And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” Mark 4:27-31 |
"Jesus, we need Your help!" or
"Help -- the boat is filling with water!"
they say, "do You not care that we are perishing?" which contains two emotionally loaded phrases: "do You not care" and "we are perishing."
I've certainly asked Jesus, "do You not care?" Admittedly, this question is quite insulting, but it at least communicates a deep need for Him. On the other hand, "We are perishing" was a song and dance, and Jesus saw through it. If they had been perishing, He would have been perishing as well. From what experience told them, they were indeed in danger, but ordinary human experience was not what He wanted them to be guided by. He wanted them to focus on the fact that He, the Lord, was in the boat with them. This changes everything. It still changes everything.