Why Are You So Afraid?: Two Kinds of Fear

On a windy day on a lake, Jesus asked His disciples, “Why are you so afraid?” As the wind pummeled their small boat, Jesus confronted their fears.

This story came alive to me recently when my husband and I traveled to Israel. This trip had been on my bucket list for years. I longed to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and see the land God’s people called home for centuries.

On the third day of our trip, our tour group spent some time in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. It was the end of the day and the sky began filling with clouds. But beams of sunlight filtered through, shining God’s glory.

Jesus on the Sea of Galilee

While gazing at the beauty of the sky, the lake, and the surrounding mountains, our tour guide read us Mark 4:35-41:

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

God dramatically punctuated the word “windstorm” with a great gust of wind that shook our boat for a minute. Our guide told us that because the Sea of Galilee is surrounded by mountains, winds can whip up suddenly and unexpectedly. That’s exactly what happened the day the disciples were in the boat with a sleepy Savior. They thought He didn’t care about them and woke Him up.

Jesus immediately took care of the situation by calming the sea, then asked His trembling disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

Two Kinds of Fear

The story of Jesus and the disciples on the Sea of Galilee talks about two kinds of fear.

Deilos Fear. Fear comes naturally to us humans. The word for afraid in Jesus’ question, “Why are you so afraid?” (Mark 4:40) is deilos–meaning timid or fearful. While we may not be on a sinking boat, our world gives us many reasons to have fear. We fear sinking financial failure and not being able to pay the bills at the end of the month. We fear storms of relationship troubles and clouds of deadly viruses.

Or maybe your fears are a little more subtle. Even if you don’t see monsoons of disaster in the skies of your life right now, you may harbor secret fears of loneliness, fears of growing old. Maybe you hide fears of failure, fears of the future.

But just like Jesus asked His disciples, He asks us, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

Phobeo Fear. The second word for fear in the story of the disciples in the boat comes in verse 41: “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” (emphasis added). Here the Greek word is phobeo, which can mean to be afraid, but also can indicate reverence. The disciples were in awe of Jesus’ ability to calm the wind and the sea.

Instead of deilos fear, let’s have phobeo fear. If Jesus can calm waves on the Sea of Galilee, certainly He can quiet the fears in my heart and your heart. When we focus more on awe of the God who can handle any situation instead of our timid hearts, God will erase our fears. The sunshine of His grace will filter through the dark clouds of our anxiety.

Why Are You So Afraid?

If fear has taken up residence in your heart today, listen to Jesus’ question, “Why are you so afraid?” Examine the source of your fear: finances? relationships? health? Then consider Jesus’ second question, “Have you still no faith?” Do you believe that Jesus’ power and strength can overcome any financial, relationship, or health problem? Can you trust that even though He may not remove the problem that He will walk through it with you? Then why fear? Focus on the ever-present, all-powerful God who says, “Peace be still!” to the raging anxiety in your heart.

Next step: Read Mark 4:35-41 once again. Picture yourself in the boat with Jesus. What would you have felt that day in the boat? How does Jesus’ ability to calm the sea affect you? How does it change your perspective of your current-day fears?