Matthew 8:23-27

Matthew 8:23-27 NIV

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

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The answer to the disciples' question, "What kind of Man is this?" is obvious to the reader who is familiar with the whole story. We know who Jesus is, even if the disciples do not. We know that Jesus was born King of the Jews to a virgin. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and His earthly father Joseph accepted Jesus with the help of angels. We know that the power of God is upon Him, for the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at the Jordon River during His baptism. We know Jesus is the beloved Son of God. We've seen Him heal and drive out demons. Other prophets have healed and provided food under miraculous circumstances, but there's no Old Testament prophets battling demons that I can remember. Christ is wielding a power not yet seen in Israel. Now He is commanding the wind to silence itself. He calmed the storm with a simple word and the storm obeyed. No other character in scripture has performed such a feat except God, our creator. Elijah stopped the rain to punish King Ahab, but it was through prayer. God sent the drought.

In the Old Testament there are several examples of God commanding the weather to save Israel from their enemies. He stopped the sun from moving so that Joshua had sunlight to completely destroy Amorite kings. (Joshua 10:12-14)
Of course we remember God serving a heavy wind to spilt the Red Sea, so that the Israelites crossed in safety as the fled Egypt. (Ex 14)
God sent hail to punish the Egyptians and destroy their crops. The ten plagues of Egypt are an epic example of the creator's command over creation.

You might wonder if there are contemporary examples. Rent the movie "Faith Like Potatoes". It's a story of faith about a South African farmer who prayed during a severe drought and He bet the farm that God would hear and end the drought if enough people repented and turned to God in humility. He led a revival and 20,000 plus souls joined in prayer in a rugby stadium. The drought ended in God's time and, against all odds, the farm was saved. You could argue coincidence, but the weather man did not see the end of the drought coming.

This story of Jesus calming the storm ups His credentials. He isn't simply a king or son. Jesus is God in the flesh right in the boat with us. He is Lord of heaven and earth. With a word, God brought forth life and light. With a word, Jesus commands creation and creation obeys.

I've often thought of the boat as symbolizing the church. The boat is filled with Jesus' disciples. When chaos comes crashing in, the church cries out to Christ who appears to be sleeping on the job, so to speak. Why else should the waves hammer against us? If God were paying attention shouldn't we be spared such peril? A childish faith thinks that way. But a mature believer understands we live in a world gone wrong. It's a good creation, but broken by sin and the curse that comes with it. God is redeeming the earth, but He has not completed His work. We live in the time between times. We live between the appearance of Jesus, and the ushering in of the new creation, and the completion of all things. Suffering and trial comes with this mortal life. There's no escaping it.

But Jesus is with us in the boat! Let that sink in! (Pun intended) Yes, Jesus is with us in every trial. We are those who follow Christ. We aren't members of the crowd with excuses as to why we can't follow Him now. The crowd wants to see the miracles, but they don't want to follow Jesus into ministry as His servants. Disciples step out of the crowd, onto the boat, and into the storming chaos of this world with Jesus at the helm. As we do battle with the forces that oppose God and life, we do so with the creator's power in our midst.

The next time the waves batter against your life and you feel frightened, insecure and uncertain, cry out to Christ who is with you. He is not sleeping. He has not abandoned you. He is right there battling with you and giving you new strengths, wisdom and faith.