Matthew 8:23-27

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. 27 They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

Jesus finally gets away from the crowds with his disciples and gets a bit of rest. (he is sleeping!) I had mentioned in Pastor's Class last week that this passage has been looked at in a couple of different ways throughout history. The one that has been the most widely accepted among scholars is that the boat is a metaphor for the church. Matthew uses this story to help his church (the one to which he is writing) see that they are in the midst of chaos at times, with the storms of the world fighting against them, but rather than them being storms in which they will perish, they are just simply storms. The one thing to remember is that Jesus is along for the ride with us.

What do the storms against the church look like today? Does it ever feel like Jesus is not paying any attention, or has forgotten about the church? How can we be reminded of the presence of Christ when these storms come?

Another, more simple, way of looking at this story is from a very personal level; that the storm is something happening to us. The disciples had storms in their lives, even verse 27 reveals a couple of the major storms they were dealing with, faith and doubt. They weren't yet sure about this Jesus. He was a great rabbi, a true healer, one who had great power and authority, but to have power over creation was much more than they were expecting, even for a Messiah! So the disciples had doubts and questions! They were concerned for their well-being, their families, their careers, their futures, their next meal even. They were human just like us, not great in faith or great in knowledge. They were simple, ordinary men who had a chance to be discipled by the Messiah himself. And they still questioned. Even with Jesus in the boat, who obviously wasn't worried about the storm, they wondered if they would all perish. They soon learned that with Jesus not only are all things possible (even the waves and sea obey), but that life takes on a whole new dimension, not of safety per se, but of comfort.

What are the storms of life that we are fighting against in general? What about for you? (you don't have to post that answer, it is just for you to ponder.)

Jesus' response goes to the heart of the problem, fear; fear of death, fear of the unknown, fear of the storm, fear of the chaos, fear of the water, fear of being alone...probably the greatest fear of them all. Why are you afraid? Jesus asked. His meaning is simple, he's in the boat with us just as he is in life with us. He's with the church, he's with his children, brothers and sisters. Whatever boat we happen to find ourselves in, we are not alone. Jesus is there. Have faith! And one more thing, how many storms does Jesus have to calm for us to get the picture? In these short verses he calms at least 13 storms, the one outside the boat and the ones in each of the 12 disciples.

How has Jesus calmed the storms in your lives? What difference does it make to know that in the storms we face, he is with us? And that when we can't handle the storm any more, he calms it. He's gracious that way.

Peace ><>

PC