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Agape Bible Study
Mark 3 - 4
Chapter 3
In chapter 2, St. Mark began to present opposition to Jesus' mission. In a series of four confrontations, the Pharisees and others accuse Jesus of blaspheming by forgiving sins, of the ritually unclean practice of mingling with sinners, of breaking the Sabbath obligation to "rest" and to do no work on the Sabbath, and of failing to show piety by fasting. The fifth confrontation with the Pharisees occurs when Jesus heals a man with a withered hand and uses the miracle to try once again to teach the religious leaders and the people about the true meaning of displaying piety on the Sabbath. St. Mark begins to show the reader that following Jesus isn't a matter of following Him with one's feet but in following Him with one's heart despite opposition from the world. The healing of the man with a withered hand is the fifth confrontation with the religious leaders and the climax in the series of teaching examples that Jesus' has given to show that He is Lord of the Sabbath. The episode will end with Jesus' opposition declaring their intention to kill Him. Mark uses the key word meaning "immediately, at once, instantly" in 3:6.
Mark 3:1-6 ~ The Man with a Withered Hand
Jesus knows the Pharisees are watching Him closely and hope to lay a trap for Him so they can discredit Him by bringing a legal charge against Him for violating the Law on the Sabbath. He takes up the challenge by calling a man with a withered hand to come up in view of the congregation and asks the question whether or not it is lawful to do righteous deeds on the Sabbath rather than evil deeds. The "they" and "them" in verses 2 and 4 are the Pharisees who criticized Jesus of doing that which is unlawful on the Sabbath in 2:24. The man's hand is probably atrophied from an injury or perhaps from birth. Either way, such a healing would be dramatic and beyond the gifts of an ordinary healer.
The Pharisees intend to trap Jesus, but if they answer that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath then they cannot criticize Jesus for doing good on the Sabbath by healing the man. If they say "no" then they will show their heartlessness, lack of mercy, and union with the "evil one" rather than with God. They intended to trap Jesus but He has turned the trap on them.
In the strict interpretation of the Pharisees, unless there was a life-threatening condition, medical treatment was considered as "work" on the Sabbath and was forbidden (see Lk 13:14 and the compendium of oral law that expresses this doctrine in the Mishnah:Shabbat 14:3-4 section of Talmud). Jesus has already taught them that mercy outweighs rigid adherence to the Law in the two examples He gave in the fourth confrontation in 2:23-28.
To have "hardness of heart" or to be "stiff-necked" is a condition condemned by God in Scripture. It is a demonstration of the stubborn refusal to be open to God and His divine plan (Ex 7:22; 8:15; 32:9; Dt 31:27; Prov 28:15; Ez 3:7; Mk 6:52; 8:17; Eph 4:18). But Jesus' "anger" or "wrath" is more than a human response. It is a word used to describe God's holy indignation at human evil.
Question: Ironically, how do the Pharisees answer Jesus question in verse 4 and show the condition of their hearts?
Answer: They do evil on the Sabbath by immediately conspiring to kill Jesus.
The Pharisees conspire with the Herodians, the Greek culture Jews who are supporters or perhaps officials in the tetrarchy of Herod Antipas (Mk 12:13). The Pharisees are going through official channels since Jesus, as a resident of the Galilee, is under the authority of Herod Antipas. In this political move, Jesus' fate is now tied to John the Baptist who has been arrested by Herod Antipas.
Mark 3:7-12 ~ News of Jesus' Miracles Draws Large Crowds
When the Pharisees and Herodians began to plot his death (3:6), Jesus withdrew toward the countryside near the sea. He will now avoid staying in the towns around the Sea of Galilee. He will travel back and forth across the sea, often at night, and He will continue His ministry of proclaiming the Kingdom through healing, teaching and exorcisms as He begins to establish a new Israel and a new covenant family. The first stage of His ministry brought a revelation of His true identity, but now He will begin to define the identity of the community of the Messiah.
The Beginning of the New Israel
The number 12 has a symbolic significance in the Bible. It is one of the so-called "perfect numbers" (3, 7, 10, 12) and signifies the perfection of divine government. The children of the Old Israel were the descendants of twelve physical fathers who were the sons of Jacob/Israel. Now Jesus will inaugurate a new Israel through twelve men who will become the spiritual fathers of the New Israel of the universal Church.
