Jesus Calms the Storm
22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”
With the opening comment in verse 22, “One day”, Luke is indicating that there is a change in space and time. The large teaching block the Luke ran through is finally closed and Luke is now moving onto other portions of Jesus’ story.
The story that emerges next is one of the most recognizable stories in all of the New Testament. It’s the story of the storm on the sea of Galilee. The sea of Galilee was especially prone to storms because it’s located well below sea level and is nestled between two mountain ranges. As cold air passes over either mountain range it quickly depends down the mountain and onto the sea.
Needless to say, the disciples and local fishermen were no stranger to storms on the sea. This particular storm must have been quite a severe storm if they were scared to the point of fearing for their lives. It appears that they were facing a very real threat.
However, Jesus is not impressed. Not impressed with the storm or His disciples. Jesus rebuke of the disciples should teach us that even when real danger and real fear is present, we must have faith in the Lord. There really is no excuse. After all, who is the one that created the waves and the water?
[Featured image by Rembrandt, titled: “Storm on the Sea of Galilee”]