The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 289

shal1 ye come, but M further." The sacred writers claim it as the peculiar preroga- tive of God to gather the wind in his fists and bind the waters in a garment. Job in celebrating the attributes of the Almighty, applies to him the sublime and striking sent.ence, "Which alone sprea.deth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.." 2. Comparison of two simil,a,r miracles. There are two miracles of our Lord which have a close resemblance to ea.eh other, and at the same time considerable dissimilarity. One of these is that recorded in this passage, and called his "walkin" on the waters ; " the other is distinguished by the name of his II stilling the storm?, (eh. iv. 35-41). By comparing these together, we find that the circumstances of the disciples were much worse, and their distress much greater, at the time referred to in this passage than on the former occasion. We may glance (1) at the stillina of the storm, which we purposely passed over at its proper place in the fourth ~hapter. Combining the words of the three evangelists who describe that former miracle we cannot fail t-0 be struck with the exceedingly graphic nature of that description 'and that in so few words. We are, in fact, made to see it as though the whole 'were transpiring before our eyes, so truly pictorial is the recital. There is first the sudden squall (>.a!Jl.cz,/,, St. Mark and St. Luke), its severity (µryd>..11 1 St. Mark), its rapid descent upon the lake (,,,..,.p.,, St. Luke), the agitation that ensued (D'HD'µbs, St. Matthew), the waves as they kept sweeping over the deck of the small craft (brlfJCJM•v imperfect, St. Mark), their beginning to fill with water (D'w•1rJl.71poiJ.,.,o, St. Luke: and ")'•µl(•D"6cu, St. Mark, but 1<a.J\.m•D"6tu, St. Matthew), the peril in which the passengers found themselves (l11:1v36vwov, St. Luke); while Jesus remainea all the time fast asleep in the hinder part of the ship on a pillow (1rpo0'1<<4'd>..CJ,ov, St. Mark). Then follow the alarm of the disciples, the twice-repeated appeal of "Master, master" ( /,,,.UM,fra., ,,..UM,hti, St. Luke) evidencing their trepidation and terror, their eager cry for instant help (D',,,D'ov, aorist imperative, St. Matthew) in their present perishing condition (a,roMvµ•6a., SS. Mark, Matthew, and Luke), the quiet dignity and self-possession of the Saviour, his rebuke to the spirit of the storm (0'1~11:11, ,..,41lµr.,,D"o, only re- corded by St. Mark); or perhaps we may regard the former word as a command to the sea and the latter to the wind, as if he commanded the roar of the water to be silent, and the howling of the wind to be still, the spirit thereof being muzzled, as the word literally imports; while the imperative of the perfect implies that the work was instantaneous--completed soon as the word was uttered. 'l.'hen we have the storm falling as suddenly as it rose-at once spending its force, wearing itself out and ceasing from very weariness (l1<01!'.CJD'w, St. Mark). 'l'he calm that ensued was as great in proportion as had been the storm, with the milky whiteness of the foam that now alone remained from the storm, on the tranquil waters ('ya.Jl.!\1'71), if we derive the word from ")'4Jl.a., milk; or with the "smile that dimpled" the face of the deep, if we derive the word from ")'•JI.~. All these incidents a.re not so much narrated as exhibited. It may be added, as an interesting circumstance in the respective descriptions of the evangelists St. Mark and St. Matthew, that while the former, in hie usual graphic and pictorial style of description, represents the waves as pitching or beating, or actually throwing themselves on the ve8sel so that it was filling ("Y•l'l(,0'6cu), the latter describes the boat as covered (1<a.JI.Vll'T<0"6CJ1) with the waves. Hence it has been inferred, with good reason, that St. Matthew's point of view was plainly from one of the other vessels that, we are told, accompanied, and from which he saw the waves hiding out of sight, the boat m which the Saviour was; while St. Mark, or rather St. Peter, from whose lips he had the description, was evidently in the same boat with our Lord, and from inside the vessel observed the waves rushing up against her sides, and filling her, Besides, the word .,.411,.,,,0'0 reminds us of the use of 41,µavv, to put to silence, literally muzzle, used by St. Peter in 1 Epist. ii. 15. But (2) though the storm may have been equally great in the case of the miracle just described as in that of the passage before us, yet there were several modifying circumstances in the former that a.re not found in this latter case. On that occasion we read that "there were also with him other little ships;" at the time specified in this passage the ship in which the disciples sailed was alone. On the former occasion the Saviour was with them and in the boat; on this he was both abscut and distant. On the former occasion they had the advantages, no inconsiderable ones, of day and light about them ; on this they were surrounded by the earknees anrl dead of night. On the former occasion they were not, it would seem, far oH, v1. 1-GG.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BT, MARK. 287