As Jesus taught his disciples, he often traveled among the Jewish cities of northwestern Galilee. Most of his disciples came from that area and probably thought of the Decapolis as a place to avoid—an area dominated by evil gods.
Jesus challenged his disciples? beliefs and fears about the Decapolis. And he gave them undeniable demonstrations of his power over evil.
One of these moments came during a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus told the disciples to head ?to the other side,? an expression used to describe the Decapolis. The disciples started off, probably questioning the wisdom of traveling to pagan territory, and soon found themselves in a terrible storm.
As they struggled against the waves, the disciples were terrified. They thought of the sea as an abyss where evil spirits lived—and they were right in the middle of it, in the midst of a fierce storm.
Fearing for their lives, they woke Jesus, who had been sleeping, and asked him why he didn?t care that they might drown. Jesus challenged them, asking ?Do you still have no faith?? (Mark 4:40).
Rebuking the wind and waves, Jesus calmed the storm—and showed his disciples that he had power over nature and over the supposed gods of the Abyss.
