The Miracles of Jesus Part 12: Calming a Storm on the Sea of Galilee
The Miracles of Jesus Part 12: Calming a Storm on the Sea of Galilee
Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25 - Jesus calms the storms in our lives, if we would only have faith.
“When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?””
Matthew 8:23-27 NASB1995
“On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?””
Mark 4:35-41 NASB1995
“Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?””
Luke 8:22-25 NASB1995
The next miracle involves a rebuke and taming of nature on the Sea of Galilee. It also reveals a Savior who is fully human and fully God. The three Gospel versions are fairly similar for the story. In Matthew, this event follows the healing of Peter’s Mother-in-law and others in Capernaum. In Mark and Luke, this follows a time of teaching where Jesus speaks to the crowds near Capernaum using several parables, including the parable of the sower.
Jesus tells His disciples that they should travel to the other side of the lake from Capernaum. The eastern shore of the Sea was mostly Gentile territory and was avoided by the Jewish communities on the west and northwest sides. But He has commanded that they travel there so they set out on a fairly short crossing after He enters the boat. In Mark, the text notes that other boats accompanied them on this journey. As they begin to cross the Sea, Jesus falls asleep and then the storm hits!
This boat has several expert ex-fishermen on-board who know how to handle similar boats. This is not their first rodeo on the water, so to speak. The Sea of Galilee is also notorious for sudden storms springing up; it is located about 700 feet below sea level and the hills to the northeast (now called the Golan Heights) are over 2,000 feet in elevation, so conditions and winds could change rapidly, particularly on the northern part of the sea. If any one of those expert boatmen had paid the slightest attention, they might have seen the meteorological conditions that result in a storm (clouds, wind shifts, temperature changes). But He wants to cross, so they probably just obeyed without thinking.
As the storm hits, the conditions rapidly deteriorate with high winds, big waves and water beginning to swamp the boat. Here’s a great topological map of the region from Bible.org; you can see how the Sea is in a basin surrounded by higher elevations on three sides.
Now these disciples have been with Jesus for quite a while and have seen almost everything imaginable and unimaginable: Water turned to wine, healings from afar, mother-in-laws healed, crowds of people healed, paralytics healed, lepers healed, demons cast out, and even a man raised from the dead. They have heard the greatest preaching and teaching ever on Earth. But these guys obviously suffer (pretty much every day, it seems) from short-term memory loss and forget who are they with when a crisis looms (this is a crucial point in my devotional later on). The Creator of the Universe is in the boat with them, sleeping peacefully. One look at His face should have calmed them down, but they panic.
He is rudely awakened by their cries that they are perishing (it is actually accusatory towards Him in Mark). In Matthew, He speaks to their lack of faith first and then rebukes the wind and the seas; in Mark and Luke, Jesus rebukes the storm and then asks them where their faith is hiding. He rebukes both the disciples and nature. Rebuke, in the Greek lexicon epitimao from Blue Letter Bible, is used in this case to mean:
to tax with fault, rate, chide, rebuke, reprove, censure severely
to admonish or charge sharply
There is a lot to unpack in this miracle. First, Jesus shows His humanity by being so exhausted by the non-stop action of His ministry that He falls asleep right away. Then Jesus shows His divine and unlimited power as the Son of God by rebuking the storm, instantly creating calm conditions. He is obviously troubled by the disciples and their reaction to this event. The Savior is not going to die in a boating accident and the first leaders of His church are also not intended to perish in this way. Worse fates await Him and most of them, but those are the crises to come and they (the disciples) need more faith.
As is often the case doing these devotional studies, I happened to like a sermon by Steven Cole on Bible.org on the passage in Luke. Please go read the entire thing, but here are some key elements that I am borrowing from that sermon, in my own words:
Storms in life hit suddenly and without warning: How many readers have had a sudden crisis occur in their lives that upends their lives, perhaps replacing a calm and leisurely life in a matter of hours? Perhaps you had a cancer diagnosis found while doing a wellness exam or routine screening or a spouse leaves for work and is killed in a traffic accident or a natural disaster strikes and destroys your home. Your reaction to that crisis depends on how much time you spend with the Lord in the times of calm. That time with Him builds those resources of strength that are needed in a crisis. I know this from experience, as God came to me through another person many years ago and told me I would have the strength to deal with an upcoming family crisis (part of His successful attempts to corral two lost sheep - us).
Storms hit believers: Christians are not magically exempt from trials; the storm hit the boat with Jesus and the boats without Him (there were other boats, according to Mark). In fact, being a Christian and sticking to your beliefs is becoming a radical act. Do you fold at the first criticism from a non-believer? Do you run away from Him or accuse Him when life becomes difficult? Becoming a believer does not bestow you with a magical Star Trek force field to shield you from attacks and tragedies.
