Mark 6:51

6:51 Then he went up with them into the boat, and the wind ceased. They were completely astonished,

Mark 4:39

4:39 So ¹  he got up and rebuked ²  the wind, and said to the sea, ³  “Be quiet! Calm down!” Then ⁴  the wind stopped, and it was dead calm.

Mark 4:41

4:41 They were overwhelmed by fear and said to one another, “Who then is this? ⁵  Even the wind and sea obey him!” ⁶ 

Mark 6:48

6:48 He ⁷  saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. As the night was ending, ⁸  he came to them walking on the sea, ⁹  for ¹⁰  he wanted to pass by them. ¹¹ 

[4:39]  ¹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[4:39]  ² tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).

[4:39]  ³ sn Who has authority over the seas and winds is discussed in the OT: Ps 104:3; 135:7; 107:23-30. When Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea he was making a statement about who he was.

[4:39]  ⁴ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[4:41]  ¹ sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about who he was exactly (Who then is this?). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.

[4:41]  ² sn This section in Mark (4:35-5:43) contains four miracles: (1) the calming of the storm; (2) the exorcism of the demon-possessed man; (3) the giving of life to Jairus’ daughter; (4) the healing of the woman hemorrhaging for twelve years. All these miracles demonstrate Jesus’ right to proclaim the kingdom message and his sovereign authority over forces, directly or indirectly, hostile to the kingdom. The last three may have been brought together to show that Jesus had power over all defilement, since contact with graves, blood, or a corpse was regarded under Jewish law as causing a state of ritual uncleanness.

[6:48]  ¹ tn This verse is one complete sentence in the Greek text, but it has been broken into two sentences in English for clarity.

[6:48]  ² tn Grk “about the fourth watch of the night,” between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.

[6:48]  ³ tn Or “on the lake.”

[6:48]  ⁴ tn The καί (kai) was translated so as to introduce a subordinate clause, i.e., with the use of “for.” See BDF §442.9.

[6:48]  ⁵ sn The statement he wanted to pass by them is somewhat difficult to understand. There are at least two common interpretations: (1) it refers to the perspective of the disciples, that is, from their point of view it seemed that Jesus wanted to pass by them; or (2) it refers to a theophany and uses the language of the Greek Old Testament (LXX) when God “passed by” Moses at Sinai (cf. Exod 33:19, 22). According to the latter alternative, Jesus is “passing by” the disciples during their struggle, in order to assure them of his presence with them. See W L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 236.