馬可福音 4:35-41 Mark 4:35-41
- 馬克牧師
- Jan 15
- 10 min read
參考書目：每日靈糧天路系列 - 馬可福音讀經
平靜風和海
（太8‧23－27；路8‧22－25）
35當那天晚上，耶穌對門徒說：「我們渡到那邊去吧。」 36門徒離開眾人，耶穌仍在船上，他們就把他一同帶去；也有別的船和他同行。 37忽然起了暴風，波浪打入船內，甚至船要滿了水。 38耶穌在船尾上，枕着枕頭睡覺。門徒叫醒了他，說：「夫子！我們喪命，你不顧嗎？」 39耶穌醒了，斥責風，向海說：「住了吧！靜了吧！」風就止住，大大地平靜了。 40耶穌對他們說：「為甚麼膽怯？你們還沒有信心嗎？」 41他們就大大地懼怕，彼此說：「這到底是誰，連風和海也聽從他了。」
各位平安，我們今天要來分享的是《馬可福音》第四章最後一段的故事。
那天晚上，耶穌對門徒說：「我們渡到那邊去吧。」我們知道，加利利海其實並不是一個非常大的水域，嚴格來說，它比較像是一個湖。但加利利海的風浪卻非常有名，也非常危險。因為地形的關係，那一帶的天氣常常會劇烈變動，突如其來的狂風暴雨並不少見。所以，當時在那一帶討生活的漁夫們，都很清楚一件事：在加利利海上，風暴隨時都可能發生。
而那艘船上，其實有不少是職業漁夫。對這些人來說，風浪並不是什麼陌生的事情。他們在捕魚的時候，可能前一刻還是晴空萬里，下一刻就突然狂風大作。所以照理來說，這樣的情況，不應該讓他們如此驚慌。
但是，當我們讀到第三十八節的時候，門徒叫醒耶穌，對祂說：「夫子！我們喪命，你不顧嗎？」你就會意識到，這一次的風浪，恐怕真的不是一般的大。大到連這些老練、經驗豐富的漁夫，都已經害怕到覺得：「這次完了，我們一定活不下來了。」
馬可在這裡記載了一個非常有意思、也非常生動的細節。經文說，耶穌在船尾，枕著枕頭睡覺。你會看到一個非常人性化的耶穌。船尾通常是給乘客休息的地方，而耶穌就在那裡，枕著枕頭，睡得很沉。
更令人驚訝的是，在這麼大的風浪之中，耶穌竟然沒有被驚醒，反而是門徒把祂叫醒的。你有沒有注意到這個對比？在一個風浪大到連專業漁夫都恐懼、都覺得性命不保的狀態之下，耶穌卻睡得這麼熟，熟到必須有人去把祂叫醒才行。
耶穌醒了之後，就斥責風，又對海說：「住了吧！靜了吧！」於是風就止住，立刻大大地平靜了。
這裡其實有一個非常值得注意的細節。在《馬可福音》第一章二十五節，耶穌對那個被鬼附的人所說的話，和祂在這裡對風浪所說的話，用的是同一個字——「安靜吧」（Be quiet）。也就是說，無論是面對邪靈，還是面對自然界最猛烈的風暴，耶穌所發出的權柄，是同樣的權柄。
這段故事非常深刻，也帶出了一個很重要的真理。
在我們人的觀念裡，「平安」通常代表的是沒有戰爭、沒有衝突、沒有問題的狀態。我們在教會裡彼此問安說「平安」，我們也常常說希望世界和平，意思就是世界上不要再有戰爭。
但如果你稍微回顧一下人類的歷史，你會發現一件事：人類歷史，幾乎就是一部戰爭史。我們不是正在打仗，就是正在為下一場戰爭做準備。你不用回顧得太遠，光是過去一百年、甚至過去十年，就有數不清的戰爭發生。所以，「和平」從來都不是人類歷史的主流，反而「動盪」與「衝突」才是。
傳統民間信仰盼望的是神明讓我們平安發大財。但從來沒辦法解釋苦難的由來，或是苦難更深層的原因，只能夠單純地說，好人有好報，壞人有壞報，你會受苦一定是代表你做過壞事。這對於已經在痛苦之中的人，更是傷害。
這就是基督信仰珍貴的所在。在這裡，耶穌帶出了一個非常、非常重要的觀念：與祂同行，並不代表我們從此以後一帆風順；有祂的同在，也不代表我們的人生從此毫無風浪。
有一首很熟悉的詩歌：「我知誰掌管明天」
“許多事明天將臨到，許多事難以明瞭
但我知主掌握明天，祂必要領我向前”
信仰並不是叫我們去對明天單純抱持著樂觀態度，明天一定是晴天，或是明天一定什麼都不缺；而是讓我們確信一件事 —— 主在我們的船上，主與我們同行。
在《約翰福音》十四章二十七節，耶穌在離開世界之前，對門徒說：「我留下平安給你們；我將我的平安賜給你們。我所賜的，不像世人所賜的。」接著在16章33，耶穌更直接地說：「你們在世上有苦難。」但祂沒有停在那裡，祂接著說：「但你們可以放心，我已經勝了世界。」祂叫我們在他裡面有平安的意思，是就算我們還是會碰上苦難，挑戰，挫折，我們依然可以堅定相信。
而這個故事，其實也自然地帶到了使徒彼得後來生命的轉變。
我們知道，彼得在耶穌被賣的那一夜，曾經三次否認耶穌，最後甚至逃跑了。那個時候的彼得，其實仍然是用「人的角度」在理解耶穌。他聽過耶穌所說的話，也親眼看過耶穌所行的神蹟，但他心裡對耶穌的認識，仍然停留在理性與表面的理解，還沒有真正進入到信心的深處。
