Matthew 8:23-27 – Jesus has authority over the forces of nature

Many people were astonished with the signs that Jesus did. Without having to advertise about Himself, people could see the authority He had, in the incident when the leper was healed. So also were the healings of the centurion’s servant and Peter’s mother-in-law. No wonder great crowds would follow Him.

Having dealt with the scribe and the disciple concerning the demands of discipleship, Jesus was now with His disciples in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. As He told them, they were going to the other side of the Lake. Jesus was sure that He would reach His destination safe and sound. But his disciples were not so. We need to know that when we are traveling with Jesus, nothing can keep us from reaching our destination. It’s only when we forget that Jesus is with us in the journey, then we can be terrified by the adversities of life.

So we see this played out in the lives of the early disciples. They followed Jesus in the boat and was going across the Sea of Galilee, not knowing that they were heading into the eye of a storm. We may think it’s unusual for a lake to have a storm. From our geography lessons we know that storms never happen in a lake. So why was there a storm on the Sea of Galilee, which is actually a lake? Till today, this great lake is the source of water for Israel. It is filled by the water that would stream down from the highlands surrounding it. Because of the highlands that cover this lake, it created a tunnel. When a strong wind blows on it, the wind will be trapped in the tunnel, causing great turbulence to the water. This happened frequently and still happens today. A storm can happen anytime in the Sea of Galilee. So it was on one of those occasions where the strong wind had caused a storm, that Jesus was asleep comfortably on a cushion, in the stern of the boat.

So the terrified disciples came to the Lord and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” For them to be that petrified, they must have forgotten the authority He had demonstrated earlier. The gentle rebuke Jesus gave them indicates to us that it was a failure on their part to realize who Jesus really was. He merely got up and rebuked the wind and the sea, and the storm ceased immediately. 

Are there storms in our lives today? What are the things that bothered us and have caused the calm sea of our life to be so turbulent? Are we not aware that Jesus still has authority over them? Unlike the disciples who were amazed when the wind and the sea obeyed Him that day, we must not be amazed for He still has the world in His hand.