Mk.4:39-41 – Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
This short passage shows the two kinds of fear that we can experience. The first fear, us folks in Southeast Louisiana are quite familiar with, there is a storm bearing down on us and we are afraid of what may happen, the disciples were afraid they were going to lose their lives. This fear comes from a heart that is not close to the Lord, that’s why Jesus rebuked them. When He stepped in and calmed the storm another kind of fear came into play, you know, the fear of God. Suddenly they realized God was there as they saw His power on display. Often this is what it takes for us, the power of God will quickly affect people and bring them under the influence of the fear of God. Here is how Matthew Henry describes this moment.
“The impression this miracle had on the disciples is expressed here differently. In Matthew it is said, The men marveled; here it is said, They feared greatly (they were terrified). Now their fear was put right by their faith. When they feared the wind and the sea, it was for lack of the reverence they should have had for Christ. But now that they saw a demonstration of his power over the wind and sea, they feared them less, and him more. They feared the power and wrath of the Creator in the storm, and that fear contained stunned torment, but now they feared the power and grace of the Redeemer in the calm, and that had pleasure and satisfaction in it. They said, What manner of man is this? (Who is this?) Surely more than a man, for even the winds and the seas obey him.”
Our secular world is quite unfamiliar with the fear of God. We think we are guided by science and human intelligence but often that is just not enough. That’s what happened to the disciples, these experienced fishermen were caught by surprise by the sudden storm and they had no answers for their dilemma, that’s why they were afraid. When Jesus spoke to the storm and the storm obeyed they began to realize exactly who was on the boat, no wonder they were overcome with this new kind of fear, the fear of God.