envelop spinner search close plus arrow-right arrow-left facebook twitter

Matthew 8:14–34, Mark 4–5 Jesus, do You not Care?

by fol CHURCH on January 22, 2022

Among the stories of people being healed by Jesus, both Matthew and Mark record the occasion when the disciples were caught up in a terrifying storm. Jesus was present but may as well not have been because He was fast asleep! The winds were so fierce that the boat was being swamped by waves. These fishermen, well used to the Sea of Galilee’s unpredictable moods, were convinced they were about to drown.

We can imagine them calling out to Jesus, their voices lost in the gale, then shaking Him until they finally got His attention. Mark adds the detail that they demanded, ‘Do you not care that we are perishing?’ We read how He got up, chiding them for their lack of faith, and simply spoke into the storm, rebuking it, and immediately it was replaced by a great calm.

Both gospels have Jesus continuing on to a curious encounter. The details differ, but the accounts are similar: one or two men are living in caves, so utterly taken over by demons that they were wild and tormented and no one would dare approach them. This was a storm of a different kind. If Legion had been capable of sound thinking, might he have asked, ‘Does no one care that I’m perishing?’ Jesus showed no fear and no confusion. Just as he rebuked the wind, he now rebuked the enemy and gave a memorable physical sign of his power by sending the demons into a herd of pigs that ran into the sea and were drowned.

Whether He was teaching or performing miracles, Jesus brought the kingdom of God into the real-life situations of needy people.

Seeing these situations in the light of the parable of the sower, at the beginning of Mark 4, we conclude that Legion’s heart was good soil. Does that surprise us? Let’s not hold back from sharing the gospel with ‘unlikely’ people. After all, it matters to God that they are perishing.

 

 

 

Things to think about:

Why do you think Jesus was asleep while his disciples were in such need?

Are you still praying for the person in your family or neighbourhood who doesn’t know Jesus? Do you still believe God can save them?

 

 

 

***

Prayer:

Jesus, our thoughts are so different to yours. Help us line up our thinking with your word, which never fails. I choose to speak out in faith that all things are possible with you – no matter how difficult they look from the outside. Amen.

return to Through The Bible