A silence of Jesus
Asleep in the Storm
When God seems not to care · Mark 4:38
As a storm threatened to sink the boat, Jesus was asleep, and his disciples cried, 'Master, carest thou not that we perish?' (Mark 4:38). His silence and sleep felt like indifference, but he was not absent; he was present, and rose to command the storm into calm.
The moment
What the silence means
The storm is real, the boat is filling, experienced fishermen are terrified, and Jesus is asleep in the stern on a cushion. To the disciples, his silence in that moment can only mean one thing, and it comes out as an accusation more than a prayer: 'Master, carest thou not that we perish?' Do you not care? His sleep felt like the absence of concern, like a God who had checked out while they drowned.
They were completely wrong about the meaning of his silence, and gloriously so. He was not asleep because he did not care; he was asleep because he was not afraid, resting in a storm that had no power over him. And when they woke him, he did not panic with them; he stood up and spoke three words to the wind and the sea, 'Peace, be still,' and there was a great calm. The One they thought was indifferent was the One with authority over the very thing terrifying them. His silence had never been absence. He was in the boat the whole time.
They thought his silence meant he did not care. He was asleep because the storm had no power over him.
The silence was never the whole story
Every silence of Jesus ended in a word, a work, or a resurrection. If God feels silent to you right now, you are not necessarily far from him; you may be in a Saturday before a Sunday. The Living Bread is a quiet place to keep bringing your questions to him, read the Gospels, and pray, even into the quiet.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Frequently asked questions
- Why was Jesus asleep during the storm?
- Not because he did not care, but because he was unafraid, resting in a storm that had no power over him. When the disciples woke him crying, 'carest thou not that we perish?', he calmed the sea with a word (Mark 4:38-39), showing his presence and authority, not indifference.
- What does the storm teach about God's silence?
- That God's silence in a crisis is not proof of his absence or indifference. The disciples read Jesus' sleep as not caring, but he was present in the boat and had authority over the storm all along. God may be nearer than the noise of the storm allows us to feel.