Matthew 8:23–27
Jesus stopped the storm. This made people ask a question. It was: ‘Who is this?’
Matthew had a short passage about being a disciple. (Read Matthew 8:19–22.) Now, he described more about Jesus’ miracles. The first three were showing God’s truth. They were showing it by actions. They explained the work that Jesus came to do. (Read Matthew 8:1–18.) They gave an answer to the disciples’ question. (Read Matthew 8:27.) ‘Who is this?’ they asked. The answer is in Matthew 8:29j. Jesus is the ‘Son of God’.
Jesus showed his authority over:
• nature. (Read Matthew 8:23–27.)
• the spiritual world. (Read Matthew 8:28–34.)
• sin. (Read Matthew 9:1–8.) These last verses marked a change in Jesus’ special work. From that time, the religious leaders tried to find a reason to kill him.
Jesus and his disciples were in the boat. Suddenly, there was a great storm. It must have been a very bad storm. The men knew about these storms. (Read the ‘More Explanation’ section. It is about the Sea of Galilee.) But they were still very afraid (Matthew 8:25). So, the storm must have been even worse than usual. The word that Matthew used in verse 24 showed this. The word usually described an earthquake. (This is when the earth shakes. It can cause great damage.)
Jesus was very tired. He was able to sleep because he trusted his Father. His disciples had to wake him. Then he did a great miracle. He just gave a command to the wind and the waves. They obeyed immediately (Matthew 8:26). The wind stopped. The water became very calm.
Jesus gave an order to the wind and to the sea. Many people did not follow the real God. They had a belief. They believed that the sea was the great enemy of the gods. The OT sometimes used similar language. But, it did not accept the same beliefs. It taught that God has authority over the sea. This fact would cause people to praise God. (Read Psalm 93:3–4 and 96:11.)
Matthew showed that Jesus had authority over everything. This included the Sea of Galilee. This led the disciples to praise Jesus. Surely, this Jesus must be God.
The disciples were confident that Jesus could save them (Matthew 8:25). But he was asleep. They were not sure if he could help them then. They woke him. First, Jesus blamed them for their lack of trust in God. Then Jesus performed his great miracle. This showed his authority over the whole of creation. (This includes everything that God has made.)
This miracle was showing God’s truth too. It was showing it by actions. These disciples were not like the men who were in Matthew 8:18–22. The disciples did follow Jesus (Matthew 8:23). But it was not always easy to be a real disciple. They soon had great troubles. They must live by trust in him. They must learn to trust Jesus. He controlled everything. These things are still true today.
The disciples were still not sure who Jesus was. So, they asked the question in Matthew 8:27. Soon, they would get the answer. But it would come from a very unusual place!
Questions
- Do you find it hard to believe that Jesus can help you? In what parts of your life do you find this? Compare each one with the storm. Does this help you?
- What ‘storms’ does your church have now? How can Jesus help?
- Jesus is Lord of creation. (This includes everything that God has made.) So, what does this tell us about the church’s responsibility to the earth?
(Note: ‘Church’ refers to the people not to the building.)
More explanation
The Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee was, and is, a lake. It is only 13 miles long and 8 miles wide. It is part of the Jordan valley. It makes a deep crack in the surface of the earth. Galilee is 650 feet (211 metres) below the level of the sea. The climate is warm and friendly. But there are mountains on the west side of the lake. These mountains have deep valleys with steep sides.
Sometimes a strong wind will blow into the deep valley. Then it will suddenly rush down on the lake. The wind will blow with great force. All will be calm. Then, in a moment, there will be a very bad storm.
Someone tells of a visit to Galilee. He was at a place called Tiberias. The lake was very calm. Some people who were with him doubted the truth of Matthew’s story. Almost immediately, the wind became strong. In 20 minutes, the waves were coming over the walls at Tiberias. The visitors were 200 yards from the lake. But they still had to find shelter.
