Jesus Calms the Storm

Introduction

This story is well known, a Sunday school classic, often taught, often used to illustrate a point. But I think there is still more to be gained by revisiting this story, trying to come at it afresh. As is often the case with Bible study we can start to see new things, new lessons, God can reveal more of Himself to us as we revisit and patiently study and meditate on passages even, or especially, those very familiar to us.

This story is found in the synoptic Gospels - Matthew, Mark, and Luke. We are going to use all 3 accounts as we study this story together.

• Matthew 8: 23 - 27

• Mark: 4: 35 - 49

• Luke 8: 22-25

Take time to read these passages and think about them. Try not to rush, but to pause and think about the events as they unfold.

There are a couple of questions to consider as we read this story and, perhaps, some assumptions/understandings to put aside. Our starting questions, as always, should be:

1. Why is this story here?

2. What can we learn from it?

As 3 separate writers have included the story it must be important, remember that the gospels are largely biographical in nature and biography is often written with careful selection and arrangement. So why have 3 writers selected this story? Typically these accounts are included because they point us to Jesus and show us something about Him. This story is no different. In reading it we can see Jesus, even at a surface level, and learn about Him.

• When Jesus teaches big crowds are drawn to Him

• Jesus likes to escape the big crowds e.g. Mat 8:19, this is why they are sailing

• Jesus is at peace - He is sleeping through the storm

• Jesus has authority

Those are all great lessons to learn, they are all true, and they all help explain why this account is included in the synoptic gospels.

The bigger question, what can we learn, and apply, from the story, needs more study. That’s what these study notes are about. We will ask more questions and go deeper into the text to answer this main question.

Personal Question

• Where do you need the peace of Jesus?

• Where do you need the authority of Jesus

Pray into those areas, thanking Jesus that he is in control.

Jesus is missional

In both Matthew and Mark we read that Jesus wants to travel to leave the large crowd behind.

• Mt 8 :19; a little before our main passage

• Mk 4: 35 - 36

Jesus could have stayed with the crowds. He could have remained there building a large following. However, He knew this was not the plan, that large, local crowds were not the aim. Jesus knew His mission was bigger, and broader than that. Often in the Gospels we read of Jesus leaving the crowd. He then goes somewhere else to bring more freedom.

In the case of our story Jesus and the disciples go to Gerasenes and bring freedom to a demon possessed man. The man then spreads the good news in his town.

Likewise we are not to be caught up in the idea of crowds or numbers. Rather we are to remain focussed on God and on being His image bearers to those around us.

The disciples, still fairly early on in their adventure of living with Jesus, simply obey the request to set sail.

• Mt 8: 23

• Lk 8: 22 - 23

In Matthew 8: 23 the word “follow” in Greek is akoloutheō which, according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary 1996, speaks of being in union with and bearing the likeness of. It is talking about discipleship. This is not surprising given the context, but it does tell us more about the disciples. They weren’t simply trailing after Jesus like groupees. Even at this early stage they had thrown their all in and were following to be in union with Jesus and to become more like Him.

So if Jesus is leaving the crowd and wanting to go somewhere else, so were they. In becoming His disciples their aim, like many young Jewish men following a Rabbi, was to become replicas so they could continue the work and teaching of their leader.

At this point, the point of leaving the crowd, Jesus is showing them what is important and what is not.

Personal Question

• Where have you stopped following Jesus in order to pursue your own plan?

• Is there a place/person/people Jesus wants to lead you to?

Following Jesus is an adventure

Up to this point the disciples, in following Jesus, have seen miracles, heard incredible teaching, and witnessed great crowds, even if they haven’t understood it all. So far it’s been an incredible adventure, one they could not have imagined at the start. What they are about to learn is that they are not immune to trouble and hardship.

They are all in the boat with Jesus and all 3 accounts agree that a storm comes upon them

• Mt 8: 24

  • Without warning

  • A furious storm

  • Waves are over the boat

• Mk 4: 37

  • Furious squall

  • Waves are over the boat

  • They are nearly swamped

• Lk 8: 23

  • Squall

  • The boat was being swamped

  • They were in great danger

While it may be said that the Jewish people were not necessarily at home the on the water, “heaven to them was “no more sea”” (The Interpreter's Bible vol 7 1978 p345) the disciples were mostly from a fishing background and would have had some experience on the sea and its storms. What is particularly interesting is the sudden nature of the storm. Matthew states it explicitly, Mark and Luke heavily imply it. Obviously if the storm were raging while they were still on land then they wouldn’t have set sail.

If we look at the geography of the area we see that the lake is in a valley and is actually 600ft below sea level. The surrounding mountains act like a funnel channeling wind across the lake, raising a furious storm. These were somewhat frequent and unpredictable. Much like the storms of our lives; unexpected and surprising.

Jesus could’ve had them wait on land until the storm and then calmed it before they set off. The trouble with that is the disciples would not learn to trust Jesus in the storm but would simply expect easy passage through life. Something that was not going to be their experience. This experience, then, proves to be a training ground for trusting Jesus during the troubles of life.

