The Storm on the Lake (8:23 27) (Mark 4:36-41; Luke 8:22-25) We just read of two reluctant disciples who turned back when confronted with the difficulties of hardship and loss of the comfort of family. They were right in their assessment, following Jesus can be precarious. It would seem that this new story explains the placement of the story of those who recently considered following Jesus. From the way Matthew has structured this passage, with the inserted material of vv 19 22, the focus of this passage falls naturally on the disciples and discipleship. 1 Matthew 8:23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. This was a good-sized boat, big enough to hold many men and probably a large quantity of fish. Matthew 8:24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. great storm 2. Or, literally, a great earthquake in the sea. The use of the words a great shaking which is not usually applied to the sea suggests a storm out of all proportions and expectations and very probably caused by a literal earthquake under the sea. Many of these men were veteran fishermen and would have experienced great storms on this lake all their lives. But this storm was so exceptional that it terrified even these experienced seamen. 1 Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 1 13 (vol. 33A; Word Biblical Commentary; Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 221. 2 storm σεισμός a violent shaking or commotion, shock, agitation, in our lit. only of natural phenomena, w. the specific type qualified by context most commonly earthquake William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 918.
The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt van Rijn One can sense the terror of the scene as Luke describes the boat filling with water and the cry of terror in the words Master, Master, we are perishing! swamped καλύπτω 3 They were being enveloped by the water. In the LXX, the translation of the Old Testament Hebrew into Greek, we read, So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. (Exodus 14:27 28, ESV) 3 swamped καλύπτω To envelop, wrap around as bark, skin, shell or plaster, to cover over. Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).
Swamped, enveloped, covered explain this word. It also has the additional meaning of hidden. The boat was so far gone that it could bearly be seen, it was at the point of going under. but he was asleep. And where was Jesus during all this? in the stern, asleep on the cushion. (Mark 4:38, ESV) The one who has nowhere to lay his head (v 20) is yet paradoxically at home everywhere, apparently untroubled by normal anxieties. 4 Matthew 8:25 And they went and woke him, saying, Save us, Lord; we are perishing. And they said one other thing to Jesus recorded in Mark, Teacher, do you not care? (Mark 4:38, ESV) Perhaps at first reading it appears rather shocking that they would say such a thing to him, until perhaps you remember that in a crisis in your life you said the same thing. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, Master, Master, we are perishing! And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. (Luke 8:23 24, ESV) Save 5. This word save is commonly used to refer to a deliverance from physical destruction. The Biblical writers use its analogous meaning to refer to deliverance from spiritual destruction as well. 4 Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 1 13 (vol. 33A; Word Biblical Commentary; Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 221. 5 save σῴζω to rescue from danger and to restore to a former state of safety and wellbeing to deliver, to rescue, to make safe, deliverance. Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Vol. 1: Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.) (240). New York: United Bible Societies.
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21, ESV) But where did they get the idea that Jesus could do anything more about this situation than the experienced fisherman on board? Why did they think that he could save them? we are perishing 6. They are certain that they face death. Matthew 8:26 And he said to them, Why are you afraid, O you of little faith? Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. Why are you afraid 7. Or cowardly 8. They were terrified and under the circumstance, why not? Yet, Jesus question is not random babble; it is a reasonable question to them. Why? Other than in Matthew and Mark, the only other use of this word afraid is in the Book of Revelation. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8, ESV) Moral cowardness is a dangerous thing. The intent of the miracles in Jesus ministry is to engender faith. The Disciples, more than all others in Israel, have seen a great quantity of these miracles. As a result, they should have found it reasonable to have faith in Jesus at this time. O you of little faith 9 At times, perhaps, sleep with confidence pleases Jesus more than prayer with fear. 10 Yet in their fear, they did turn to the right person, for little faith is still faith. These five words in English, O you of little faith, are one word in Greek, little-faiths. This word occurs six times in the New Testament and all make reference to Jesus disciples (Matthew 6:30, Matthew 8:26, Matthew 14:31, Matthew 16:8, Matthew 17:20, Luke 12:28). Lack of faith among those for whom faith must be central is especially disappointing. 11 6 perishing ἀπόλλυμι to destroy or to cause the destruction of persons, objects, or institutions to ruin, to destroy, destruction. Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Vol. 1: Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.) (231). New York: United Bible Societies. 7 afraid δειλός It first had the meaning of flight, that which is caused by being scared; then, that which may cause flight, fear, dread, terror,. Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson. 8 afraid δειλός pertaining to being cowardly cowardly, coward. Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 317. 9 little faith ὀλιγόπιστος pertaining to having relatively little faith of little faith, of insufficient faith. Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains. New York: United Bible Societies. 10 Frederick Dale Bruner, Matthew: A Commentary: The Christbook, Matthew 1 12 (vol. 1, Revised and Expanded Edition.; Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007), 399. 11 (Vol. 8, p. 215). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
Jesus dealt with little faith in his Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 6:30, Luke 12:28. In the Sermon, he addressed the material needs of life, Matthew 6:19-6:34 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? (Matthew 6:30 31, ESV) In both verses, 6:30 and 8:26, little faith is used in the face of fear, fear of not having food, water and clothing needed and fear of the storm. The implication is that a greater faith would have withstood the fear with greater success. wherever oligopistos [little-faith] is used in Matthew, a root cause of the little faith is the failure to see beyond the mere surface of things. 12 On the surface, the material items of life, safety and escape from evil are the focus of our greatest attention. But the frustration associated with these things is a reflection of our little faith. A big God easily controls all this. Just how big is this God? What is clear is that both Mark and Matthew set faith over against fear. Faith chases out fear, or fear chases out faith. 13 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (1 John 4:18, ESV) The point is that even when our faith is excessively fearful, Jesus hears our cry, gets up, rebukes wind and sea, and creates calm. Jesus does not say, as he might have, Come back later when your faith is stronger, and I will help you. He takes us as we come; and if we come with hardly any faith at all, he cannot pretend that he is flattered, but he does go immediately to work. What matters in the final analysis is that Jesus helps us however we come to him. Just come! 14 he rose and rebuked 15 the winds and the sea. Mark says adds: and said to the sea, Peace! Be still! And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mark 4:39, ESV) Be still 16 means be muzzled as an ox would be muzzled. The winds and the sea are what is immediately seen, but in fact he rebuked the earthquake as well. The winds, the sea and earthquakes come and go at his command. 12 (Vol. 8, p. 216). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. 13 (Vol. 8, p. 216). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. 14 Frederick Dale Bruner, Matthew: A Commentary: The Christbook, Matthew 1 12 (vol. 1, Revised and Expanded Edition.; Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007), 399 400. 15 rebuked ἐπιτιμάω to command, with the implication of a threat to command. Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains. New York: United Bible Societies. 16 be still φιμόω a muzzle for a beast s mouth. To muzzle. Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary: New Testament. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.
