Matthew 8:23–27; Mark 4:35–41

Jesus Calms the Storm

“Master, carest thou not that we perish?” the disciples cried to the Savior as the waves and wind battered their little ship (see Mark 4:37–38). In times of despair, we may find ourselves desperate for help and questioning the Savior’s care for us. However desperate our situation may seem, Jesus Christ has the ability and power to ease our burdens, rebuke our troubles, and say to us, “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39). This lesson is intended to help you receive the Lord’s peace and calm during the struggles you encounter.

Encouraging students to visualize events from the scriptures. Visualization occurs as students picture in their minds the events recorded in the scriptures. Picturing these events can help make the accounts in the scriptures more vivid and real to them.

Student preparation: Invite students to complete the activity from the Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 outline for February 27–March 5 in “Matthew 8:23–27; Mark 4:35–41: Jesus Christ has power to bring peace in the midst of life’s storms” and to come prepared to share insights. Students could ask family members or friends to participate with them in this activity.

Possible Learning Activities

What fears do you have?

Display the following statement and questions for students to see as they come into class.

There are times in our lives when we may feel like we are in the midst of a raging storm. Sometimes these storms of life can cause us to be afraid.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared examples of fears that we sometimes have. Consider similar fears that you might have.

Our single adults fear making commitments such as getting married. Young marrieds … can fear bringing children into an increasingly wicked world. Missionaries fear lots of things, especially approaching strangers. Widows fear going forward alone. Teenagers fear not being accepted; grade schoolers fear the first day of school; university students fear getting back a test. We fear failure, rejection, disappointment, and the unknown. We fear hurricanes, earthquakes, and fires that ravage the land and our lives. We fear not being chosen, and on the flip side, we fear being chosen. We fear not being good enough; we fear that the Lord has no blessings for us. We fear change, and our fears can escalate to terror.

(Ronald A. Rasband, “Be Not Troubled,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 18)

Respond to the following questions in your study journal.

Students could respond to the following questions in an anonymous poll. Consider using their answers to know how to guide the learning experience.

What fears do you have that are similar to the ones Elder Rasband mentioned?
How might these fears impact your faith? Why?
What can you do to receive the Savior’s help to overcome these fears?

As you study today, search for truths that can help you receive the Lord’s peace to help calm your fears.

A fearful experience

Visualizing events in the scriptures is a study skill that can greatly increase the power and effectiveness of your study. Study Mark 4:35–38, and try to visualize the disciples’ experience recorded in these verses.

Draw a simple picture of the scene from Mark 4:35–38 in your study journal. Include any details you feel would be helpful. You will use this picture throughout the lesson to relate this story to your own life. Consider asking yourself the following questions as you draw:

Consider applying the teacher tip for this lesson by asking the following questions. These will help students visualize the story in Mark 4:35–38.

What do you imagine the ship looked like?
What might the disciples have done as the waves beat into the ship?
What do you think the storm looked and felt like?

Consider how the events depicted in this account might symbolize events that have happened, are happening, or might happen in your life. Next to the different parts of the drawing you created, write down aspects of your life that could be represented by elements in this scripture account. For example, the boat might represent things that keep the Savior with you. The waves or the storm might represent temptations or trials you experience that threaten to overwhelm you.

What emotions might the disciples have felt that you can relate to?
When might someone feel the Savior is asleep during their life’s storms? Why?

As students complete their pictures, invite them to share what they drew with a partner or with the class.

Invite students to recall the questions they studied from Come, Follow Me in preparation for this lesson.

Read Mark 4:38 again, and identify the question the disciples asked.

What truths about the Savior might they have forgotten during the storm?

Study Mark 4:39–41, and look for what you learn about the nature and character of Jesus Christ.

Listen carefully to student responses to the following questions, and write the responses on the board. Consider asking follow-up questions, such as “Why would that be important to understand?”

What did you learn about the nature and character of Jesus Christ?
What truths can we learn from this account about the Savior’s ability to calm our own life’s storms?

From this story we can see that as we seek the Savior’s help during the storms of life, He can bring us peace and calm. Consider writing in your scriptures and on your drawing this truth and any others you saw.

Watch “Peace in Christ” (4:09), and think about times when the Savior has brought you peace in the midst of your life’s storms.

4:9

What thoughts and feelings did you have as you listened to this song?
When has the Savior brought you peace and calm during a “storm of life”?

Look at your drawing and the labels on it. Now add a drawing of yourself to your image that illustrates how you are facing your life’s storms. For example, are you hanging on to the side of the boat in fear? Or are you standing near the Savior, filled with peace?

Below your illustration, record why you drew yourself the way you did. Then think about specific actions you feel the Lord wants you to take to receive or continue to receive His help. In a future lesson, you might have the opportunity to revisit your illustration and consider if you have found greater peace in the Savior.

It may be helpful to invite students to keep track of their picture. The lesson “Assess Your Learning 3” refers back to this activity.

Commentary and Background Information

How could such a terrible storm happen on such a small body of water?

The Sea of Galilee … is located in the Jordan Rift Valley at nearly 700 feet below sea level and is surrounded by high mountains on the west, north, and east. Winds can whip down the western slopes and create sudden, intense storms with formidable waves on this relatively small body of water.

(New Testament Student Manual [2018], 108)

Why did Jesus issue a gentle rebuke to the disciples for having no faith?

President Howard W. Hunter (1907–95) shared:

All of us have seen some sudden storms in our lives. A few of them, though temporary like these on the Sea of Galilee, can be violent and frightening and potentially destructive. As individuals, as families, as communities, as nations, even as a church, we have had sudden squalls arise which have made us ask one way or another, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” And one way or another we always hear in the stillness after the storm, “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?”

None of us would like to think we have no faith, but I suppose the Lord’s gentle rebuke here is largely deserved. This great Jehovah, in whom we say we trust and whose name we have taken upon us, is he who said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” (Gen. 1:6.) And he is also the one who said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear.” (Gen. 1:9.) Furthermore, it was he who parted the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to pass through on dry ground. (See Ex. 14:21–22.) Certainly it should be no surprise that he could command a few elements acting up on the Sea of Galilee. And our faith should remind us that he can calm the troubled waters of our lives.

(Howard W. Hunter, “Master, the Tempest Is Raging,” Ensign, Nov. 1984, 33)

How can this story relate to me?

Sister Lisa L. Harkness, former First Counselor in the General Primary Presidency, shared:

There is a mortal tendency, even a temptation, when we find ourselves in the middle of trials, troubles, or afflictions to cry out, “Master, carest thou not that I perish? Save me.” …

I can imagine that Jesus’s disciples in the storm-tossed boat were, of necessity, busy watching the waves crash onto their deck and bailing out the water. I can picture them handling the sails and trying to maintain some semblance of control over their little craft. Their focus was on surviving the moment, and their plea for help was urgently sincere.

Many of us are no different in our day. … In times of turmoil our faith can feel stretched to the limits of our endurance and understanding. Waves of fear can distract us, causing us to forget God’s goodness, thus leaving our perspective short-sighted and out of focus. Yet it is in these rough stretches of our journey that our faith can be not only tried but fortified.

(Lisa L. Harkness, “Peace, Be Still,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 81)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Opening hymn idea

Consider singing “Master, the Tempest Is Raging” (Hymns, no. 105) to begin class.

Book of Mormon activity

Consider inviting students to search the account of the Jaredite travels in Ether 6:1–12 to find parallels between the Jaredites and the Apostles during the storm. Encourage students to focus on the symbolism in each account. Students could identify truths about the Savior and principles that can help them through the journeys and storms of life.