In the account of Jesus calming the raging storm, there are some very important lessons for believers today – Jesus may lead us into the storm, He may sleep in the storm, He may calm the storm, and He may reveal our hearts by the storm.
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The Master Of The Storm
Luke 8:22-25
When I was about 10 years old the four oldest boys in my family got a great present one Christmas. It was a kind of homemade boat. My Mom had found this strange looking little 2 man boat somewhere and bought it so that we could use it go fishing. Well I and a friend of mine were the lucky ones that got to take the boat out first. This little boat had a tiny little propeller that would go about 2 or 3 miles an hour. We took that little boat out into the middle of this gigantic lake. Eventually we discovered that the boat was filling with water. We started bailing water out, but no matter how fast we bailed, it seemed like the water was filling back up just as fast. After a while we got really scared and started to panic. I thought for sure I was going to sink in that boat to the bottom of that lake and drown. So my friend and I started to shout, “Help!” “Help!” to anyone we thought might be able to hear us. I really thought I was going to die. However, eventually, some kind soul came over in their big powerful boat, and hauled us back to the boat ramp. Boy, was I thankful for them! Now, if I could be terrified of drowning in a calm, placid lake, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to realize what Jesus’ disciples must have been feeling when they encountered this storm of the Sea of Galilee!
There are four lessons we can learn from this incident in Jesus’ life. Let’s look at each in turn.
1. The Master May Send Us Into The Storm
When Did It Take Place? Let’s begin by trying to find out when this incident took place. Luke tells us it was “on one of those days.” That’s a very vague, indefinite description of time. I believe Luke puts it that way because at this point he is not following a strict chronology. In fact that last vignette he told us about Jesus’ mother and brothers trying to see him probably did not happen right after the parable of the four soils. Both Matthew and Mark record it as taking place before the parable of the four soils. Luke, in all probability, recorded that story right after Jesus’ teaching on how we hear the Word of God, because it fit that general theme. Mark 4:1 tells us that there was such a huge crowd that day that Jesus had to get into a boat and push out a little ways so that He could address the multitudes. Then from that little boat, He taught for probably the majority of the day. He taught in many different parables, and then later that day, He told His disciples the meaning of some of the parables. Well, Mark 4:35 tells us that it was on the day, when evening came that He said, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.”
Jesus was probably exhausted from teaching and preaching and healing, day in and day out. Remember, that He was so busily engaged in ministry that He didn’t even have time to eat a meal (Mk.3:20). Jesus is physically tired. He needs to rest to regain His strength so that He can continue to do the will of the Father. So He tells calls His disciples to come away with Him and go to the other side of the lake, where it was desolate and uninhabited. If Jesus had walked, the multitudes would have followed Him on foot. The only way to get away from the multitudes for a little while was to take a boat, because most of them didn’t have boats, and so couldn’t follow Him.
Where Did It Take Place? Let’s move from the specific to the general. Specifically, this incident took place in a boat. It was most probably a fishing boat. Jesus’ disciples, Peter, Andrew, James and John were all fishermen and would have had their boats nearby, because they were near Capernaum, where Peter lived. In all likelihood, Jesus and His disciples got into one of their fishing boats and started to head across the lake. We know this was not a rowboat, because Luke 8:23 says they were sailing along. This boat had sails. Folks, this was no expensive yacht. It was not a luxury liner. It was not a cruise ship. It was a small fishing boat that probably would just fit Jesus and His 12 disciples. Mark tells us that other boats were with Him. In addition to the 12, there were many other disciples or learners. When they found out Jesus was going to the other side of the lake, they found some boats and tagged along.
Now, let’s get to the general. Exactly where was this boat? Well it is simply called “the lake.” The only lake that Capernaum sits on is the Sea of Galilee, or sometimes called “Lake Gennesaret.” Although it is called the Sea of Galilee, it is really a lake. It is freshwater, and is inland. This lake was about 13 miles long and 7 miles wide. This lake is situated at 682 feet below sea level. It is the lowest lake on the planet. On all four sides of this lake are hills. On the north are the mountains of southern Lebanon, some reaching 10,000 feet tall. On the east, there are plateaus, some sheer cliffs. So, this lake sits in a bowl-shaped valley with mountains surrounding it. Because of this it is a perfect place for violent winds to whip up.
