THE GOSPELS: LESSON 40:

JESUS CALMS THE SEA AND OTHER EVENTS


TEXT: MATT. 12: 46 - 50 AND 8: 23 - 27; MARK 4: 35 - 41 AND 3: 31 - 35; LUKE 8: 1 - 3; 19 - 25

WE WILL LOOK AT LUKE 8: 1 - 3; MARK 3: 31 - 35; AND MARK 4: 35 - 41.



LUKE 8: 1 - 3. THOSE WHO FOLLOWED JESUS

Verse 1: “Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him”

          As Jesus preached throughout Galilee, several people followed him everywhere. As this verse says, the twelve (the apostles) were part of his continuing retinue.


Verse 2: “. . . and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities . . .”

          Among the people who followed Jesus were several women whom he had healed. One of these was Mary Magdalene. Jesus had cast seven demons out of her. This event is not recorded in the gospels, but this is not surprising, for:

“. . . Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book . . .” John 20: 30


Verse 3: “. . . and many others, who provided for them out of their means.”

          Theses three women mentioned had (at least) four things in common:

1. They had all been healed by Jesus.

2. They all had great faith in Jesus.

3. They were all prosperous (wealthy) women.

magdala_place.jpgFigure 1 Note the location of Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene.

4. They all followed so they could “minister” to Jesus and his apostles.

They were:

1. Mary Magdalene. IE. Mary the Magdalene – that Mary who was from Magdala (a city west of the Sea of Galilee.) She had been healed of multiple demonic possessions (seven at once). She is believed to be a widow since no husband is ever mentioned. She is NOT the woman caught in adultery of John 11, and she is ALSO NOT the sister of Lazarus. Mary (from the Hebrew Miriam or Mariam) was the most common name for women in Jesus’ day.

2. Joanna. The wife of one of Herod Antipas’ stewards, named Chuza. A steward was one who oversaw the affairs of a large household, like a head butler or manager. We know nothing more about Joanna.

3. Susanna. This is the only time she is mentioned in the New Testament. 



MARK 3: 31 - 35. JESUS’ FAMILY AWAITS HIS APPEARANCE OUTSIDE

Verse 31: “. . .his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him.”

          Apparently this was the same time and place that Jesus had argued with the Pharisees about whether or not he had cast out demons by the power of Beelzebul. So, he is still in Capernaum. While in the house still talking to the people within, his family appeared outside and told him to come outside to them.


Verse 32: The people sitting around Jesus hearing him teach, told him of his family’s presence outside the house. His mother and brothers were there, but apparently not his sisters. However, he mentions sisters in the parallel passage of Matthew 12: 50, so they might have been there and were just not mentioned.

JESUS’ EARTHLY FAMILY: (See Mark 6: 3 and Matthew 13: 55.)

JOSEPH – Jesus’ father by adoption. Probably dead for some years. He is never mentioned after the trip to Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve.

MARY – Jesus’ mother. She lived in Capernaum at this time. She was probably 45 - 50 years old at this time. She had at least six children besides Jesus, although some scholars (by sheer guesswork and prejudiced opinions) say that all her children were Joseph’s by another marriage.

BROTHERS – James, Joseph, Simon, Judas. We know nothing of any of these people. The James who was an apostle and author of the epistle that bears his name was NOT Jesus’ brother, for he had a different father (Alpheus). That James (James the Lesser) was actually Jesus’ cousin.

SISTERS – Not ever mentioned by name, but there were at least two of them.

          The Catholics insist that Mary never had more children and never even had sexual relations, but was the EVER-VIRGIN Mary. That is pure poppycock arising from their idolatrous worship of Mary, whom they worship more ardently than even Christ or God himself.


Verses 33 - 35: “Who are my mother and my brothers?”

          Jesus did not intentionally spurn his blood relatives, but used this occasion, as he did so many others, as an occasion to teach us about our relationship to him.

So what is Jesus teaching us here? That we become not just his followers, but also his kinsmen if we follow him and heed his teachings. This is what the apostle Paul stated in Romans 8: 14 - 16.

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”

          Why would Jesus not grant special audience to his earthly family members? He was too busy with his teaching to break off the discussions for “family matters,” AND he was unwilling to make his earthly family look more important than his “spiritual family,” for this could have set the precedence for the veneration of his physical family members later on. This, of course, is exactly what the Papists have done by worshiping Mary.


 

MARK 4: 35 - 41. JESUS CALMS THE SEA

Verse 35: “Let us go across to the other side.”

          At the end of this very bust day in Capernaum, Jesus decides it is time to get away from the multitudes and go across the Sea of Galilee.


Verse 36, 37: “. . . And a great storm of wind arose. . .”

          Jesus and his followers (the apostles and women and maybe other disciples) went out in boats to cross the sea. While on their way a great storm arose – one which was so intense that the boat started to fill with water.


Verse 38: “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?”

          Jesus, ever serene and unafraid, slept in the stern (back) of the boat while his disciples fretted over the storm. Finally, they awoke him and made the anguished cry, “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?”


Verses 39 - 40: “And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’”

          Obviously Jesus did care, for the first thing he did was calm the sea. THEN, he talked to them about their lack of faith. Sometimes I wonder if we would have preached until the boat sank before we attempted to solve the problem at hand. The distress of the apostles showed that they didn’t REALLY have that much faith in Jesus. Not as much as they would later, when most would die for him.


Verse 41: “Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?”

          This miracle amazed the disciples. While they knew Jesus was a great teacher and prophet, they did not yet realize that he was also DIVINE, and thus the master of everything in creation. Now, they began to understand just who they were following.

Return to Gospels Main Selection Page