Mark 3:13-19 ~ Jesus Choses the Twelve Apostles
Jesus climbs up a mountain and then summons His disciples (see Mt 5:1; Lk 6:12-16). Mountains are where revelations of God occur in the Bible (see the chart: "Holy Mountains of God"). Jesus deliberately separates out twelve men from the seventy disciples who have become His community of believers (Lk 10:1). Just as God created a hierarchy for the Old Covenant Church that was composed of the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel at Mt. Sinai with Moses, Aaron and his two elder sons and the seventy elders of Israel (Ex 24:1, 9-11), Jesus will establish the hierarchy of the new Israel of the Kingdom of God beginning with the twelve Apostles, their spiritual children who follow Jesus, and Jesus' seventy disciples. The Greek word "apostolos" means "one sent out" or an emissary, as is suggested in verse 14: that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons (emphasis added).
In the lists of the Apostles in the Gospels, Simon/Peter is always named first and Judas Iscariot is named last; otherwise the lists of names in the Gospels are all in a different order. That Simon is always named first and that Jesus renamed him, giving him the name "Peter" or Kepha in Aramaic, meaning "rock," signifies his role as the chief Apostle, spokesman for the group, and the "rock"/solid foundation upon whom Jesus will build His Church (see Mk 8:29; 10:28; 14:37; 16:7).
| Gospel of Mark | |
| Mark 3:17 | "Sons of Thunder" |
| Mark 5:41 | "Girl arise!" |
| Mark 7:11 | "Offering/sacrifice" |
| Mark 7:34 | "Be opened." |
| Mark 14:36 | "Daddy/my Daddy" = Abba |
| Mark 15:34 | "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" |
| Gospel of Matthew | |
| Matthew 5:22 | "Idiot" |
| Matthew 27:6 | "Offering/sacrifice" |
| Matthew 27:46 | "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" |
| Gospel of John | |
| John 1:42 | "Rock" |
| John 20:16 | "My teacher/master" |
| St. Paul's letters | |
| Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6 | "Daddy/my Daddy" = Abba |
Mark 3:20-22 ~ The Concern of Jesus' Family and the Blasphemy of the Scribes
Within the narrative St. Mark inserts a story of Jesus' family between the arrivals of religious officials from Jerusalem. This "sandwiching" of stories appears several times in Mark's narrative.
Question: Where is the "home" where Jesus is returning? See Mk 2:1.
Answer: "Home" is Peter's house in Capernaum.
Once again Mark mentions the personal cost of Jesus' successful ministry, not only for Him but the His Apostles; there are so many people waiting to see Jesus that they cannot even take a meal (verse 20b). Jesus' family, His mother Mary and his brothers, come from Nazareth to bring Him home (see verse 31). In the culture of Jesus' time, "brothers" referred to all kinship relationships including half-brothers, step-brothers, cousins, uncles and countrymen and women. That His kinsmen feel they have authority over Him suggests that they are older cousins and uncles. In the customs of Jesus' time and in Middle Eastern countries today, sons are under the authority of their fathers and elder brothers or relations.
Mark 3:23-30 ~ Parable of the "Strong Man" and The Unpardonable Sin
Notice that it is Jesus who summons His accusers. Jesus uses two arguments to refute the claim that He exorcises demons by the power of Beelzebul/Satan.
Question: What is the first argument Jesus uses to reveal the senselessness of their claim?
Answer: Their accusation is not reasonable. Jesus is casting out demons, an act that is opposing Satan and not advancing Satan's power over the earth. Why, Jesus asks the rhetorical question, would Satan give Jesus the power to weaken Satan's hold over men and to threaten Satan's kingdom?
In His second line of defense Jesus uses a short parable: 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.
Question: Who is the "strong man," what is his "house," and what is his "property"? How is Jesus "tying up the strong man"? See Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11.
