Peace, Be Still


Mark 4:35–41
35On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38But he 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?” 39And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

In 1986, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, during a year of low water levels, this boat was found. It is about 2,000 years old and is quite likely very similar to the one we find in this text. Looking at the size of this craft one can easily come to realize the fear the disciples felt as a storm seizes the sea and thrashes the boat about. This particular artifact can be seen today at a humidity and temperature controlled museum near the Sea of Galilee.

This story is a favorite of Christians around the world and has the been the subject of many famous paintings throughout the centuries including this one by Rembrandt (1632). If you spend time looking at it closely you will be able to see the faces of each person in the boat. If you’ve a mind to you can even try to determine which disciple is which based what we know of them from the Gospels (and history) and their positions in the boat compared to the position of Jesus (in the lower right corner of the painting.) This particular painting was stolen in 1990 from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and has not been recovered. Right now, there is a $10,000,000 reward being offered for its return, in case you know where it is!

The story is a simple one. Jesus and the disciples board a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee after the sun has set. As they cross in the darkness of night, a storm sweeps across the sea and threatens to sink the small boat. Naturally, the disciples are terrified. This could easily end their lives. And what is Jesus doing? He’s sleeping! Only a person in perfect peace can sleep through the terror. The disciples rouse Him and question His care for them. “Do you not care that we are perishing?” Of course He cares. But he also wants them to trust Him and clearly they aren’t there yet. His words to the storm could (are) spoken into our hearts. “Peace! Be still!” How many times a day do I need to hear those words spoken to me by the Savior? More than I can count!

Finally, one wonders about the possible metaphoric meaning of this pericope. It is not difficult to see the church as characterized by the boat, the disciples as the believers, navigating the sea as the journey of life, the wind and the waves as the storms of life, the pleas of the disciples as the prayers of believers for help, and Jesus as the Lord of both the church and the world—with the meaning being that the Lord of the church, though seeming to be asleep and uncaring about what his people are enduring, will arise in due time to bring to them salvation.
Voelz, J. W. ©2013. Concordia Commentary: Mark 1:1–8:26. (pp. 338–339). St. Louis, MO: CPH.

Clearly this text is rich with meaning and depth. For me, the power lies in those three simple words – Peace, be still. There isn’t much stillness in the world anymore. It requires an intentional effort to dwell inside of some silence and peace. And when things become crazy, that peace can be illusive. I pray that we can all hear the voice of Jesus, sometimes having to cut through the wind and waves, calling us into His peace, and then may the chaos of our hearts be stilled.

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