The Boat, The Storm, and the Savior
Sometimes we may not feel like we should have gotten into the boat in the first place! That may have been what the disciples were thinking before Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves and suddenly there was a great calm on the waters.
It hadn’t been that long ago that Jesus had called his disciples. In fact, according to Matthew’s telling, he hadn’t yet joined the group. But the fishermen who were in the boat the night the storm came up quickly had heard Jesus deliver the Sermon on the Mount. They probably experienced that sermon in a similar way that the crowd listening experienced it: “The crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” I suspect that listeners not only sensed but had observed that Jesus walked the talk.
The disciples had heard great teaching, they had witnessed Jesus as he healed the leper, healed the centurion’s servant, and healed Peter’s mother-in-law. And Matthew, in one sentence, indicated that the list of healings and miracles were quickly adding up:
“That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.” (Matthew 8:16)
I suspect that while they heard what Jesus said to the crowd shortly before they got in the boat, they may not have realized that his comments applied to them as well. They may have thought that being in the inner circle with Jesus gave them an exemption to these words:
“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
So after a day of great teaching and miracles, Jesus and the disciples get on one of the fishing boats to head out to the next location. Jesus quickly went to sleep even while “a great storm arose on the sea.”
The disciples were veteran fishermen. They knew the sea, they knew how to navigate in calm and rough waters, and they likely hadn’t sensed in the weather conditions any cause for alarm. But this storm was a rough one. It was an all-hands-on-deck kind of storm as the boat was being rocked by the wind and rain.
This storm was above the disciples pay grade, so they turned to Jesus and woke him saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” He did care, and he does care when he sees us in our struggles. Yet he did, and he does, allow us to experience both the difficulties in this world while assuring us that he will always be with us through every storm.
When the waters calmed and the wind stopped and their heart rates were lowered, they began to talk to one another. Jesus may well have gone back to sleep for all we know. Matthew told us exactly what the disciples posed to each other that night:
“What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
If you have read the Bible and decide that Jesus was just a good teacher and a remarkable leader, then you stopped your reading before you discovered he is much more. Or maybe you have read all the gospels, heard the local pastor’s sermons, and even seen the lives of some people you know be radically changed. But still, you stubbornly insist that Jesus was just a man, though possibly an extraordinary man.
Whether you happen to read this today as a devoted follower of Christ who is experiencing a difficult moment, or you happened upon this devotional seeking to discover if Jesus is in fact the son of God, I want to encourage you in this season of Lent to seek Him with open hands and with an open mind. Remember Jesus’ words just a few chapters back in Matthew:
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you.”
Father, thank you for the testimony of Matthew. Thank you for revealing Jesus to us in the pages of scripture. During this season of Lent, we ask that you reveal yourself to us. Open our hearts and minds to hear your voice and accept your call to discipleship. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Matthew 6:33, 7:28-29, 8:18-27 ESV
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