On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’
Mark 4:35-41
Jesus said that faith the size of a mustard seed is all that is needed, (Luke 17:6) Was Jesus here being harsh with his disciples? They had faith that he could save them from drowning. They did not despair, they were not thinking ‘There’s nothing anyone can do, not even Jesus.’ They woke Jesus up demonstrating faith at least as big as a mustard seed.
Having been taught to have two way conversations with Jesus, I tried asking him. To find out about this practice see How to have two way conversations with Jesus – Fresh Bible Answers This was a written, rather than spoken, conversation. My questions are in normal paragraphs. What I think Jesus replied has a ‘+’ and some spaces at the beginning of the paragraph.
‘Jesus, they knew you could help. They called on you to help, with faith. Don’t you say to ask, present requests, rather than sit back and assume / trust you will sort things out?
+ Yes indeed, a good question and one which deserves a fresh answer indeed. These men were rebuked because they woke me up and I was as narky as you would be if you were woken up in a deep refreshing needed sleep. This was my humanity indeed! ‘Oh for goodness sake!’ as you would have said.
+ Yes, they had a little faith and the greater faith would have been to know that my Father would answer their prayer too. I thought, as a human, that they should have known, after my teaching, that their Father will respond to them as he responds to me. But this was expecting a little much. They grasped this later indeed.
+ So yes, you present your request, not needing anyone, even me, to present it for you!
Jesus reminded me of a seminar on healing prayer in the village church in Masheruka in Western Uganda. About 100 people were gathered from the local area. I was teaching them to pray for each other. I demonstrated the model of prayer by praying with a couple of people at the front while all watched and listened. Then they went into groups of 3 and prayed for each other. We rounded off by coming together to hear how their experience in their groups.
After a few hours of seminar, many people started their walk home and the church leaders and I had a meal.
After the meal I was surprised to see a couple of women still there. They asked me to pray for them. I asked them what happened when they prayed for each other. They said they did not want to pray for each other, they wanted me to pray for them. I explained that this was not the point of the day and they should simply pray for each other. They continued their gentle pleas. I continued with my stubborn refusal and they left disappointed.
+ So yes, those women in Masheruka with whom you were a little annoyed that they would not ask me and my Father for themselves, that was a fair response. But you should have done what they asked anyway!
Jesus was pointing out that, unlike me, he did what they wanted him to do even though he thought they could have chosen a better way.