Week 5: Chapter 4 — The Storm

1.Keller spends significant time on the Parable of the Sower. Jesus explains that the seed (the word) falls on four types of soil. Keller argues that three of the four represent not outright rejection but failed forms of reception — distraction, shallow emotion, and divided priorities. Which of these three "near misses" do you find most dangerous, and why?

2.When Jesus calms the storm, he rebukes the disciples: "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Keller makes a crucial distinction here — the disciples were not faithless people, they were afraid despite knowing Jesus was in the boat. What is the difference between fear that drives you away from Jesus and fear that leads you to cry out to him? Which kind were the disciples experiencing?

3.Keller points out that after calming the storm, the disciples are described as "terrified" — more afraid than they were of the storm itself. Why would the disciples be more frightened of Jesus calming the storm than of the storm itself? What does that tell us about what a genuine encounter with Jesus should feel like?