彼得真正的轉變，其實發生在《使徒行傳》第十二章。在第十二章裡，經文記載，希律王開始逼迫教會。他先抓了約翰的哥哥雅各，用刀把他殺了。接著，他又把彼得抓起來，關進監獄，打算等逾越節過後，再把他提出來審判。
從人的角度來看，彼得的處境可以說是凶多吉少。前面已經有一位使徒被殺了，按照當時的情勢來看，如果彼得真的被提出來受審，幾乎可以確定也是難逃一死。彼得自己非常清楚這一點。而且，經文特別強調，他是被嚴密看守的——被當作重刑犯關在牢裡，有四班兵丁輪流看守他。
在第十二章第六到第七節，我們看到一個非常奇特的畫面：彼得睡在兩個士兵中間，被兩條鐵鍊鎖著，門口還有士兵看守。而就在這樣的情況下，天使出現了，要帶他離開監牢。經文甚至說，天使必須拍打彼得的肋旁，把他叫醒。
你可以想像這個畫面。這是一個原本非常害怕死亡的人 —— 害怕到曾經為了保命而否認耶穌的人。但現在，他明明知道自己死到臨頭，卻在監獄裡睡得這麼沉，沉到連天使來了，都需要把他拍醒。
你有沒有覺得，這一幕似曾相識？
這不正像當初耶穌在船尾、枕著枕頭睡覺的那一幕嗎？
彼得之所以能夠在這樣的困境中安然入睡，不是因為他不在乎生死，而是因為他終於明白了一件事：他的生死，早已不在自己手中，而是在上帝的手中。他已經親身經歷、真正明白，那一位能平靜風浪的主，也掌管他的生命。
這一次，彼得不是在風浪中驚慌失措的門徒，而是學會了耶穌那份在風暴中的平安。他已經明白了，那不是環境改變之後才有的平安，而是因為上帝同在，而產生的真正平安。
今日屬靈反思
1. 你對於上帝所說的 “平安”的理解是什麼呢？
2. 當你面對困境，面對挑戰的時候，你可以想起耶穌對門徒說的話：40耶穌對他們說：「為甚麼膽怯？你們還沒有信心嗎？」
感謝你的聆聽，下一講我們進入第五章的故事。願上帝祝福你。
That evening, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”We know that the Sea of Galilee is not actually a very large body of water; strictly speaking, it is more like a lake. However, the storms on the Sea of Galilee are well known and notoriously dangerous. Because of the surrounding geography, the weather in that region can change dramatically and suddenly. Violent winds and storms can arise without warning. Therefore, the fishermen who made their living in that area knew very well that storms could break out on the Sea of Galilee at any moment.
On that boat were several professional fishermen. For them, wind and waves were not unfamiliar. When they were out fishing, it was entirely possible for the sky to be calm one moment and for fierce winds to arise the next. Under normal circumstances, a storm should not have caused them such panic.
Yet when we read verse 38, the disciples wake Jesus and say to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”At that moment, we realize that this storm was no ordinary storm—so severe that even these seasoned, experienced fishermen were terrified, convinced that this time they would not survive.
