JESUS CALMS THE STORM

PROCLAMATION

“And when He was entered into a ship, His disciples followed Him.  And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves;  But He was asleep.  And His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us; We perish.  And He saith unto them, ‘Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?’  Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.  But the men marvelled, saying,  ‘What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!’ ”  Matthew 8:23-27 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, as recorded under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God according to the Apostle Matthew.  After Jesus had completed His Sermon on The Mount, He came down from the mountainside and large crowds followed Him. (Matthew 8:1)  He healed a man with leprosy (Matthew 8:2-4), healed the centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13), healed Peter’s mother-in-law who was in bed with a fever (Matthew 8:14-15), and He healed all the sick and demon-possessed people that were brought to Him. (Matthew 8:16-17)  Because of the great multitude which had gathered around Him, Jesus gave orders to His disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. (Matthew 8:18)  As He and His disciples were crossing the lake in a boat, a furious storm rose up on the lake.  The storm was severe enough to make large waves and to cause His disciples to panic. (Matthew 8:23-25)  They woke Jesus, and He arose and said, “Peace, be still.”  Then the winds died down and the sea was completely calm. (Matthew 8:26 and Mark 4:37-39)  They were amazed and asked themselves, “What manner of man is this?  Even the winds and the waves obey Him!” (Matthew 8:27)

 

APPLICATION

The Lord God made the weather, the winds, the water, and the waves, and He controls them.  He controls the storms as He did on the Sea of Tiberias. (Matthew 8:23-27 and Mark 4:37-39)  He also controls the storms which occur in our lives.  He can calm the storms, or He can give us the strength to go through the storms and accompany us along the journey.  He can walk on water and He can give us the ability to walk on the water in the midst of a storm. (Matthew 14:26-31)  However He chooses to handle the situation; He is still in control.  We need to acknowledge that He is all powerful.  To God be all the praise, honor, and glory!