All Authority

Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” [Mark 4.40]

The disciples were in a boat and Jesus was with them. It was Jesus' idea to cross the lake. He was asleep in the boat. A terrible storm came up and the boat was about to sink. In a panic, the disciples woke Jesus up. What Jesus did next was not normal (in earthly terms). He told the storm to stop. That would have been about the silliest thing a person could do ...except that the storm obeyed Jesus.

What a marvelous demonstration of God's all-powerfulness! What an inspiring story of God with man! What an amazing display of God's sovereignty!

What is up though with Jesus speaking then to the disciples as if they had bothered His perfectly good nap? “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Had the disciples missed something? You bet they had! After calming the storm, what Jesus said to the disciples was a scolding.

"Why are you afraid?" What was Jesus really asking them? 

"Do you still have no faith?" Why a discussion about faith? They were about to die!

Jesus clearly scolded the disciples because they should have taken it upon themselves to do exactly what Jesus did! The disciples had failed to see the miracles Jesus performed in the power of the Holy Spirit and had failed to hear and understand the instructions Jesus had been providing up to this point that SHOULD have led them to the same conclusion about how to deal with the storm and they consequently failed to take control of the situation themselves! THAT is why they got reprimanded.

So, when we read the Gospel accounts of this event, there is but one conclusion we should draw from it: We should not be afraid: we should have confident faith that we are empowered to control even the weather.

Sounds incredible, doesn't it? It sounds "incredible" or "without credibility" because we have failed to see God's power and hear Jesus' teaching so we might understand (the "credibility" of) our instruction and responsibility to approach life's circumstances JUST LIKE JESUS - with all authority.

I don't know how to say it any plainer: Jesus said we are to approach life the way He approached it:

Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” [John 20.21]

THINK! If Jesus did not intend for His followers to 'speak to storms,' He would NOT have scolded them for their lack of faith that day in the boat! The authority Jesus as given was "all authority" and He expects His followers to operate in nothing less. "All authority" speaks even to storms.

Father, forgive me for panicking in the storms I encounter... Forgive me to seeing Jesus' miracles and hearing Jesus' teaching and failing to understand His demonstration to me of how to live.