Answer: The strong man is Satan ("the prince/ruler of this world"), his house is the earth, and his property consists of those who are not the children of God. By casting out demons, Jesus is tying up the "strong man's (Satan) power and plundering his "house."
| Parable of the Strong Man (Mk 3:25-27) Whoever sins belongs to the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil. 1 Jn 3:8 | |
| Strong man | Satan |
| Strong man's house | the earth |
| Strong man's property | all those "children of Adam" who do not belong to God |
| The one who "ties up"/overpowers the Strong man | Jesus Christ |
God places no limits upon His mercy in the offering of His gift of salvation by the Holy Spirit through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus. The Church teaches that every human sin, no matter how heinous, can be repented and forgiven with one exception: anyone who deliberately and repeatedly, in his hardness of heart, refuses to recognize God's action and even attributes that action to evil, and rejects God's mercy and the gift of eternal life offered by the Holy Spirit up to the moment he takes his last breath in death, commits the final sin that is past pardoning and that person condemns himself to the loss of eternal life.
Jesus is not necessarily saying that the Scribes have committed the unpardonable sin, but He is warning them that in calling the good works of God the Son generated through the power of the Holy Spirit evil that they are in grave peril, and they must open their hearts and repent before it is too late.
Mark 3:31-35 ~ Jesus Defines His Family
St. Mark now resumes the story about Jesus' family that he started in verse 31. This time Jesus' mother and brothers are mentioned. Some manuscripts include "sisters." The crowd around Jesus is so densely packed that they cannot get near enough to speak to Him, so they send a message through the crowd that they are outside. Notice that Mark uses the word "outside" twice.
Jesus' reply is to ask a rhetorical question: "Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34 And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. 35 For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
Jesus is not rejecting His human family, but He is redefining the meaning of "family" in the context of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ that is stronger than any blood relationship.
Question: How is "family" now defined in the context of the covenant family of the new Israel?
Answer: Those who do the will of God in accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior and submitting in faith to the Sacrament of Baptism are members of His New Covenant family. They are brothers and sisters in the family of God and co-heirs of Christ in the promise of eternal salvation
This is not to say that Jesus' Nazareth family is to be excluded, but they will need to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior in order to be included in the family of the Gospel Kingdom of the New Covenant Church. Even Mary, who was given the revelation of the angel Gabriel, will need to accept Jesus beyond the limits of a human son. She and Jesus' kinsmen will all accept Jesus as both Lord and Savior as St. Luke records in Acts 1:14 ~ All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers as they awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Chapter 4: Jesus Continues to Teach in Parables
Mark 4:1-9 ~ The Parable of the Sower
Jesus can no longer teach within the towns because of the size of the crowds, so He uses the open areas around the Sea of Galilee as His auditorium. With His audience gathered around Him, Jesus begins to teach in parables. Jesus teaches several "kingdom parables." These are parables that help to define the Kingdom of God that is coming. The Kingdom parables in Mark's Gospel include the "Parable of the Sower," the "Seed that Grows Itself," and the parable of the "Mustard Seed," all of which appear in St. Matthew's seven "Kingdom Parables" in Matthew chapter 13.
Like the prophets of old, Jesus uses topics of everyday life in making comparisons to illustrate His teaching points that reveal "the mysteries of the Kingdom of God" (4:11). St. Mark will use the words "kingdom of God" fifteen times in Mark's Gospel and the term "kingdom of our Father" once (Mk 1:14, 15; 4:11, 26, 30; 9:1, 47; 10:14, 15, 23, 24, 25; 12:34; 14:25; 15:43; "kingdom of our Father" in 11:10). Notice that Jesus begins by commanding the crowd to "Hear/Listen" in verse 3 and He will end the parable with the same command in verse 9. The command to "hear" will be repeated by Jesus five times (Mk 4:3, 9, 23 twice and 24).
Jesus first parable is about sowing seeds in different kinds of soil; it is a very common topic for the 1st century AD agrarian culture where broadcasting seed over a wide area that would be plowed into the soil later was a common practice. Every element in the parable is symbolic.
The seed is the "word of God," the Gospel message of salvation. It is the same message broadcast to every person within the scope of Jesus' teaching.
Jesus is the sower. Jesus' teaching plants seeds of faith, like the sower in His parable.
The different kinds of soil represent the different kinds of human response to Jesus' message of salvation in the coming of the Kingdom.
| The seed | The word of God |
| The sower | Jesus |
| Different soil conditions | Four kinds of responses by people who hear the word |
When the sower in Jesus' parable casts his seed, he casts it in every direction into every kind of soil condition. This was a common farming technique in which most, but not all, of the seed was expected produce healthy plants. The technique used up a lot of seed, but the generosity in broadcasting the seed assured the area was well covered and that many plants would spring up resulting in a fruitful harvest.
