jonah, the sailors wake up Jonah and realize that the storm had arisen due to the presence of the prophet on the ship, as can be seen in the following quote: “He answered themTake me and throw me into the sea, and the sea will be still for you; because I know that because of me this great storm has come upon you”, (Jonah 1:11-12).
But this option did not seem the right one to them, so they decided to continue fighting on their own: “And those men worked to bring the ship back to land; but they could not, because the sea was becoming more and more rough against them” ()
Currently we can find many people who act like these sailors, who are shown the way to salvation, but decide to continue making an effort to solve their problems on their own, despite the fact that many of these problems are quite strong. Which turns out to be exhausting trying to bear all the load, when we must consider that Jesus calms the storm and has the power to control all the situation that adversely affects us.
Returning to the story of the disciples of Jesus in the midst of the storm, we can note their little faith in the face of a difficult situation they were going through, to which Jesus rebuked them, telling them that they were men of little faith because despite having seen the miracles , they let fear take over them and because of that they lost their calm. However, by looking for Jesus and trying to wake him up, they showed their trust in him.
This can show us that faith goes hand in hand with courage and trusting in God has to do with not letting ourselves be cornered by the hard tests of life and if we have confidence in the providence of the Lord, it will bring us the peace of God even in in the midst of the most adverse situations. In this way, in the path of Christianity we cannot avoid going through the storms in life, which at a certain moment can even destroy us, especially if we are not firm in the faith.
Important aspects about the teachings of Jesus in the midst of the storm
When Jesus is in the middle of the storm with his disciples, there are different aspects that must be analyzed and compared with our daily life, in order to have the necessary tools to cope with adversity and trust him, such aspects are the following:
1.- The fear of dying
When the disciples were in the middle of the storm, they came to feel great anguish and were afraid of drowning, since most of those who went in that boat knew what the Sea of Galilee and its storms were like. This left us some lessons:
- God tested faith in everyday life.
- The difficult tests of life show us the inability of the human being, even when we think we were in control of the situation.
- In the end, these situations eliminate our pride and show us that we are not self-sufficient and that we need Jesus.
In this sense, the message of the boat teaches us that while the disciples fought against the storm to stabilize the boat, the Lord was sleeping. But they thought it was a bit irresponsible, so they woke him up rudely.
And in many cases we think that God is not interested in our problems, that he does not respond to our requests. But we must understand that Jesus calms the storm even when we think he does not listen to us, since he works at his own time and gives us life lessons that sometimes we do not understand at the moment. Everything has a purpose of being and everything is at God’s time. So we must be patient and trust him.
2.- The lack of faith
Fear in humans is normal, since seeing ourselves in danger is the most natural reaction. But when everything is placed in God’s hands, we can be sure that he will not forsake us. So in the case of the disciples the greatest danger was not the storm but the lack of faith, since without it it is impossible to please God.
3.- Obedience is the key
In the story of which we have mentioned, Jesus showed his authority to stop the storm, asking the wind and the sea to calm down and immediately everything calmed down. This opened the eyes and the minds of the disciples to the power that Jesus had to calm that storm. Therefore, just as nature obeyed his command, men also had to do it.
In this sense, it can be safely stated that Jesus calms the storm beyond our vision and understanding, since he acts supernaturally and makes impossible things possible.
You can also read:
Therefore, it is difficult for us to understand his way of acting in our lives, making our faith weaken. But if we are firm and faithful to his word even though we walk through valleys of death, in storms and very hard tests, we will trust that his will is perfect.