Calming the Storm

Fishing on the Sea of Galilee could be risky business, particularly during winter evenings, when the rough winds from Mount Hermon would hurtle through the mountain passes of the Golan Heights, swirling the little sea into a heaving mass. It was probably one of these sudden storms, called a sharkia, that Jesus and the disciples encountered in Mark 4:35-38:

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?"

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Notice that this story, as well as the one below, emphasizes the wind and the waves; nowhere is rain mentioned. This makes sense for high-pressure mountain winds hitting low-pressure air typical of the Sea of Galilee, which sits 700 feet below sea level. While I can’t 100% verify that the sharkia has minimal rain, everything I’ve read about it has mentioned only wind, and I would venture to guess that rain is not the major issue in these storms. This would add up perfectly with the wording of both Jesus calming the storm, and Jesus walking on water. The following is an excerpt, from Matthew 14:23-25, 32-33.

…[Jesus] went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake…And when [Peter and Jesus] climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying "Truly you are the Son of God.”

These sharkia storms were often sudden, and generally took place early in the winter evening. Summer storms of westerly winds also were a danger.