As wonderful as the Sea of Galilee is as a source of water, and food, and transportation, and wildlife, there is a big problem which is well known to geologists all over the world. Because the lake is the lowest lake on the planet, and because it is in a bowl at the bottom of hills and cliffs and plateaus and mountains that surround it, it is a perfectly situated lake to experience severe and strong wind. This lake is only 30 miles east of the Mediterranean Sea. So winds from the ocean come over the hills and speed up as they come down onto the surface of the lake. From the north, cold winds come from the Lebanese snow-capped mountains. As the winds come down, they are forced into ravines, which increases its speed immensely. To the east you have hot winds coming from the deserts and then plummeting down from the 3,000 foot precipices from the Golan Heights.
As a result of all of this winds hit this lake almost every day, usually starting around noon and going to about 6 p.m. The worst winds are those that come down from the north where the air is colder and heavier. As a result it plummets down as gravity pulls it toward the lake, and as is forced through ravines it increases speed so that when it finally gets to the lake at 682 feet below sea level and collides with the warm air on the lake, it causes a great amount of stress on the surface of the water which causes great agitation of the waters. The worst storms of the year occur between December and February. During those winter months the storms on the Sea of Galilee can be among the most treacherous on any lake in the world. They are violent and unpredictable. In the morning the waters can be like glass, and within minutes there can be a violent raging storm.
Luke refers to this storm as “a fierce gale” in verse 23. This is the usual word to describe a hurricane. So, folks, this isn’t just a strong breeze. This is a storm that was life-threatening. We know that because 4 of the 12 apostles were fishermen, and had sailed on this lake countless times, and were experienced navigators, but even they came to Jesus and told him, “we are perishing!”
Application. I want you to notice that it wasn’t the disciples who decided to get into the boat and sail across to the other side. It was Jesus’ decision. In verse 22 it says, “He said to them, ‘Let us go over to the other side of the lake.’” Now, do you think Jesus knew this storm was going to hit? In John 5:19-20 Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.” Jesus only did what He say His Father doing. Jesus must have seen that the Father was about to teach these disciples a lesson in faith by means of the storm. I think it was just like what we had in Luke 7:11-17, where Jesus all of a sudden just takes off for a tiny obscure little village in Nain. Now, why in the world would He go there? Because He saw His Father about to raise a widow’s son, and He was acting in lockstep with His Father. So I believe that Jesus knew this storm was going to arise on their way over the lake.
What does all of this teach us? It teaches us that God sometimes may send His children into the storm. Notice that these are not Jesus’ enemies that He has sent into the storm. These are His followers. Further, they are going into the storm because they are obeying Him. He said let’s go to the other side of the lake, and they complied. Now, notice I didn’t say that God may allow His children to experience the storm. That is true, but it is not what we have here. Jesus took the initiative and decided that they were all heading across the lake, although He knew it meant that His disciples were going to have to face a life-threatening storm. Do you believe that? Do you believe that God doesn’t just allow us to face storms, but may actually send us into them? It really all comes down to our view of God. Is He absolutely sovereign over all things, or not? Psalm 103:19 says “His sovereignty rules over all.” Does He have a purpose in all things, including deadly storms? There are two attributes of God that we must always believe and hold onto – His love and His sovereignty. Sometimes it will be very difficult to believe both of those things about God at the same time. When you see God’s sovereignty in sending you into a storm, you may begin to doubt His love. But you musn’t. That’s when we must exercise faith in what the Bible teaches about God. God is sovereign and God is love always, in every situation.
Now, I know that many Bible teachers tell us that if you are an obedient Christian with great faith, you won’t have to face storms. Everything in your life will be great. They say, if we have enough faith we won’t have to face trials or suffering. Folks, that’s a lie. Even Jesus had to pass through this deadly storm, and there is no one that is more holy or filled with faith than Jesus. Christians are not magically exempted from facing trials and suffering. In fact, often God will send them into storms.
Are you facing a storm this morning? Is it a serious illness, death of a loved one, bankruptcy, or the loss of a job. As hard as this might be to hear, that storm that you are facing did not happen by accident. It didn’t happen without God knowing about it. The devil didn’t slip it through when Jesus’ was looking the other way. This storm in your life was planned and purposed before the foundation of the world, and God means to use it for His glory and your good. Hold onto that!
