Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

Mark 4:35-41

³⁵  On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. 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?”

Let us view this parable differently from what is commonly taught. I suggest it can be interpreted as a metaphor for good versus evil, a perspective that is not found in most standard lesson books or even academic commentaries. God sent Jesus to show us that good ALWAYS triumphs over evil. 

Some people claim that Jesus and the forces of good have lost the battle at the cross. However, Jesus and the forces of good won because of the resurrection. 

It is true that the forces of evil are all around us. Whether we are on land or at sea, evil will find us. What will you do if evil finds you? Jesus stood up to evil that appeared in the storm and fought against it. The Gospel passage does not tell us more than his rebuke of the wind. What was this rebuke? A fair question with no answer in the Gospel account. How do you rebuke evil?

Evil had come to attack the disciples. Satan wanted to scare them to the point where they would abandon Jesus. The disciples were shocked that Jesus was asleep. Was He asleep or waiting to see what His disciples were going to do? It did not take long to realize that the disciples panicked. They thought they would die but Jesus rebuked the storm, and all became calm. The lesson is that faith in Jesus will take you through any storm. 

A lack of faith in the LORD and Jesus can certainly ruin your day. I took a course on interpersonal skill-building in 1991. The instructor, Grover Gaucher, told us that only we can ruin our day. If you wake up and prepare to go to work and your car will not start because the battery is dead, how do you react? Most people get quite upset with the situation and tend to use some expletives to express their frustration. They would allow the dead battery to ruin the day. 

What does this have to do with a lack of faith in Jesus? Think about the dead battery being an attack from evil upon you. Evil enjoys frustrating us and getting us angry with our surroundings, thus ruining the day. Some people will ask the question, “So where are you, LORD God, when I need you?” The minute that thought enters your mind you are allowing evil to take over. Today we call that evil “Satan”. He did not ruin the day. Actually, you did, because you allowed Satan’s act to disrupt you. 

A man named Job was wealthy. He had a family, land, and wealth. One day the LORD and Satan made a deal, and Job became the object of the deal. Job lost everything. His family was destroyed. His land turned into a wasteland. His wealth was taken from him. Satan tried to destroy him. But did Job allow Satan to ruin his day? No, Job prayed to the LORD for restoration. Even Job’s friends told him to abandon the LORD and curse His name. But Job refused. He continued to hold on to his faith in the LORD. Eventually, the LORD restored everything to Job that He had lost. 

We can equate Job losing everything he had to the storm on the sea. Satan brought both. Faith in the LORD and Jesus restored the balance between good and evil. Job and Jesus on the boat proved that good will always conquers evil. Thus, if you have faith that the LORD and Jesus will get you through any situation, it will happen. The dead battery would not ruin your day, and it would be viewed as an opportunity to place your faith and trust in the LORD. It is an easy repair and does not take very long to have done. Afterward, you are on your way again. 

Is your faith strong enough that evil is unable to ruin your day? Think about that question the next time something happens that blocks your path. Instead of getting frustrated, angry, or depressed, thus fueling the evil, ask the LORD for direction and protection from this evil force. A view of the world through faith in the LORD is a much better way to live. 

May the LORD bless you in your learning and studying of His Word.