Friday 30^th November

Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41 

This great story not only shows the magnitude of Gods greatness but also teaches us a valuable lesson for our own lives. It starts in a boat, probably a fishing boat, as His disciples were mostly fisherman. The location is the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was weary from His travels and wanted some rest from the multitudes so He climbed into the boat with His disciples.

Verse 24 describes a tempestuous storm that greets Jesus and the disciples. Jesus stays sleeping and the disciples panic and cry out to Jesus to rescue them. Marks gospel (4:38), adds that the disciple’s criticise Jesus for not caring that they were perishing. Jesus’ response is to firstly rebuke the disciples for their lack of faith and then commands the waves and storm to be still. Upon the calmness of the sea and storm, the disciples can but marvel at the power of the Man who is with them.

There are three main points to highlight from this passage. The first is the fear of the disciples, the second their lack of faith and the third Jesus’ power to calm the storm.

When I read this passage, I often wonder why the disciples were so fearful. Most of them were seasoned fisherman who most probably faced storms like this on a regular basis. Why were they so fearful in this storm? Was the storm really that terrible? We will understand this more as we highlight the next point.

Jesus, upon being woken up, immediately rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith and asked them why they were afraid! In my understanding of this passage, I believe that Jesus does not rebuke their lack of faith because they couldn’t calm the seas, but rather because they forgot who was in the boat with them. In Matthew chapter 8 in the preceding verses to today’s text, we read that Jesus healed a leper, healed a centurion’s servant, healed Peters mother in law and cast out demons from possessed people. In all these scenarios the disciples would have most probably been with Jesus. And now here a few verses later they forget who is with them in the boat. Not only did they forget Jesus’ miraculous powers but they didn’t have the full knowledge of who Jesus was and His mission. If Jesus perished in the boat with the disciples then humanity would never be saved from their sins because Jesus had to be put to death, rather than accidently die at sea. In not understanding whom Jesus was, the disciples panicked and acted in their flesh. I believe that this is what Jesus rebuked them for. 

So who was Jesus? Jesus was God incarnate, Immanuel ‘God with us’. In proving His authority over creation, He showed His disciples who He was. Again in Marks gospel Jesus simply tells the storm to be at peace. What an amazing sight that would have been and what authority is shown here. However Jesus’ greatest miracle was on the third day after His death when He defeated sin and its hold on humanity. Praise God that we not only serve a God who can calm the storm in our life but who made a way back to the Father!