Jesus Asleep

Mark 4:38, But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. 

Don’t tell me that “My Pillow” by Mike doesn’t work!  Even a violent storm pitching the boat side-to-side and up and down and dumping water into the boat didn’t disrupt the sleep of Jesus!

What?

The verses before this statement paint a picture of a Man who was over a physical well-being line and out of gas!

This tells us in no uncertain terms that Jesus was human – subjected to needs of the flesh.  In this case, REST!

Some of that which had drained Jesus of physical strength:

1. compassion for the weak 3:1
2. under intense scrutiny 3:2-3
3. anger and grief with leaders 3:4-5
4. threats by local leadership 3:6
5. crowd pressures 3:7-9 (John 6:15 they wanted to make Him king)
6. diseased people pressing to touch Him 3:10
7. demons needing attention 3:11-12
8. a betrayer in His inner circle 3:19
9. crowd pressures 3:20
10. accused by friends of being mentally unstable 3:21
11. rejection by spiritual elites 3:22
12. accused of being demon possessed or in league with the devil 3:22
13. pressured by his physical family to back off or come home 3:31-32
14. large crowds 4:1
15. followers struggling 4:13
16. finally, being taken possibly against His will 4:36

Jesus was exhausted – in need of sleep – and fell into a deep, deep sleep – ON A PILLOW!

Fast asleep while all around Him was howling, yelling, blowing, banging, barking – “tie that down”, “throw that overboard”, etc.  – chaos – HUGE chaos!!  And asleep!

Jesus was awakened and with but a word the storm disappeared!  Calm.  GREAT CALM!

The storm was not His concern or pain.  No, the lack of faith by those who had been living with Him, listening to Him and watching Him WAS His problem!

How is it that they feared wind and waves when with them was One who healed the blind, deaf, lame, paralytic, leprous, sick and even raised people from the dead?  What had they not learned?  How could they not trust??  Why their fear?  Where was their faith?

Yet another “downer” for Jesus.  Those who had special privy to His power and wisdom didn’t get it.  What more could He do?

What a disappointment!

And us??