Personal Question

• What storms are you facing?

• Do you trust Jesus in them?

It’s ok to be scared

Following Jesus is an adventure, and it is ok to be afraid. The question is what do we do when we are afraid. Here we can learn from the disciples.

In all 3 accounts we see they were afraid of drowning, there is a real sense that this is their end. So far then we have seen that following Jesus is an adventure, and it is not a trouble free passage through life. Next we see what we should do when trouble hits.

• Mt 8: 25

• Mk 4: 38

• Lk 8 : 24

Jesus is with the disciples in the boat and they cry out to him. They go to Jesus. This is the lesson we so need to learn; follow Jesus, trust Jesus, go to Jesus.

Up to this point the disciples have seen miracles performed by Jesus that have set people free. What they need here is something completely different. Even though this is new they still go to Jesus. This should be our default too.

As we read on we see the result of going to Jesus; the wind and the waves are calmed. Then we get more of a glimpse into the disciples' fear, and their motivation for waking Jesus. Jesus asks them about their faith, He is not asking “why didn’t you have faith to calm the storm?” He is, I think, asking them “why do you have so little faith in me?”. It’s like the disciples were waking Jesus to get another pair of hands on deck, not really with any greater expectation.

This reminds me of the story of Jonah. In Jonah 1 we find Jonah asleep as the storm rages and the sailors wake him up to help. They discover the storm is really Jonah’s fault. Now, Jonah cannot stop the storm, not without relenting to God’s plan. The disciples, in our passage, were waking Jesus to help, not to get Him to stop the storm, were they perhaps expecting a Jonah like situation? What they find is that Jesus is not like Jonah, Jesus can and does stop the storm.

Often we can be like the disciples. We face troubles and we go to Jesus just to get another pair of hands to help out. Really we should go to Jesus with the expectation that He can and will, in His perfect timing, change the situation completely. Here we see the storm calm faster than it arose. In this story an instant change was required, it is not a promise of instant change, but it does show us we can expect Jesus to act and change will come.

Personal Question

• Where do we need to go to Jesus?

• Do you go to Jesus with your solution or asking and trusting Him for His?

• Ask the Holy Spirit to increase your faith and expectation

Who is Jesus?

Having seen Jesus at peace, sleeping despite the storm, having witnessed Jesus exercise ultimate authority over the wind and waves, the disciples are left with one very important question.

• Matthew: “What kind of man is this?”

• Mark: “Who is this?”

• Luke: “Who is this?”

Given what they have just seen this is a very fair question.

I wonder if they had the Exodus story in mind where Moses parts the Red Sea, or perhaps Isaiah 43: 16 - 19:

“This is what the Lord says - he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters…

… see I am doing a new thing!...”

Or maybe Psalm 65: 7 - 8:

“who stilled the roaring of the seas,

the roaring of their waves,

and the turmoil of the nations.

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;

where morning dawns, where evening fades,

you call forth songs of joy.”

I think these passages would have been called to mind and this event would have spoken to them. It may not have been straight away, but I’m sure there would have been a dawning realisation of what this experience was showing them.

Seeing Jesus take authority over the created realm points to Him as the creator, it points to His divinity and demonstrates the absolute, all encompassing nature of His authority. This is the answer to the question who is Jesus, at least it is the part of the answer that is revealed here in this story.

The disciples, these accounts tell us, were afraid, they were terrified and amazed. This response deserves closer inspection, as we come to understand this more there is more for us to learn here.

• Mt 8: 27 - thaumazō; to be amazed at, in wonder, having admiration

• Mk 4: 41 - phobeō; fear, be afraid, alarmed. Reverence, respect, worship, proper fear for God, a deep reverence and awe

• Lk 8: 25

  • afraid - phobeō

  • amazement - thaumazō

Understanding these words helps us to understand the disciples' response. It also shows us something of what our response should be. It is the mixture of these two words, that we really see in Luke’s account, that gives the fullest picture. Amazement and fear mixed together.

I think it is easy to grasp amazement, this seems a very natural response. Even today when we see or hear of miracles we are amazed. This is a good and right response.

Fear, on the other hand, we may find harder to comprehend. In part this is because we have a very negative view of fear. Fear is something we can be ashamed of, it is seen as weakness and conjures up images of someone cowering away from someone or something. In more recent times to be “phobic” is really used to indicate hate of something or someone. With these definitions or understandings in mind it is no wonder that we have lost sight of the right fear of the Lord, a right expression of phobeō in the context of our relationship with God.

What we see in these passages is not a running away from, or a hatred of, but rather an awe and deep reverence towards Jesus. Vine’s (1996, p 414) puts it like this:

“Not a mere fear of His power or righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him, a fear which banishes the terror that shrinks from his presence”

So we see that fear of God, mixed with amazement and astonishment is a positive response to the one who can calm the seas and still the wind.

Personal Question

• Who is Jesus to you?

• Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a correct sense of who Jesus is.