1st Reading – Job 38:1, 8-11
The Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said:
Who shut within doors the sea,
when it burst forth from the womb;
when I made the clouds its garment
and thick darkness its swaddling bands?
When I set limits for it
and fastened the bar of its door,
and said: Thus far shall you come but no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stilled!
The Book of Job is part of the wisdom literature tradition, which often grapples with the complexities of life, morality, and the human condition. Job’s contribution to this tradition is its profound exploration of innocent suffering and its challenge to conventional wisdom.
At the time the Book of Job was written, the prevailing belief in ancient Israel was that suffering was generally a punishment for sin. This view is rooted in the Deuteronomic theology of retribution, which holds that righteousness leads to blessings and sin leads to curses and suffering (e.g. Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 28:15). This theology is also evident in many wisdom and prophetic texts where prosperity is linked to righteousness and suffering is linked to wickedness (e.g. Proverbs 3:33, Isaiah 3:10-11).
This traditional understanding of retribution is challenged and deepened in the Book of Job, where Job’s suffering is clearly not a direct result of his sin (Job 1:1 tells us that Job is “blameless and upright,” a man who “feared God and shunned evil”). Rather, intense suffering is a test of Job’s faith and an opportunity to grow in righteousness.
Today’s reading describes a pivotal moment in the story where God responds to Job’s demands for answers.
The Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said:
Job’s many sufferings included the loss of his wealth, the destruction of his home, the death of all his children, and an affliction of painful sores from head to toe. He was ostracized by his friends and family.
As our reading begins, he is engulfed in a storm. Throughout the narrative, Job repeatedly calls out to God, seeking an explanation for his overwhelming trials.
In response, God speaks from within the storm, presenting Job with a series of rhetorical questions that underscore his omnipotence and the limitations of human understanding. This moment is a theophany: a divine self-revelation that profoundly impacts Job and his understanding of God.
Who shut within doors the sea, when it burst forth from the womb;
This question is rhetorical, as the answer can only be “God.”
The sea is personified and described as bursting forth from the womb, an image suggesting birth and creation.
The idea that God “shut in the sea with doors” shows that he controls the chaotic and powerful forces of nature. The doors symbolize boundaries set by God to contain the sea.
when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling bands?
The sea is further personified with clouds as its “garment” and darkness as its “swaddling band,” continuing the birth imagery from the previous verse.
This portrays God as a provider and caretaker, clothing the newborn sea just as a parent would swaddle an infant. Clouds and darkness also evoke the mystery and depth of the sea, highlighting the unfathomable aspects of God’s creation.
When I set limits for it and fastened the bar of its door, and said: Thus far shall you come but no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stilled!
The image of God harnessing the sea would have been profoundly impactful in ancient times, when the Book of Job was written (likely between the 6th and 4th centuries BC).
The prevailing belief of the time was that the chaotic waters of the sea were the domain of powerful primordial monsters who lived in the deep. God’s assertion of control over the sea challenges this perception, demonstrating divine authority over natural forces that ancient people often feared and revered. By quieting the raging sea and setting its boundaries, God showcases not only his supreme power but also the order and purpose in the natural world, contrasting sharply with the chaos and danger associated with the sea in ancient mythologies.
With that in mind, the underlying message of this passage is this: Who is Job to question the Unnamable and Most High?
Regardless of the fury of the storm he was speaking from and the danger it might pose for Job, God is in control. This insight would have filled Job with confidence in God and courage in the face of danger.
This passage also answers the question posed by the disciples in today’s gospel reading: “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” Jesus’ miracle of calming the sea reveals that he manifests the same power ascribed to God in the Hebrew Scriptures, affirming the central Christian belief that Jesus is indeed God.
2nd Reading – 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Brothers and sisters:
The love of Christ impels us,
once we have come to the conviction that one died for all;
therefore, all have died.
He indeed died for all,
so that those who live might no longer live for themselves
but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh;
even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh,
yet now we know him so no longer.
So whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.
In today’s second reading, Paul insists that the love of Christ leaves us no choice: we must leave behind our old ways and embrace a transformed life.
In Christ, believers are a new creation.
Brothers and sisters: the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, all have died.
This verse encapsulates a core Christian belief and its implications for the life of a believer.
“The love of Christ” can be interpreted in two ways: it could mean Christ’s love for humanity, demonstrated by his sacrificial death, or it could refer to the love that believers have for Christ in response to his love.
In either case, love is the driving force for Christian action and mission. This love is not merely a passive feeling but an active and compelling force.
At the moment of conversion for a believer, they accept that Christ died a redeeming death for the benefit of all humanity. Through their union with Christ, believers are called to die to their old selves (“therefore, all have died”) and live a new life empowered by Christ’s resurrection.
This calling is the basis for ethical and moral transformation in the Christian life.
He indeed died for all,
Paul underscores the inclusivity and universality of Christ’s sacrificial act. It was not limited to a specific group but was intended for everyone.
Jesus not only stands in for humankind, he stands for them.
so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
Believers now live in an extraordinary way — no longer for themselves, but for Christ.
Christ died for all, now all live for him.
Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh;
Christ’s death and resurrection have completely transformed the way we perceive both Christ and one another. We have moved beyond superficial judgments and now view people through a spiritual lens, recognizing their inherent worth and potential in Christ.
even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer.
There was a time when our understanding of Christ was limited to his physical existence and human attributes.
This is particularly true for Paul. In his old life, as Saul, he regarded Jesus as a renegade, someone who led people away from the true worship of God (see Acts 9:1-2). His conversion gave him new eyes, a new way to see the reality beneath the surface.
In his previous letter to the Corinthians, Paul contrasted the perception of Christ according to human wisdom (which sees weakness, powerlessness, folly, and death) and divine wisdom (which reveals true wisdom, power, and life) (1 Corinthians 1:17-3:3).
So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.
Paul concludes with the transformative power of being in Christ. Believers become an entirely new creation, shedding their old selves and embracing a new life in Christ.
In this new life, every action is infused with divine love.
Gospel – Mark 4:35-41
On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples:
“Let us cross to the other side.”
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,
so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him,
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
He woke up,
rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”
The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?”
They were filled with great awe and said to one another,
“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
Today’s gospel reading recounts a profound nature miracle where Jesus calms a raging storm, showcasing his divine authority over the natural world. This isn’t merely a display of power but an event that deepens the disciples’ (and Mark’s audience’s) understanding of Jesus’ true identity.
On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.”
This verse sets the scene for the miracle. Jesus and his disciples were on the western (Jewish) shore of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus had been preaching from a boat to a crowd seated on the shore (Mark 4:1-2). It was evening, indicating that Jesus and his disciples were about to embark on a nighttime journey across the sea.
We know from Mark 5:1 that their destination was the Gentile region of Gerasenes, on the eastern shore, where Jesus will cast out demons from a man and send them into a herd of pigs.
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
They simply launched the boat in which Jesus had been preaching, without making any special preparations. They did not stop first to gather provisions, which would have been inconvenient amidst the large crowd on the shore.
And other boats were with him.
There is no further mention of these boats or their occupants. Their mention here suggests that there were additional witnesses to what is about to happen, adding credibility to the account.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up.
The Sea of Galilee is notorious for its sudden and violent storms, largely influenced by its geographic location and surrounding terrain. Situated in a basin surrounded by hills and mountains, the sea is susceptible to katabatic winds — cold, dense air masses that descend from higher elevations down a slope under the force of gravity. These winds can whip up the sea surface rapidly, causing tumultuous waves and fierce storms that pose serious hazards to small boats.
In addition to our first reading, references to God’s mastery over chaotic waters can be found throughout scripture, starting with creation, where God drew order out of the watery abyss that God (Genesis 1:2), and in the Exodus tradition, where God split the waters of the sea to rescue his people (Exodus 14-15). The Psalms also refer to God’s victory over chaotic waters (Psalms 74:13-14, 89:9-10, 104:6-7).