Jesus "broadcasts" God's message of salvation in every direction. His message is received by:
- The receptive faithful
- Those wishing to be entertained by a Galilean rabbi who performs miracles
- The skeptics
- Those who are hostile to His message
Question: The intent of the farmer is a bountiful harvest. What is Jesus' intent?
Answer: Jesus' intent is the harvest of souls.
The more difficult part of the parable concerns the comparison in the four different kinds of soil where the seed falls. In Scripture the number four represents the world. Jesus will explain the meaning of the parable in verses 13-20. One of the keys to understanding the parable is that the produced fruit of the seed is far beyond a normal yield.
Mark 4:10-12 ~ The Purpose of Parables
You will recall that Jesus already started speaking in parables in chapter 2 in the parable about cloth and the wineskins (2:21-22). The first announcement that Jesus spoke in parables is in 3:23 just before the parable of the "Strong Man."
Question: In His answer to the disciples, what reason does Jesus give for teaching in parables?
Answer: He says that "The mystery of the kingdom of God" has been granted to them but not to those who are "outside."
This is one of the most difficult pronouncements of Jesus in the Gospels. It sounds as if Jesus is deliberately excluding some people from the kingdom by hiding the meaning of His words. The key to understanding what Jesus is saying is in understanding what Jesus means by "the mystery of the kingdom of God." The word "mystery" is used in the Gospels only here in the singular but it is also used in the plural in Matthew 13:11 and Luke 8:10. St. Paul, however, will refer to the "mystery" frequently in his letters. In the Old Testament "mystery" refers to God's divine plans that are secret not because God wants His plans to remain unknown but because the way they must become known is through divine revelation. He reveals His plans only to the prophets for the sake of God's covenant people (see Dan 2:19, 28; Amos 3:7). In the New Testament it is the same. The "mystery" is God's divine plan for mankind's salvation that has been hidden since the Fall of Adam but which is now being revealed in Christ Jesus. As St. Paul wrote:
- Now to him who can strengthen you, according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen (Rom 16:25-27, underlining added).
- Rather we speak of God's wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, and which not of the rulers of this age knew for, if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Cor 2:7-8).
- ... the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly earlier. When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to human beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this I became a minister by the gift of God's grace ... and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery hidden from ages past in God who created all things (Eph 3:3-9, underlining added).
Then Jesus explains that "the mystery of the kingdom of God" has been granted to them by quoting from Isaiah 6:9 in which God told His prophet concerning the hardhearted covenant people to whom Isaiah carried God's word that they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but not understand. Jesus tells them that "the mystery of the kingdom of God" will be withheld from those who oppose Jesus and understanding will only be granted to them and others who receive the Gospel of salvation with an open heart. The use of the phrase "the mystery of the kingdom" is a term Jesus uses for the word they receive of the Gospel message of salvation and prepares us for subsequent references to "the word" in verses 13-20.
Jesus will allow the hearts of some to remain hardened and unreceptive to His mission in order to bring about God's divine plan for mankind's salvation (see 1 Cor 2:8).
Mark 4:13-20 ~ The Parable of the Sower Explained
Jesus reveals the symbolic meaning of the four different kinds of soil that receive the seed. The four kinds of soil represent the four kinds of human response to the Gospel of salvation.
| Symbolism in the four kinds of soil where the seed is sown | |
| 1. Seed sown on the path | This person hears the word of the kingdom without making any effort to understand and embrace the truth. Since he has failed to understand, Satan is able to separate him from the truth and from his place in the Kingdom. |
| 2. Seed sown on rocky ground | This person receives the word of God with joy, but he has not applied the word to his life; he has no internal stability ("roots"). In a time of hardship, he abandons his faith in God. |
| 3. Seed sown among the thorns | This person hears the word but does not love God above all else; the secular world pulls him away from faith and he bears no good fruit/works. |
| 4. Seed sown on rich soil | This person hears the word, understands it, and applies it to his "heart"/life and bears the fruit/works of faith in abundance. |
| Michal E. Hunt Copyright © 2011 | |
Question: Jesus describes those who hear the word of God but fail to fully embrace the Kingdom. To what does Jesus attribute the three reasons for their failure? List the verses.