Jesus confident rebuke to the storm, expecting it to recognize his authority, and the immediate calm which resulted, show that he wields the Creator s power. 17 The imagery is of a power contest. The forces addressed have exerted their influence, but they are stopped in their tracks by the rebuke of one greater than they. 18 and there was a great 19 calm 20. The greatness of the storm is now matched by the greatness of the calm. The image is of a glassy-flat water surface and not a breath of wind. 21 When a storm ends, it will generally take hours before the surface becomes absolutely calm. Part of the marvel in this story is that this mirror like calmness occurred instantly. Such a thing did not happen in nature. Taking note of the great calm, we see that the miracle was even greater than appeared at first reading. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. (Psalm 107:28 30, ESV) Matthew 8:27 and the men marveled, saying, What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him? marveled 22 They were astonished. The miracles of Jesus are a problem to the sceptic. To them everything Jesus did must be explained by natural causes. They are able to make peace with Jesus healings by resorting to psychosomatic explanations the power of suggestion was the key to the healing. But nature miracles are another matter and a problem, they are not always able to make peace with them. They are too dramatic and without natural explanations. As a result, they tend to be more blatant in simply denying they happened. Most scholars today recognize that Jesus performed healings and exorcisms (often because they wish to explain them psychosomatically) but view the nature miracles as legendary embellishments. 23 Although in some sense we can understand healing miracles, nature miracles confront us at a different level. The cause us to ask: 17 France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 337). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co. 18 Nolland, J. (2005). The Gospel of Matthew: A commentary on the Greek text. New International Greek Testament Commentary (372). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press. 19 great μέγας the upper range of a scale of extent, with the possible implication of importance in relevant contexts. Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains. New York: United Bible Societies. 20 calm γαλήνη an unruffled surface on a body of water, a calm, on a lake. Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 21 Nolland, J. (2005). The Gospel of Matthew: A commentary on the Greek text. New International Greek Testament Commentary (372). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press. 22 marveled θαυμάζω wonder, amazement, to wonder or marvel at some event or object. 22 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 311. 23 Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009), 278.
What sort of man is this. This is a great question and should be asked by every person. Echoes of OT texts indicate that such action as has now been witnessed is the prerogative of God himself. 24 When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; indeed, the deep trembled. (Psalm 77:16, ESV) The answer to the question what sort of man is this? he is the virgin-born Messiah who has come to redeem his people from their sins and whose mission is to fulfill God s redemptive purposes. 25 Or simply, as the Psalmist said, O God (Psalm 77:16) He stilled the storm, but then again, he created it too. In his providence, he takes us into the storms of life, and then takes us out again. One thinks of a metalworker who puts his steel in the fire then takes it out and does so repeatedly in order to harden it. In the years ahead, the Disciples would have countless trials; this one today is preparing them for those many that will follow. When we consider the terror of being enveloped by the water and death, we might wonder why Jesus called them cowards and men of little faith. Who wouldn t be under these circumstances? For the most part, everyone would be. So, what is the message? Apparently, it is the presence of Jesus in their lives; and the many miracles that they have witnessed. The miracles are to engender faith. Jesus, the great miracle worker is in their presence. This should mean something. One day, in the not so distant future, they would again face terrifying circumstances and be swamped by the threat of death. I m thinking this lesson on this day would play an important part on how they handled the threat on that day. On this new day, there will be no cowardice, no fear and much faith. Faith is a form of bravery. 26 And there will be death. In chapter 4 we read of the call of the disciples, in chapters 5-7 we read about the education of the disciples, now in chapter 8 we read about the actions of the disciples. A call and an education do not always lead to heroic actions but they should. 24 Nolland, J. (2005). The Gospel of Matthew: A commentary on the Greek text. New International Greek Testament Commentary (372). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press. 25 (Vol. 8, p. 216). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. 26 Frederick Dale Bruner, Matthew: A Commentary: The Christbook, Matthew 1 12 (vol. 1, Revised and Expanded Edition.; Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007), 401.