Mark 4:41

Mark 4:41

Our Divine Saviour teaches us sometimes by deeds, sometimes by words, sometimes by silence. His silence speaks more than the words of other men; His words do more than all men's deeds together; while His deeds themselves possess moreover an infinite eloquence. We have in this miracle, as we shall see in the sequel, all these modes of teaching combined.

I. Jesus had all day long, like His own good householder, been busy, bringing forth every form and phase of truth which might comfort and forewarn His little flock. And having so done, He winds up His day by that act of marked significance which is now before us. Does He not in this parabolic miracle show to those who were the nucleus and kernel of His kingdom, to those valiant souls who were with Him in His labours and were to be with Him in His approaching trials, that let come what storm there might upon the Church and on the soul, He was with them still, and would be with them even to the end? Let us not be like that captain, who having a true and correct chart in his cabin, failed to consult it while the weather was calm, but went below to look for it only when the wind and tide had drifted his barque upon the bar, and so with his eyes upon the course he should have steered, felt the shock, which in a few moments sent them down to the abyss. Our souls are like a ship upon the deep, and as we sail over the waves of life, we must, like wary mariners, take the hints given us in our nature. If we see on the horizon a cloud of some possible temptation no bigger than a man's hand, though all else be bright and clear, we must beware; for in that speck may couch a tempest ready to spring up and leap down upon our souls. Above all, we should always have Christ aboard with us; we should have Him formed within us as our hope of glory; under His ensign we should sail as our only hope of reaching that haven for which we are making.

II. The Church at large and the several members of the Church, like the boat in the miracle, have Him with us whom even the winds and the sea obey. Though He seem to be careless of us, is it not the fact it is we who are forgetful of Him? Though he sleeps, so to speak, that is to say, though He seem to our faithless hearts to hide Himself for a moment, His heart waketh, and a single cry to Him will let us know to our peace and joy that He is there;

W. B. Philpot, Church of England Pulpit,p. 208.

Mark 4:41

The Unknown Quantity in Christ.

The unknown quantity in Christ was (1) beneficent, and therefore not from beneath; (2) intensely spiritual, and therefore not of the earth, earthy; (3) wholly self-sacrificial, and therefore different from ordinary human policy and purpose; (4) it set aside canons, traditions, and standards established by men, and therefore claimed a wisdom superior to the ripest wisdom of all human teachers.

Parker, City Temple,vol. i., p. 97.

References: Mark 4:41. Spurgeon, Sermons,vol. xxviii., No. 1686; Preacher's Monthly,vol. ix., p. 184; Homiletic Quarterly,vol. ix., p. 271.Mark 4 W. Hanna, Our Lord's Life on Earth,p. 190. Mark 5:1. H. M. Luckock, Footprints of the Son of Man,p. 99.