Answer: Jesus attributes the failure to produce the good fruit of repentance and conversion to:
- The activity of Satan (4:15)
- Personal shallowness (4:16-17)
- The ambition for worldly pleasures and wealth (4:18-19)
Mark 4:21-23 ~ The Parable of the Lamp
This parable is about the receiving and handing on of Jesus' teachings. Notice there is again the command to hear/listen three times in 4:23 (twice) and in verse 24. This parable is about "light." In the Gospel of John, Jesus identifies Himself as the "light" three times:
- Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (Jn 8:12).
- Jesus said them, "The Light will be among you only a little while. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness may not overcome you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light" (Jn 12:35-36).
- I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness (Jn 12:46).
In Scripture "darkness" is a metaphor for sin. Jesus who is the "Light" shows us the way to salvation.
A Christian and his faith community should be like a lamp set on a stand that gives light to the whole house just as a the righteous life and good deeds of Christians witnessing the life of Christ in acts of love and charity that are visible to all who know or observe that Christian or the works of the Christian community.
A light put under a basket or a bed is a Christian or a faith community that suppresses the Gospel and quenches the power of the Holy Spirit within the community. Such a Christian or community does not teach and uphold the doctrine of the Church and do works of charity in outward signs. This person or community is not sharing the light of Christ and is doing nothing to illuminate the darkness of those who have not heard the Gospel or who have not seen Christians acting Christ-like.
| Symbolism in the Parable of the Lamp I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. John 8:12 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light. John 12:36 I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. John 12:46 | |
| The light | Jesus Christ |
| The darkness | Sin |
| Lamp under a bushel basket or bed | Professed Christians or Christian communities that do not share the "light" of the Gospel of salvation |
| Lamp on a lampstand that gives light | Christians who actively share the "light" of Christ and His message of salvation |
Michal E. Hunt Copyright © 2014 | |
Mark 4:24-25 ~ Jesus' Warning
This teaching addresses the consequences of hearing well or hearing poorly and again has Jesus' command not only to "hear" but the "hear carefully."
His warning is to be careful how you "hear" and how you receive (interpret), and apply what you hear. Be the 4th person in the Seed and the Sower parable: But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundred fold" heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance (4:20).
To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."
Question: What is Jesus' promise to the one who "has" and His warning to the one who "has not"? See 1 Cor 3:11-15.
Answer: To those who have the "light" and embrace and study the word with a generous heart and bear fruit consistently in the face of adversity, more graces will be given. But as for those have the "light" but quench the Spirit and do not produce good works as demonstrations of faith but only labor for worldly, temporal goods, they will ultimately lose what few blessings they "seem" to have in their material possessions but they will not lose their salvation. As Paul says: "the person will be saved, but only as through fire" (1 Cor 3:15)
Mark 4:26-29 ~ The Parable of the Seed that Grows Itself
This "kingdom parable" is told only in Mark's Gospel, and it may be recalled by St. James in James 5:7-9. The focus of the parable is the seed's power to sprout and grow "of its own accord" after the sower has liberally scattered his seed. It is a mystery to the farmer how this happens, and the farmer cannot control the growing process. In this modern age, scientists can provide chemicals to increase the yield and can describe what happens in seed germination and growth, but the root cause of germination and growth still remains a mystery.
Question: What three stages are listed in the growth of the seed?
Answer:
- First the blade appears
- Then the ears appear
- Finally the fully developed grain
Question: What is the final stage when the grain is fully developed?
Answer: When the grain is fully developed it is time for the harvest and the farmer is ready with his sickle to reap the crop.
Question: In the Bible "the harvest" represents what symbolic image? See Joel 4:13; Mt 13:39-43; Rev 14:14-15.
Answer: The harvest is a biblical image for the Last Judgment.
