Reading and hearing the Gospel of Mark 4:35-41

Reading the Gospel aloud invites the audience to experience human encounters with the divine as revealed in the Bible.  We can leave interpretation and meaning to members of the clergy and other scholars. What we are most interested in as lay readers is the human experience found in the narrative.

“…they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. ³⁸But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion…”

This excerpt from Mark 4:35-41 is included in the revised common lectionary provided by the Vanderbilt Divinity Library. The text is from the NRSV. You can hear a recording of this passage here.

First Impressions

‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’

The disciples are men who have lived their lives by the wind and the sea. They are fishermen. They respect the forces of nature.  When a great gale rises up and the boat is in danger of being swamped they know only too well what can come next.

And so, they are in awe of what actually does happen next because they know that no man is able to command the wind and the sea.

This short passage is filled with drama and sharp contrasts between calm and storm; between human understanding and faith.  A straightforward voyage to “the other side” becomes a transforming experience that leads the apostles to fear, question, and wonder at what it is they have gotten themselves into.  Who is this then…?

This is an exciting narrative that is designed to make a dramatic impression and force us to confront the prospect of experiences that are far beyond our understanding of how the world works and the prospect of powers at work in nature and the world that truly awe inspiring.

The larger question being asked is: what is going on here?

Text Analysis

As we analyze the text, we are looking for keys to the subtext.  We look for words that serve as keys that unlock this paradigm shifting experience. It’s the evening an eventful day when things should be quieting down. They are leaving a crowd behind them, “as is.” Some others follow in boats. Small boats are always vulnerable, but there is still a sense of security in numbers. There is little to suggest that a most unsettling and astonishing experience lies ahead.

Suddenly a great gale descends from the sky above. The water erupts from below. Waves are beating into the boat.  Alliteration is at work in the text.  The words are expansive and battering. The apostles are being swamped.  Things are out of control and the apostles are being overwhelmed.

“We are perishing!” This is a situation of life and death.  But Jesus is asleep!  Upon waking, he rebukes the wind. He does not rage at the storm like King Lear. He does not appear to be annoyed at being woken up. He simply commands that the sea be at peace and still.

He does not rebuke the apostles. He calmly asks why they are afraid, suggesting further that faith is the antidote to all fear.

This is beyond extraordinary behavior for anyone. The apostles must have become still at that moment.

 Reading this passage aloud

Evening calm suddenly becomes a tempest. The reading begins with calm; a slow end-of-the-day rhythm. There is a nano-second of stillness as we imagine a small flotilla of boats embarking, and before drama suddenly erupts quickly and forcefully.

Then the words need to rush out as the waters rush in. The words “great gale” and “beating into the boat”, buffet and lash the scene. The apostles panic and clearly fear for their lives. Their voices need to be urgent.

In contrast, Jesus is comfortably asleep on a cushion. The voice of Jesus is calm throughout. The panic of the apostles makes the calm of Jesus more pronounced.  His focus is less on the storm and more on the inner turmoil of his apostles.

The reality of the apostles is instantly reoriented from the storm to the awesome prospect that this is no ordinary man.  This is an experience unlike any other.  And we are all left with a wave rising inside of us, a burning question:  who is this?

What do you hear in this passage from Mark?