Mark records a detail that is both striking and vivid. The text tells us that Jesus was in the stern of the boat, sleeping on a cushion. We see here a very human Jesus. The stern was usually the place where passengers rested, and there Jesus was, lying down with His head on a pillow, sleeping deeply.
What is even more surprising is that in such a violent storm, Jesus was not awakened by the wind and waves. Instead, it was the disciples who had to wake Him. Do you notice the contrast? In a situation where the storm was so fierce that professional fishermen feared for their lives, Jesus was sleeping so soundly that someone had to wake Him.
When Jesus awoke, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Be quiet! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
There is an important detail here that is worth noticing. In Mark 1:25, when Jesus spoke to the demon-possessed man, He used the same words He uses here toward the storm—“Be quiet.”In other words, whether Jesus is confronting evil spirits or the most violent forces of nature, the authority He exercises is the same authority.
This story is deeply powerful and reveals an important truth.
In human thinking, peace usually means the absence of war, conflict, or problems. In the church, we greet one another by saying “peace,” and we often pray for world peace, meaning a world without war.
But if we take even a brief look at human history, we discover something sobering: human history is almost entirely a history of war. We are either fighting wars or preparing for the next one. We do not even need to look far back—just the past hundred years, or even the past ten years, are filled with countless conflicts. Peace has never been the norm of human history; unrest and conflict are.
Traditional folk religions often hope that the gods will grant peace and prosperity. Yet they cannot truly explain the existence of suffering or its deeper meaning. They often reduce suffering to a simple formula: good people are rewarded, bad people are punished, and if you are suffering, it must mean you did something wrong. For those already in pain, this kind of thinking only causes further harm.
This is where the Christian faith is so precious. Here, Jesus presents a profoundly important truth: walking with Him does not mean that life will be smooth sailing; having His presence does not mean we will never face storms.
There is a familiar hymn that says: “I know who holds tomorrow.”
“Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand,But I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand.”
Faith is not about blindly assuming tomorrow will be sunny or that we will lack nothing. Faith is about being confident of one thing—that the Lord is in our boat, and the Lord is with us.
In John 14:27, before Jesus left this world, He said to His disciples:“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.”Then in John 16:33, He said plainly:“In this world you will have trouble.”But He did not stop there. He continued,“Take heart! I have overcome the world.”He tells us that even though we will still face suffering, challenges, and setbacks, we can remain confident and steadfast in Him.
This story also naturally leads us to the transformation of the apostle Peter.
We know that on the night Jesus was betrayed, Peter denied Him three times and then fled. At that point, Peter was still viewing Jesus through a purely human lens. He had heard Jesus’ words and seen His miracles, yet his understanding remained intellectual and surface-level—it had not yet reached the depth of true faith.
Peter’s true transformation occurs in Acts chapter 12.In that chapter, King Herod begins persecuting the church. He arrests James, the brother of John, and puts him to death by the sword. Then he arrests Peter and places him in prison, intending to bring him out for trial after Passover.
From a human perspective, Peter’s situation looks hopeless. One apostle has already been executed, and it seems almost certain that Peter will meet the same fate. Peter knows this very well. Scripture emphasizes that he is heavily guarded—treated as a dangerous criminal—with four squads of soldiers assigned to watch him.
In Acts 12:6–7, we see a remarkable scene: Peter is sleeping between two soldiers, bound with chains, while guards stand watch at the door. And in this moment, an angel appears to rescue him. The angel even has to strike Peter on the side to wake him up.
Imagine this scene. This is a man who once feared death so deeply that he denied Jesus to save himself. Yet now, knowing that execution may be imminent, he is sleeping so deeply that even an angel must wake him.
Does this scene feel familiar?
Is it not strikingly similar to Jesus sleeping in the stern of the boat, with His head on a pillow?
Peter is able to sleep peacefully—not because he no longer cares about life and death—but because he has finally understood something profound: his life and death are no longer in his own hands, but in God’s hands. He has personally experienced and truly understood that the One who calms storms also holds his life.
This time, Peter is no longer the disciple panicking in the storm. He has learned the peace of Jesus—the peace that exists not because circumstances have changed, but because God is present.
Spiritual Reflection for Today
What does peace mean to you when God speaks of it?
When you face difficulties and challenges, can you remember Jesus’ words to the disciples in verse 40: “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Thank you for listening.In the next message, we will move into Mark chapter 5.
May God bless you.
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