Week 27 ———  Jesus Calms the Storm
Matthew 8:18-27 — Mark 4:35-41 — Luke 8:22-25

Matt. 8:23-27     And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And beheld, there arose a great storm on the sea so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.   And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”   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.  And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

The Sea of Galilee is not actually a sea but a lake.  It is about 8 miles wide and 13 miles long.  It is the lowest freshwater lake in the world at 686 feet below sea level.  Being that small, you would not expect it to have large waves, but it sits in an unusual geographic setting in the Rift Valley.  It is surrounded on three sides by hills that reach 2000 feet high. This results in significant differences in temperature and pressure that can send strong winds down the hills into the sea.  Since the sea is so small and shallow (200 feet deep), there is relatively little water to absorb these cascading winds, so the sea can become whipped up with violent waves, reaching 10 feet in a storm recorded in 1992.  I had a chance to witness 4-5 feet waves on my first trip to Israel.  Our boat trip was canceled, and looking at those waves, it was a good idea.    Here is a picture of waves on the sea looking from the eastern side to the west.   The steep northern slope of Mt. Arbel is visible on the other side of the sea.

Now add to the possibility of huge waves the small size of the boats they would have been using in Jesus’ day.   A drought in 1986 partially exposed an ancient boat that was trapped in the mud.  Two fishermen discovered it and informed the authorities, who quickly sent in a crew of archeologists.  It took 12 days to encase the wooden structure in foam so it would be preserved and could be floated out to be restored.  The remains of what has been now proven to be a first-century fishing boat are on display at a museum on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.  

The boat originally looked like this:

It was 27 feet long, 7.5 feet wide, and only 4 feet high. It could carry 13-15 people. Its very shallow draft allowed it to get very close to shore, but this also made it susceptible to taking on water from wind and waves. 

So, the 13 of them are in a small boat in a storm with large waves.  Some of these men with Jesus were professional fishermen.  They were very familiar with this boat and this lake.  But the storm that blew up that night was especially violent.  Mark tells us that the boat was filling with water, and Jesus was sleeping in the stern.  They wake Jesus, saying, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Or “How can you possibly be sleeping when we are all about to die?”  They couldn’t imagine how Jesus could be sleeping when they were about to die.  But Jesus couldn’t imagine how they could be so concerned about a storm when they were in the boat with God.  So he stops the storm like we would turn off a light switch.

“Peace, be still!”   The same God who said, “Let there be light,” the same God who calmed the chaos of the waters in creation and made dry land appear  — that same God is sitting in the boat with them.  How could they possibly be afraid when they were in God’s boat?  Have you ever been in a scary situation?

We were on a flight, and the turbulence got bad.  The plane was bouncing all over, and many were getting sick and using those bags in the seat back pocket.  And everyone, if they would admit it, was scared.  But a baby was across the aisle sleeping in their mother’s arms.  The baby wasn’t afraid.  It slept well, with the knowledge that its mother would protect it.  Oh, to sleep like a baby, without worries, cares, or fear.   Have you ever been unable to sleep because of concern about finances, illness, or violence?  Have you ever thought, “I wish I could sleep like a baby without worries?”  

Leviticus 26:6  I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid.

David wrote a psalm about when he was on the run in the wilderness with people hunting him down to kill him, and he said, “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.  I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around (Psalm 3:5-6).

Perhaps you have never been where David was, on the run with someone trying to kill you.  I won’t forget the day our local District Attorney called me at my office.  He asked, “Have you seen anyone unusual around or anyone following you?”  “No,” I replied, “should I be worried?”   I had just weeks ago spent several days testifying in a court case to convict a man who had sexually abused a young girl for years.  Apparently, the man found someone in prison who hooked him up with a hitman.  The prison had intercepted some communication where the arrangement was made to kill several people who had been involved in the conviction, including me, the DHR worker, an attorney, and the judge.  Fortunately for us, because there was a credible death threat against a judge, the FBI became involved, and the hitman was arrested several days later, with weapons and the list with our names in his vehicle.  I don’t remember being too scared to sleep at the time.  I want to say that was because of my faith in the sovereignty of God, but I really believe it was because the whole event was too much like a TV show to seem real.  (Lest you think I don’t have fear, read about “The Day of My Fear” https://swallownocamels.com/2024/02/20/the-day-of-my-fear/  )

I love how Skip Moen said, “Circumstances do not dictate the outcome of life.  Relationship does.  I have nothing to fear if I am truly in the boat with Jesus.  We are riding the waves together.  The only time I need be afraid is when I am not in the boat with Him.”¹

“And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”  We talked about “little faith” back on July 23 (See https://swallownocamels.com/2024/07/23/july-21-27-a-d-jesus-heals-a-paralytic-that-drops-by-41/).  Again, ‘little faith’ is described by Jesus as faith less than the smallest thing he can show them, a mustard seed, so ‘little faith’ means no faith at all.  At this point, the disciples in the boat are faithless.  They are in the boat with the creator of the sea, and they don’t yet have that understanding or, more importantly, that relationship.  Faith is trust built up through experience.  Our faith grows as we witness God’s trustworthiness in the Scriptures, in the lives of our friends and family, and in our lives.  That is one reason it is so important to study the Scriptures.  In them, we see the long history of God being faithful to his promises.  This is why it is so important to share our experiences with God with the people around us.  Our faith can grow through each other’s experiences by telling the stories of God’s faithfulness.  

Are there any storms brewing in your life?  When you get in the boat, ensure it’s the one with Jesus in it.

1. 1. Moen, Skip. In “In the Boat” from https://skipmoen.com/2008/03/in-the-boat/