Commentaries:
As the Son of God and with only the power of His word, Christ speaks, and the wind ceases. After the fierce storm relents, a great calm descends. This miracle over the environment contrasts the disharmony, disorder, and confusion of nature against the power, order, and peace of the Creator (Psalm 89:9).
Christ treats this storm and the sea as if they were antagonistic and rebelling forces under a dominating, unrestrained power, but His word is sufficient to calm them, just as it commands demons to leave those who are possessed. Conflicts and rebellions have their source in Satan, the author of confusion in both the physical and spiritual worlds. Physical evils in nature and among mankind are among Satan's works that Jesus came to overcome and destroy.
When Jesus speaks to calm the storm, Mark indicates that He addresses more than a meteorological force but a being behind it. When He commands the sea, "Peace, be still!" the Greek phrase means "be muzzled or gagged," as though the storm were a maniac that had to be bound and restrained.
The waves of the world still rage against Christ's disciples, yet they will never be overwhelmed because Christ is in them (Psalm 46:1-3; 93:3-4).
Martin G. Collins
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Stilling a Storm
Two miracles of Jesus Christ recorded in Scripture tell of Him calming storms on the Sea of Galilee. The first miracle of this type appears in Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; and Luke 8:22-25. For Jesus, this is a day of both significant teaching, including the seven parables of Matthew 13, and considerable testing. He is sought by concerned friends, His mother, and half-brothers, and is accused of being demon-possessed by some who think that He is not in His right mind.
These things, along with performing this miracle, leave Jesus physically and mentally tired. Mark indicates that He shows signs of fatigue from incessant interruptions and distractions by the people pursuing Him. Yet, He unselfishly gives Himself to serve others. Because of the large crowds still gathering around Him, He tells His disciples to take Him in their small boat to the quieter region of Perea across the Sea of Galilee.
Once on board, Jesus falls asleep on a pillow, an item normally found among the sparse furnishings of that type of boat. A storm rises suddenly, terrifying the disciples. Mark describes the waves beating into the boat and filling it. Luke expresses the disciples' urgency by repeating the Greek word epistates, which means "Master, Master!" or "Rabbi, Rabbi!" However, because of His complete trust in His Almighty Father's care and protection, and His knowledge that He had God-given power over the winds and the sea, Jesus remains peacefully asleep.
Martin G. Collins
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Stilling a Storm
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Matthew 8:23-27
Mark 4:35-41
Luke 4:39
Luke 8:22-25
Library resources that contain this verse:
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