Storms hit obedient believers who are serving Christ: The disciples were fully obedient to the Lord, following Him onto the boat and heading across and then they run into the storm! Many today who are obedient to the Word of God are facing storms that would never have occurred if they had stayed on the shore of milquetoast “comfort” faith or even unbelief, rather than heading into the stormy waters of true obedience. In very difficult circumstances, even the most fervent believer might occasionally feel that the Lord is not there but perseverance, prayer and faith reveal that He is always present in our lives.
Storms in life expose how we don’t trust the Lord and have a distorted view of Him and ourselves. We can put on a facade in calm times that we care, but in a crisis, it becomes “every man for himself”, like people shoving and pushing to get on the lifeboats on Titanic. Too much self-pity and a focus on yourself also keeps you from seeing the big picture of God’s plan. We also do everything in a crisis except focus on Jesus. The disciples reacted with fear and amazement to His powers. What did they expect, after all of the miracles they had witnessed so far? But their short-term memory problems come back, time after time, as we will see in future miracles.
We must trust the Lord in the difficult times, even if the result is not what we would want. After all, John the Baptist was beheaded, James was thrown from the top of the temple in Jerusalem, Peter was crucified, Andrew was crucified, Paul was beheaded, and the other disciples (except John) also faced early deaths because of their belief. But because Jesus was crucified and rose again, there is no fear if we place ourselves in His loving arms for eternity, regardless of the storms of life. He is our Peace.
So what have we learned for this miracle?
Jesus has the unlimited power to tame nature and He calms a storm on the Sea of Galilee instantly. His disciples, after seeing one miracle after another before this, are struck with memory loss when this crisis hits and forget that He is the Creator of the Universe and creation will obey Him. Jesus is there in the storms of life for those who believe on His name.
My next devotional examines a miracle that occurs on the east side of the Sea, where Jesus casts a legion of demons out of a tortured man and into a group of pigs. The miracle is documented in Matthew, Mark and Luke.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Please guide me to strength in faith in you and complete trust and obedience, so that I can weather the storms of this life knowing that I am in your loving embrace for eternity. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org.
The Miracle List:
Water to wine: Jesus can overcome time, He creates beauty and abundance, and He shares in our joy.
Healing of the official’s son: Jesus can overcome space (distance), He does not need to see the person He heals, He has infinite power, but He also wants us to believe without signs and wonders.
Casting out of the evil spirit in the synagogue: The authority of Jesus is recognized by the demons and He triumphs over evil and silences it.
Healing of Peter’s Mother-in-Law: Jesus does not need crowds to demonstrate His power and He has compassion about the needs of one person, even if those needs seem smaller and only worthy of a couple of verses of scripture.
Healing and casting out demons of many in Capernaum (at Peter’s house): Jesus has compassion on all who come to Him and has no conditions that He places on giving them His mercy. He can heal instantly with a light touch and again demonstrates authority over demons and silences them.
Miraculous catch of fish on the Sea of Galilee: Jesus demonstrates His powers over His creation, He once again brings abundance, and He teaches humble fishermen that their task of bringing souls to Him is the most important thing they can do. They must follow Him.
Cleansing of the Leper: Jesus is willing to heal us, is compassionate towards those who suffer and can instantly cure a dreadful and feared disease. We must have faith when circumstances seem hopeless.
Healing of the Centurion’s Servant: Jesus came so that anyone who believes on His name is saved, Jew or Gentile. One of the most humble and devout persons that He encounters during His ministry is a Roman Centurion who cares and loves a servant who is sick or paralyzed. Jesus has instant authority over this illness, again eliminating space (distance) as a barrier to healing; He also marvels at this man’s faith.
Healing of the paralytic passed through the roof: Jesus demonstrates His ultimate authority as the Son of God to forgive sins and to heal a condition that seems irreversible. He can sense and read the hearts and thoughts of others. He turns a major disruption into a lesson on forgiveness. The friends of the paralytic show tremendous faith in how they solve this problem.
Healing of the withered hand on the Sabbath: Jesus can instantaneously heal a chronic condition, restoring a hand to full function. The man he heals exhibits great faith in His ability to heal and obeys Him. Jesus also challenges the assumptions and rules that have taken the place of faith and wisdom in the hearts of the Pharisees and Scribes. His anger is righteous; their rage is murderous.
Jesus is filled with compassion for the suffering and grief of others. He has power over death and can restore us to joy and hope in the face of a hopeless situation. His endless grace and the power of His word are sufficient. We are to spring into action, serving Him and bringing His hope to the hopeless.
Jesus has the unlimited power to tame nature and He calms a storm on the Sea of Galilee instantly. His disciples, after seeing one miracle after another before this, are struck with memory loss when this crisis hits and forget that He is the Creator of the Universe and creation will obey Him. Jesus is there in the storms of life for those who believe on His name.