
These men are experienced fishermen. They are afraid. Jesus is asleep. They wake him with the question: ”Do you not care?”. (This is Martha’s question to Jesus after the death of Lazarus!!!) Then they say very forcefully, “we are going down.” The gospel says ever so simply ‘and he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “quiet now! be calm” and the wind dropped and all was calm again.’
There is a constant theme in Mark between the authority of Jesus and the lack of faith in the apostles. This is a rebuke. ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?”
Their response is predictable. Who is this man? Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him”.