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
Jesus’ sleep shows his humanity and possibly his exhaustion from ministry. It also demonstrates his trust in God’s protection; in scripture, untroubled sleep is a sign of trust in the power and protection of God (Proverbs 3:32-34; Psalms 3:5, 4:8; Job 11:18-19).
In ancient boats, especially those used on the Sea of Galilee, the structure of the stern typically offered some protection from the splash of the waves.
They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
The disciples seem to wake Jesus for the sole purpose of sharing their anxiety, or to make sure that Jesus is at least awake when they sink.
It probably would have never occurred to them to ask him to calm the storm.
He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm.
The instant calm following a mere verbal command from Jesus underscores his divine power. This wasn’t a gradual calming but a sudden, miraculous event.
This miracle story is an explicit declaration of Jesus’ divine power; God alone can control the sea.
“When He disperses its waves, Habakkuk’s words are fulfilled, where he speaks of the Lord ‘scattering the waters in His passage’ [Habakkuk 3:10 (in the Septuagint form)]. When at His rebuke the sea is calmed, Nahum’s prophesy is fulfilled: ‘He rebukes the sea and leaves it dry.’” [Tertullian (between 207-212 AD), Against Marcion, 4,20]
Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
The Greek adjective used here for “terrified” (deiloi) suggests not simply fear, but also cowardice.
There is a certain dramatic irony here, because this question is understood differently by the characters in the story (the disciples) than by the readers of Mark’s gospel. To the disciples, Jesus’ question is whether they lack faith in God the Father. Jesus peacefully slept through the storm, confident in the Father’s will being fulfilled. He saw no cause for fear.
For the readers, who know Jesus’ identity post-resurrection, the question suggests whether the disciples lack faith in Jesus himself. While the disciples had at this point witnessed Jesus’ power to heal and cast out demons, they had not yet fully grasped his divinity.
They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
The disciples’ fear shifts from the storm to awe of Jesus’ power, recognizing that they are in the presence of someone extraordinary. Jesus didn’t invoke the power of God before he acted; he simply commanded nature and it obeyed.
The disciples’ question is not an idle query, but the fundamental question raised by Jesus’ entire ministry. Calming this storm demonstrated authority over nature, a domain traditionally reserved for God alone.
Their religious tradition would have provided the answer to their question: this is the Creator-God, the one who alone can triumph over the chaotic water. They are beginning to recognize exactly who Jesus is, if only faintly.
Connections and Themes
- Divine authority over creation. A major theme in this week’s readings is the divine authority over creation. God’s rhetorical questions to Job about the creation of the sea and the containment of its chaotic forces remind Job of his unmatched power and control. This theme is mirrored in the gospel reading, where Jesus calms the violent storm on the Sea of Galilee. The disciples are terrified, but Jesus rebukes the wind and sea, demonstrating the same divine authority that can only come from the Creator-God.
- Questioning God in times of crisis. Job, in his immense suffering, demanded answers from God, feeling abandoned and unheard. The disciples’ panic led them to wake Jesus, accusing him of indifference to their plight. In both cases, an answer is eventually received, but not without a rebuke. By placing these readings together, the Church is reminding us that God’s presence and care are constant, even when not immediately apparent. The readings calls us to trust in God’s sovereignty even amidst life’s most daunting trials. Faith, rather than fear, is the appropriate response to God’s overwhelming power and care.
- Living as a new creation in Christ. How do we acquire the kind of faith God expected from Job and Jesus expected from the disciples? Paul has the answer in the second reading: the transformative love of Christ. This love completely changes our hearts and minds. Just as God sets boundaries for the seas and Jesus calms the storm, through Christ God’s love brings about a new order in the hearts of believers, creating something entirely new out of the old. We no longer live for ourselves; we no longer view life the way we did before.
Sunday Readings 