Bring a Pillow
July 2023
On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” Mark 4: 35-41 NKJV
In the spring of 1990, Darla and I were in Boston, getting ready to move with our one year old son to East Germany for my doctoral dissertation research. My parents came for a visit and I wanted to take them to a little gem of a museum called the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum so that I could show them one painting in particular. By Rembrandt, done in 1633 while he was in his 20s, “Storm on the Sea of Galilee” was the only seascape he ever painted. A few days later, on March 18, we woke up to learn that the Rembrandt painting, and a few other high value paintings, had been stolen. Two thieves literally cut the painting’s canvas from its frame, rolled it up, and it hasn’t been seen since. This means that we’re among the last members of the public to have seen this fine piece of art.
One of the reasons I liked it so much is because it captures the moment in the storm right after the disciples woke Jesus up. Let’s take a closer look at this scene so that we can better understand life as it was in the first century A.D.
The Sea of Galilee is actually a freshwater lake in northern Israel. It stretches about 13 miles north-to-south and about 8 miles east-to- west. Compared to Lake Erie (241 miles across and 57 miles north-to-south), it’s a small lake. When you’re in the middle of the lake, you’re four miles from land. It happens to be the lowest elevation freshwater lake on the planet, and it’s surrounded by low hills on all sides, so pop-up storms were common and often severe.
A typical fishing boat in Jesus’ day was not a large craft: about 27 feet long, less than eight feet wide, and about four and a half feet high on the sides, not leaving much room for passengers. A storm tossing around a boat of that size would have been a frightening experience.
This story of the storm on the Sea of Galilee is found in the first three Gospels (the Synoptic Gospels) which portray the same stories in their texts from slightly different perspectives. I love Mark’s telling of this story because he includes one interesting detail that Matthew and Luke don’t: a pillow.
The first three chapters of the Gospel of Mark feature stories of Jesus demonstrating his sovereignty as He begins His ministry. He demonstrates through miracles His power over demonic forces, His power over human sickness and suffering, and His superiority over the law, all setting the stage for the calling of the twelve disciples. In fact, this story is almost the very first thing that happens after the public calling of the His disciples. He calls them to himself and then they have a pretty challenging first week together.
First, religious leaders from Jerusalem tell them that the reason Jesus can do the miracles is because He’s possessed by the devil. Next, a crowd gathers around including the disciples and Jesus’ mother and brothers; He says to the crowd, “Who is my mother and brothers? You all are my mother and brothers.” In other words, “Disciples, if you’re going to follow me, that eclipses even your own family.” These newly called disciples had to decide immediately if Jesus’ claims about who He is and what He can do were trustworthy.
They boarded the boat in Capernaum, ready to sail the length of the sea toward the Decapolis, and Jesus knew that He would be leading them directly into a storm in the middle of the lake.
While the storm rages on their little boat, the disciples wake Jesus and ask a bad, albeit understandable, question: “Jesus, don’t you care?” I have been in ministry about 40 years and, in my experience, this is a prime reason why people lose their faith. They encounter a storm, something devastating, and they feel they can no longer trust that God really cares about them.
In this passage, I love that Jesus actually awoke and calmed the storm. He addressed their lack of faith, but He also delivered. And He will for you too. But that begs the question: what if He doesn’t calm the storm the way you hope He will? What if you have to endure the middle of the storm for an extended time?
Take another look at Rembrandt’s painting. How many people do you see in the boat? There are 14, which is not a mistake on the artist’s part. He’s making a theological point: he painted us into the “Storm on the Sea of Galilee.” We’re right in the middle of the scene, where there are a variety of human responses to the storm including anger, apprehension, and seasickness.
Which one are you most like? When storms happen, what’s your natural response?
I’d like to invite you to bring your pillow and rest alongside Jesus when the winds and waves of life become turbulent. Sometimes, even when you’re doing everything right, God may still lead you into a storm. And when you make your anxieties known to Him, you can rest in Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.”