23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed
Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that
the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him,
saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 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. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that
even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Commentary
The Lord Jesus Christ and his disciples now leave behind Capernaum where the Lord Jesus did so many of His miraculous works. And though the Lord Jesus will return their once more (Matt. 17:24-27), it and its peoples fate will be sealed by their own unbelief (see Matthew 11:20-24). And so with the Lord Jesus getting into the boat His disciples follow Him. Now it is while they are on their journey, crossing the Sea of Galilee heading to its eastern shores, and the cities and towns and villages there that a great tempest suddenly arises, covering the boat with such waves as to threaten to capsize them. Now the Sea of Galilee being surrounded by steep hills is such that these sudden uprisings of its waters are not uncommon; for as the winds descend down the hills they pick up speed and can easily whip up the relatively shallow waters of the Sea of Galilee. And so the disciples as seasoned fishermen of it were not unaccustomed to such occurrences. However on this particular occurrence the winds and waves are of such a fierce nature that disciples begin to fear for their very lives as this unusually powerful uprising of the waters appears to them to be about to overtake them; and this all occurs while Jesus is quietly sleeping in the boat unmoved by what they thought to be an imminent threat to their lives (vs. 24). And so the disciples being greatly afraid for their lives now come to Jesus and awake Him saying, “Lord save us! We are perishing!” (Vs.25). Now both the Lord Jesus’ demeanor and His response to them while all of this is occurring is not just for their sakes, but for ours also. For clearly the Lord had us all in mind when He remained resting and peaceful and calm during this seemingly perilous situation that they were then facing. And so with their desperate cries for deliverance, and the Lord Jesus now being awakened by them, He simply and calmly responds to them saying, “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 (vs. 26).
Commentary
The Lord Jesus Christ and his disciples now leave behind Capernaum where the Lord Jesus did so many of His miraculous works. And though the Lord Jesus will return their once more (Matt. 17:24-27), it and its peoples fate will be sealed by their own unbelief (see Matthew 11:20-24). And so with the Lord Jesus getting into the boat His disciples follow Him. Now it is while they are on their journey, crossing the Sea of Galilee heading to its eastern shores, and the cities and towns and villages there that a great tempest suddenly arises, covering the boat with such waves as to threaten to capsize them. Now the Sea of Galilee being surrounded by steep hills is such that these sudden uprisings of its waters are not uncommon; for as the winds descend down the hills they pick up speed and can easily whip up the relatively shallow waters of the Sea of Galilee. And so the disciples as seasoned fishermen of it were not unaccustomed to such occurrences. However on this particular occurrence the winds and waves are of such a fierce nature that disciples begin to fear for their very lives as this unusually powerful uprising of the waters appears to them to be about to overtake them; and this all occurs while Jesus is quietly sleeping in the boat unmoved by what they thought to be an imminent threat to their lives (vs. 24). And so the disciples being greatly afraid for their lives now come to Jesus and awake Him saying, “Lord save us! We are perishing!” (Vs.25). Now both the Lord Jesus’ demeanor and His response to them while all of this is occurring is not just for their sakes, but for ours also. For clearly the Lord had us all in mind when He remained resting and peaceful and calm during this seemingly perilous situation that they were then facing. And so with their desperate cries for deliverance, and the Lord Jesus now being awakened by them, He simply and calmly responds to them saying, “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 (vs. 26).
Demonstrating to them and us all that there
is nothing, no force of nature, nor any spiritual force, or principality, or
power, that the Lord Jesus Himself is not already aware of and fully capable of
subduing with a Word. And that is what the Lord Jesus Christ would have us all
take away from this seemingly perilous occurrence with Him and the disciples on
the Sea. He is not only greater than them all, but He is above them all, and by
His Word He can calm any storm in our lives. We should never fear then that either
our faith in His Person, or our persons and lives will be lost by Him, because
as the Lord Jesus was with the disciples He is also with us all who believe in
Him now, for all eternity, keeping watch over our soul’s, person’s, and lives. And
so with the Lord Jesus calming the Sea, the men marveled, saying: …“Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey
Him?”
Now at
this point in their journeys with Christ though the disciples believe that
Jesus is the Messiah (John 1:40-41), their faith in His Person and His
Abilities was still in its infancy stage, which gives reason to believe that
the Lord Jesus Christ orchestrated this little perilous event on their journey
with Him so as to reveal more of Himself and His Person’s Abilities to them and
us all. Though that is speculation by me, what is not speculation is the
results of His Person’s Authority and Power not just over sickness and disease,
not just over the demonic realm, but here as well over all the forces of nature
that humanity has always feared and been subject too. Calling then on the Lord
Jesus Christ for one’s own salvation from one’s own sins and eternal
destruction is what I hope and pray that each and every one of you do, For
whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” Rom.10:13
Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.
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