All human beings will face two judgments. When one dies one faces an Individual or Particular Judgment where each person will be rewarded according to his works and faith (Mt 16:26; Lk 16:22; 2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23; Heb 9:27; 12:23; CCC 1021-22). But there is also a Last or Final Judgment that all humanity will receive at the end of time when Christ will return in glory "to judge the living and the dead" (Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed; Mt 25:31-46; Jn 5:28-29; Acts 12:15; 1 Thes 4:16; 2 Thes 1:8-10; CCC 681, 1038-41).
| Symbolism in the Parable of the Seed that Grows Itself | |
| The land | The kingdom of God (the Church) |
| The seed | The word planted in the fertile hearts of the children of "light"/children of the Kingdom |
| The fruit of the seed | The good works of Christians that develops and bears "fruit" through the process of spiritual growth and maturity |
| The harvest | The gathering in of souls in the Last Judgment |
| Michal E. Hunt Copyright © 2014 | |
Mark 4:30-34 ~ The Parable of the Mustard Seed
Jesus uses hyperbole in describing the mustard seed as the smallest of seeds and its plant in full growth as the largest of plants (a mustard plant could only grow as high as 8-12 feet). This is another "kingdom parable."
The contrast here is between the small beginnings of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and its future expansion to encompass the whole earth, sheltering all who come to dwell in the household of Jesus that is the Church.
The allusion to the kingdom becoming so large that birds of the sky come and dwell in the shade of its branches is probably a reference to the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar in which he saw a huge tree that sheltered "birds of the sky" and other animals (Dan 4:7). Daniel interpreted the tree and the animals to represent Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom and the many different peoples over whom he ruled. The comparison is that the Kingdom of Jesus Christ will be even greater than the Kingdom of the Babylonians (also see Dan 9:17-19).
| Symbolism in the Parable of the Mustard Seed | |
| The tiny mustard seed | The small beginnings of the Kingdom (Church) of Jesus Christ |
| The mustard seed that is planted in the earth | Jesus plants the seed of the Gospel in the hearts of all who accept His message |
| The great growth of the mustard plant | The tremendous growth of the Church that is nurtured by the Holy Spirit |
| The large branches and the creatures that dwell in its shade | The spread of the Church across the face of the earth, calling all men and women of every ethnicity to salvation in Christ Jesus |
| Michal E. Hunt Copyright © 2014 | |
Mark 4:35-41 ~ The Miracle of the Calming of the Storm at Sea
Jesus suggests to the Apostles that they sail to the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. They are probably in the boats owned by Peter, his brother Andrew, and James and John Zebedee. Sudden storms springing up on the Sea of Galilee are very common, and without warning a storm overtakes the boats. The Apostles cry out to Jesus, who is asleep in the stern. Upon waking and seeing their peril, Jesus calms the storm.
Only God can control nature. His act in quieting the storm points to His divinity.
When He calms the storm and asks His disciples "Do you not yet have faith?" He is asking if they do not yet recognize His true identity and have faith that He is the divine Messiah.
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A Daily Defense
DAY 155 Why Is John’s Gospel Different?
CHALLENGE: “If John’s Gospel is reliable, why is it different from the others?”
DEFENSE: Every author has his own style, and John was supplementing the other Gospels.
Differences between John and the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are often exaggerated. They tell the same basic story, referring to many of the same incidents in Jesus’ life (the Baptism by John, early preaching in Galilee, feeding the 5,000, later ministry in Judea, the triumphal entry, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and Resurrection).
The differences are principally of two types: (1) matters of style and (2) incidents John mentions that the synoptics omit or vice versa.
In terms of style, John presents Jesus’ teachings in extended speeches rather than pithy sayings. Before tape recorders, long speeches in historical documents involved reconstruction, which the audience knew. The claim was not that a historical speech was a word-for-word transcript, but that it accurately conveyed the thought of the speaker. John was an eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry (21:24) and was thus in a position to accurately express Jesus’ thought in his own literary style (see Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, 1:229).
That John includes incidents the synoptic Gospels omit and vice versa is primarily because he is writing to supplement the synoptics. Early sources indicate he was urged to supplement what they had written (see Eusebius, Church History 6:14:7) and that he initially expressed some reluctance to do so (see Muratorian Canon 9-16). This may explain his statement that, were all of Jesus’ deeds to be recorded, “I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (21:25).”
John expects his readers to know the synoptic tradition. In 3:24 he mentions John the Baptist “had not yet been put in prison”—the imprisonment being mentioned in the synoptics but not elsewhere in John.
Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist
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