2. The Master May Sleep In The Storm
In verse 23 it says, “But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.” Mark tells us that the boat was already filling up. The waves were crashing over the side of this small boat. These fishermen know that this boat can only hold so much water until it starts to sink. As a result, they are in a panic. The wind is howling around their head. Perhaps the sails are torn from the gales. They know they don’t have much time until their boat sinks and they drown. So they turn to Jesus, but they find Him sleeping! This is the only place in the Bible that mentions Jesus sleeping. Mark says he was asleep on a cushion in the stern, the rear part of the boat. Now, the fact that Jesus is sleeping is almost as amazing as Him calming the storm! On a human level I can understand Him sleeping. He is absolutely worn out and exhausted from continual ministry to thousands upon thousands of people. However, I don’t care how tired you are, I don’t think you are going to be able to sleep through this kind of a storm. The winds are howling all around you. The water is crashing over the side of the boat drenching you. The disciples are crying out in fear and terror. How could anyone, I don’t care how tired they are, sleep through that?! But He did, and they had to wake Him up.
Now, that in itself is a wonderful truth! Even though the winds and the waves didn’t awaken Jesus, the cries of His needy frightened disciples aroused Him to their aid. Jesus slept right through a storm. But the minute the cries of His fearful and fretting disciples reached His ears, He is awake and goes into action. This teaches us volumes about the Lord. Even though a storm doesn’t bother Him in the least, the cries of His people cause Him to springs to their side to help. Oh, if you are one of His, never doubt His tender love and care for you. He is ever ready to listen to your cries, even if they are accompanied with only little faith!
Now, I’m sure it would have been much easier on the disciples if Jesus was awake and giving leadership through the storm. If would have been one thing if Jesus had said, “Men, a storm is about to hit us. Peter you take the wheel! John, make sure that sails are secure! Andrew, make sure that gear is tied down! Hang in there guys, we will make it through!” The storm would have been difficult, but manageable, with Jesus providing leadership. However, He wasn’t providing leadership. He was asleep.
Application. My friends, not only may Jesus lead you into the storm, but He may go to sleep while you are bailing water and are filled with fear. Have you ever felt like you were going through a great trial and suffering, but Jesus seemed like He didn’t even notice, like He was asleep? In fact over in Mark the disciples ask, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” They are reproaching the Master! They accuse Him of not caring about their condition and that they were ready to die. Maybe you have accused Him of that very thing. You might have said, “Lord why are you letting me go through this storm and face this suffering? Lord where are You? Why are you oblivious to my suffering?” Well, the truth is that He is not oblivious to your suffering. He is fully aware of it. In fact He hurts when you hurt. But there is a greater purpose behind the suffering that we don’t know and don’t understand. When it seems like Jesus is asleep while you are going through the storm, don’t rail against Him and accuse Him. Trust Him! Know that He is with you in the boat, even though it appears that He is asleep. And at the right time He will awake and calm the storm.
3. The Master May Calm The Storm
That’s exactly what we find the Lord doing here. Verse 39 says that “He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.” Even if the winds had suddenly stopped, it would have taken hours for those raging waves to settle down to a calm, but they do so immediately. It says that Jesus rebuked the wind and waves. What did He say? We don’t have to guess, because Mark tells us. He said “Hush, be still.” This is the kind of thing a mom says to her child when they are in church and he’s making a fuss. “Hush, Shhhh! Stop that! Be still!” Jesus is talking to the wind and waves as they were little spoiled children that were throwing a tantrum. And the wind and waves obey their Creator.
Now, this is one of the greatest of all Christ’s miracles. We all talk about the weather. We complain about the weather. But nobody does anything about the weather. Why? Because we can’t! with all of our scientific knowledge and ability to harness energy, we can’t do anything to change the natural elements. We especially can’t do anything about the wind. The wind blows wherever it wishes. But Jesus can. The fact that He slept in the boat shows His true humanity. But the fact that He woke up and calmed the wind and waves shows His Deity. In Jesus Christ we have true manhood and true Godhood in one person.
