Mark 4:35-41 - A Great Storm. A Great Calm. A Great Fear.

Imagine getting into the boat with Jesus. The day had been full—Jesus teaching crowds along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Now, He leads His disciples to the other side. The water is calm, the breeze gentle, and the sky painted with sunset. But suddenly, without warning, calm gives way to chaos. A fierce storm erupts. Winds howl, waves crash into the boat, and fear grips your heart. You panic. And there, asleep in the stern, is Jesus—the one who called you into this very boat. How could He be sleeping in a storm like this?

This moment in Mark 4 isn’t just a dramatic sea story. It’s the first nature miracle in Mark’s Gospel, and it invites us to behold the glory and power of Jesus. He doesn’t just calm storms—He commands them. With a word, the wind and waves obey. But even more amazing is the quiet trust of Jesus asleep in the boat. He’s exhausted from ministry, but also perfectly at peace. Why? Because He knows this is not the storm that will take His life. He knows His mission, and He trusts His Father. The same Jesus who slept in peace amid a raging sea is with us in every storm. His presence is not a sign of distance—but of divine peace.

There’s another story—Jonah 1—that echoes this one. Jonah slept through a storm too, but his was a sleep of avoidance, a false peace. Jonah had to be thrown into the sea so others might live. But Jesus silences the storm with a word—something Jonah couldn’t do. Yet Jesus too would be thrown into a storm—not on Galilee, but on the cross. There, He would face the chaos of divine justice in the place of sinners. He would be forsaken, so we never would. And just as He calmed the sea, Jesus conquered death—rising on the third day to bring eternal peace to all who trust in Him.

Friend, Jesus may not always calm the storm right away—but He is always in the boat. And if He has already stilled the greatest storm—God’s righteous wrath against our sin—then we can trust Him with every lesser storm. Romans 8:32 reminds us: “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” The cross silences our fears. The resurrection assures us of the calm to come. So take heart—if you’ve left the comfort of the crowd to follow Jesus, He may lead you through deep waters. But He is with you. And the winds and waves still know His name.

Main Point – Because Jesus is sovereign over the storms, we can trust He is with us through the storm.

Outline – 3 movements

1. Jesus Sends
2. Jesus Sleeps
3. Jesus Silences

Study Questions

1. Where in the OT does God display His authority over creation, namely the sea? How might this validate our belief that Jesus is truly God and truly man.
2. What does Jesus’ sleep during the storm teach us about trusting God’s sovereignty in trials? How might passages like Psalm 121:3–4 and Isaiah 26:3 shape your perspective on God’s care and peace?
3. Why do you think Jesus led His disciples into the storm instead of around it? How does James 1:2–4 help explain God’s purpose in our suffering?
4. What kind of fear do the disciples express after Jesus calms the storm? How is this different from panic or anxiety? Read Psalm 33:6–9 and Hebrews 12:28–29. What does it look like to walk in reverent awe of Jesus today?
5. Read Jonah 1 and Mark 4:35-41. Note the parallels and differences. How does the greater storm of the cross give us assurance in the lesser storms of life?