4. IN THE MIDST OF A STORM (Mark.4:35-41)
BACKGROUND: There were four professional fishermen among the disciples. They knew Lake Galilee like the backs of their own hands.
- Lake Galilee is 20x12 kilometers in size. How long approximately does it take to sail across such a lake?
- What would you think if someone asked you to sail across such a lake near nightfall?
- Why didn't the disciples protest at all when Jesus asked them to cross the lake at that time of the
day?
- What makes a person able to sleep in a tossing boat in the middle of a storm? Think of various explanations. (What does it reveal about his relationship with God and his relationship with his own
death?)
- What steps do you think the disciples took to try to keep the boat afloat?
- Why couldn't the disciples believe in the power of God in this
situation?
- Have you been in a situation where you felt as if Jesus were asleep and
didn't care a bit that you and your loved ones were about to "drown" (vs.38)? Tell about it.
- Verse 38 is in fact a prayer. What can we learn about prayer through this
verse?
- Why were the disciples surprised when they got the help they needed?
- How were you like or unlike the disciples when you last met a serious
crisis?
- What kind of help should we hope for from Jesus in our crisis?
- Is it easy or difficult for you to believe that the wind and storm really obeyed Jesus' command (vs.39)? Give your reasons.
- Jesus is standing at this moment in the midst of your storm and saying: "Quiet, be still!" What do his words mean in your
situation?
- How did the disciples feel when they heard the words in verse 40 from Jesus' mouth?
- If Jesus would say to you the same thing he said to his disciples, how would you react (vs.40)?
- How did these two fears of the disciples differ from each other: the fear of death and the fear after Jesus had performed his miracle (vs.40-41)?
- Why does Jesus help even those who are lacking faith?
- How did the faith of the disciples change through this experience?
- How would you like your faith to change though the crisis you are experiencing now?
GLAD TIDINGS: The disciples were saved from drowning, but Jesus himself was not. To be nailed to a cross meant a death by suffocating exactly as the death by drowning did. The leader may read
Psalms 69:1-2 and 14-15. This is one of the Psalms that describes the suffering of Jesus on the cross. This is the price Jesus had to pay in order to save us from drowning in the lake of fire
(Rev.20:14).
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