GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 4:41
Phobia
I’ve sat at the feet of some outstanding teachers (well, in a chair before them). One was Dr. Edward Smith, under whom I had four classes. With all due respect to Dr. Smith, he didn’t appear to be a professor; he was friendly and approachable. In two small classes, he sat at a desk in front of the class, standing occasionally to make notes on the board. He never used overhead projectors. When he came into the classroom and took his seat, he usually had a full folder in front of him. He would shuffle through the folder until he found a page, then he would begin the class lecture. When he began the lecture, however, he never referred back to the open folder on the desk. His focus was on the members of the class. It was difficult to turn away from his gaze to make notes, and his lectures were filled with content and new ideas.
St. Mark said that on a trip across the Sea of Galilee, the boat in which Jesus and the disciples were sailing got caught in a sudden, violent wind storm that whipped up high waves that splashed over the side of the boat, threatening to sink it. They woke Jesus, who was asleep on a cushion in the back of the boat, to warn him about the situation. Jesus then commanded the wind and waves to be calm, and the wind ceased and the waves calmed. “And they feared a great fear, and they said to one another, ‘Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” (Mark 4:41) The word Mark used in this instance to describe the disciples’ reaction to this miraculous event was “phobos” (cf., English “phobia”), which means “fear, terror, reverence, or respect.” Translators render this phrase differently—terrified, very much afraid, feared exceedingly, overcome with fear, feared exceedingly, or feared a great fear, etc. A close literal translation is “they feared with great fear.”
The disciples were constant companions with Jesus. They passed hours and days with him. On this occasion, however, they saw another side of him: “even the wind and the sea obey him.” They had hours of conversations with Jesus; they were with him in idle moments, and they slept, ate, and walked with him. But this was something different. A likely interpretation of Mark’s statement, probably provided by Peter, is that the disciples gained a new reverence and respect for Jesus.
I never “feared” Dr. Smith (well, maybe at exam time), but I certainly respected him. The disciples experienced a change in their view of Jesus. They heard him teach and witnessed miracles, but in this instance, they acquired a new reverence and respect for Jesus. It is not an uncommon experience for believers who witness Jesus’ work in their own lives.
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