Folks, when you and I are facing the storm, the Lord may rouse Himself, bare His arm, and miraculously calm it. He may heal that cancer. He may miraculously provide you with a great job. He may turn your financial situation around so that you don’t have to declare bankruptcy, but instead become wealthy. The Lord may supernaturally heal or protect your loved one so that they don’t die. The Lord may calm the storm.
But notice I said, “May.” He may, but He may not. The Lord does not always stop our sufferings. Sometimes the boat sinks. Daniel was delivered from the lion, but many Christians in the first century were fed to lions in the great coliseums. Peter was delivered from prison, but James and John the Baptist were beheaded. Sometimes it is God’s sovereign will to deliver us and protect us from trials and suffering, but sometimes it is His sovereign will for us to go through trials and suffering. None of us knows the mind of God. Oh, thank God when He steps in miraculously and provides deliverance and healing and blessing and prosperity. But also, thank Him and trust Him when He doesn’t. He is the same Lord. He is still good, and He is still sovereign.
4. The Master May Reveal Our Hearts By The Storm
After Jesus had calmed the storm, He turned to them and said, “Where is your faith?” (8:25). In Matthew He says, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Mark it down, great fear and great faith can not coexist. When we have great faith we will not have great fear, and when we have great fear we will not have great faith. Now, these disciples had some faith, but it was “little” faith. They had faith enough to obey Jesus and take the boat out into the lake. When the storm hit, they had enough faith to go to Jesus and wake Him up.
However, they should have enough faith so that they weren’t freaking out thinking they were going to die, with Jesus right in the boat with them. Did they really think that God was going to let His Son and everyone in the boat with Him drown? Jesus had said, “let us go over to the other side of the lake.” Could they trust His Word that He meant what He said? In the midst of the storm the disciples let their fear get the upper hand. They allowed fear to rule them, rather than faith. My friends, do you find yourself being ruled by fear at times in your life? When that happens, remind yourself that this is not just a fear problem. It’s a faith problem. When you are gripped by fear, remind yourself of God’s truth, and rest upon it, and your fear will begin to diminish.
It’s a sobering truth, that often God will reveal our hearts by what we do in the storm. You see, when we face storms, it just brings out what is already in our hearts. Hudson Taylor was once talking to a young missionary about to enter the mission field. He said, “Look at this!” and pounded his fist on the table. The tea cups jumped and the tea spilled. “When you begin your work you will be buffeted in many ways. The trials will be like blows. Remember, these blows will bring out only what is in you.”
I believe one of the reasons the Lord led His disciples into this storm was because they needed to grow in faith. They were still of little faith. Through this storm, the Lord revealed what was in their hearts – much fear but little faith. Through the storms that the Lord leads us into, He will be revealing what is in our hearts. He may show you that you have resentment, pride, selfishness, impatience, or a critical spirit in your hearts. He does that, friend, because He loves you and is committed to making you holy.
When you go through the storm, be prepared to discover what is in your hearts. It may not be a pretty sight. When you see the sin that is there, be quick to confess it and repent of it.
Conclusion
What happened as a result of this story? Verse 25 says, “They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” Not only were they afraid when the storm hit, they were even more afraid when it stopped! Why? Because they knew they must be in the presence of God Himself! Who else can command the winds and waves and they obey Him? Only God. This was what happened to Peter when the Lord told him to put down his nets for a catch after he had toiled all night and had caught nothing. When Peter obeyed they caught so many fish that they filled two boats to the point where they started to sink. How did Peter respond? He said, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” Peter is filled with fear to think that he, a sinful man, is in the very presence of God!
Do you know who Jesus is? Have you ever really grasped the truth that He is much more than just a mere man? Do you really believe that Jesus is God in human flesh? If you do, you’ll stop referring to Him as “the Man upstairs” or “your buddy”. When you grasp that Jesus is God, it will produce a holy reverential fear in your heart. It will cause you to fall on your face, and worship Him.
Friends, we are going to face storms. In some of them, it may seem like Jesus is sleeping. In others, He may rise and calm them. In all of them He is going to reveal what is in our hearts so that we may grow in holiness and please Him. But the key to facing these storms is to realize who He is – God, the Creator, and that He is with you, and will never leave you or forsake you. My friends, trust the Master in the Storm! Let’s pray.
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