Matthew 8:23-27 Wind and Wave Obey Jesus
“Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Storms on the Sea of Galilee can be sudden and fierce. The mountains to the east of the Sea of Galilee form natural wind tunnels that funnel winds right on to the lake. During a visit to Israel, my tour group was eating supper at a restaurant on the west bank of the Sea of Galilee. The moon was bright and there was only a mild breeze when we went in to supper. But suddenly we heard roaring winds. Looking out the windows of the restaurant, we could see high waves crashing over the boat dock just outside the restaurant. Later we were told of a group of youngsters who started out floating on inflatable rafts near the shore, only to be blown into the center of the lake when such winds suddenly came up. Local fishermen had to go out in their boats to rescue the kids.
Look at this story critically. Most of Jesus disciples were either local fishermen or citizens of villages around the Sea of Galilee. These men were highly experienced and could foretell the weather by looking at the clouds and testing the wind. Had these men anticipated such a storm, they would certainly not have ventured out onto the lake. But everybody wanted to escape the crowds for a while, and it made sense to cross to the other side of the lake.
Jesus was asleep in the bottom of the boat. Some people say that there was a big leather cushion that was part of the normal equipment in such boats and that Jesus was asleep on that. At any rate, Jesus was undoubtedly exhausted; otherwise, he would have wakened up as soon as the wind picked up and the waves began slapping against the side of the ship. Jesus was so tired that the disciples had to shake him awake before he realized what was going on. Little wonder then, that the disciples were shouting to be heard over the wind, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” Every one of those men had probably lost friends in similar storms and knew how deadly those storms could be. While we would like to flatter ourselves that had we been there, we would have had complete faith in Jesus, the plain fact is that we probably would have been right there shouting at Jesus and shaking him awake also.
You can almost feel sorry for the disciples as Jesus asked them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” How were these guys to know what Jesus was going to do next? They probably weren’t even sure that Jesus could do anything, but they were fearful and desperate. What happened next was beyond description, for Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves and everything immediately became calm. The only response the disciples could utter was ,“Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
So many times God allows storms to come into our lives. Like the disciples in that boat, all we can think of doing is to beg for deliverance. We are angry and disgusted with God; doesn’t He realize we are suffering? Doesn’t He care? But God brings storms into our lives so that we will witness His power to save and deliver us. When things are going smoothly, we are quite likely to take complete credit for the peace, little realizing that God is the One giving us peace and not we ourselves.
Jesus still has power to save and deliver. A few years ago, a friend and his family were at home one evening when they were suddenly attacked by armed robbers. While the robbers were collecting cell phones and computers, they also threatened to rape his daughters. When the oldest daughter began calling on the name of Jesus, the robbers became angry and agitated and then suddenly left without harming the family.
We make a terrible mistake if we reduce Jesus to the status of a great teacher, or a wise holy man, or a miracle worker, for Jesus is all those things and far more. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and God has given him all power and glory to work in heaven and on earth. When we take on the role of a disciple of Jesus, we are allying ourself with the greatest power in the universe. After all, why settle for adulating a sports hero or a movie star or a musician? Sooner or later, every one of those people will disappoint you because they are only human. But Jesus is far more than human and far more powerful than any human hero or heroine can possibly be.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to appreciate You and to worship You. Help us to trust that You have power to save and deliver us from every calamity. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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