Jesus Calms the Storm

Mark 4: 35 – 41 Storms were and are common on the Sea of Galilee. This sea is an unusual body of water in that it is relatively small (thirteen miles long, seven miles wide), 150 feet deep, and the shoreline is 680 feet below sea level. Because the Sea of Galilee is below sea level and is surrounded by mountains, it is susceptible to sudden storms. Winds that sweep across the land, coming up and over the mountains, create downward air currents over the lake. Combined with a thunderstorm that appears suddenly over the surrounding mountains, the water can heave into violent twenty-foot waves, calm one minute and brutal the next. In this scripture, Jesus and his disciples did not set out in a storm and they did not expect one either. The text tells us there were other boats with him.

Read the story in the gospel of Mark and then tell me if this sounds like a good summary with a hint of historic flavor:

"Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they've seen the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep, for He spoke and raised up a stormy wind which lifted up the waves of the sea. They rose up to the heavens. They went down to the depths. Their soul melted away in their misery. They reeled and staggered like a drunken man and were at their wits end. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to be still so that the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven."  

Do you think that was a pretty good synopsis of this event where Jesus calmed the storm? Well, guess what? That was 107th Psalm, verses 23 - 30, written hundreds of years before the event. Further proof of the amazing awesomeness of the Bible.