Mark 4:40-41

THE TWO FEARS

‘And He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’

Mark 4:40

A striking picture of two very different kinds of fear. The dissipation of the lower fear of natural cowardice rouses the higher fear of spiritual awe.

I. The lower fear.

(a) It rises in circumstances of physical danger. This is naturally alarming under such circumstances as those of the text.

(b) It is characterised by unbelief. This was plainly so with the disciples, who had their Master with them in the boat. Cowardice doubts Providence.

(c) It is overcome by the saving help of Christ. Christ stilled the tempest when His disciples called upon Him, and in spite of their querulous unbelief (see Mark 4:39), His grace is larger than our faith.

II. The higher fear.—This is quite a different kind of fear. In the Greek the difference is made the more apparent by the use of another word.

(a) It springs from a revelation of the superhuman. The marvellous power that could allay a tempest is regarded with awe and dread.

(b) It is characterised by wonder and admiration. We are awed before the sublime. This fear implies only a partial knowledge. But it is more fitting than the undue familiarity and caressing affection for Christ of some modern sentimentalists.

(c) It issues in a larger faith. The combined wonder and veneration are not inconsistent with trust. On the contrary, if there were nothing in Christ to inspire awe, there would not be enough in Him to encourage faith.

Illustrations

(1) ‘It is stated in profane history that on one occasion when Cæsar was on the ocean in a small vessel, a terrific storm came on. The oarsmen became greatly alarmed and discouraged; but the emperor quieted their fears and re-nerved their arms by reminding them that, though the sea was so storm-riven and threatening, their little bark contained the great Cæsar and his fortunes, and therefore would not, could not sink. If the Christian would but think, when the storm drives furiously, and the waves rise like mountains, “Christ is in the hinder part of the vessel, I therefore shall not perish,” there would at least be a calm within him like that of heaven itself!’

(2) ‘Among the few remains of Sir John Franklin that were found far up in the Polar regions there was a leaf of the Student’s Manual, by Dr. John Todd—the only relic of a book. From the way in which the leaf was turned down, the following portion of a dialogue was prominent: “Are you not afraid to die?” “No.” “No! Why does the uncertainty of another state give you no concern?” “Because God has said to me, ‘Fear not, when thou passest through the waters I will be with thee.’ ” ’