Big Idea: Jesus shows himself to be Lord of the storms, completely sovereign over the powers of nature and of the cosmic world of darkness. In contrast, the disciples are unable to think of anything but their own vulnerability.

Understanding the Text

Mark moves from a collection of Jesus’s parables to a collection of Jesus’s miracles. The emphasis is on his authority, and the order moves through every type of miracle that Jesus did, demonstrating first his power over nature (4:35–41), then his power over the forces of darkness (5:1–20), his power over illness (5:24b–34), and his power over death (5:21–24a, 35–43). The action takes place around the Sea of Galilee, and these are in a sense “boat” stories. In them Jesus, who is Lord of the Sabbath (2:28), is shown also to be Lord over creat…