A Right Persepctive of Jesus Luke 8:22-25

Stormy Sea

Ironically, the man was rescued off the shores of Africa on March 10, 1748. He was escaping slavery. By the providence of God, his dad, a British captain, put word out that his son was lost somewhere in Africa and a friend of his dads saw a fire burning on a the coastline. He sent a John boat to investigate it only to find it was indeed his friends son. A few days later, a massive sea storm threatened to destroy the ship. The man recalls in his biography,

“That 10th of March, is a day much to be remembered by me; and I have never allowed it to pass unnoticed since the year 1748. For on that day the Lord came from on high and delivered me out of deep waters.”

“The storm was terrific: when the ship went plunging down into the trough of the sea few on board expected her to come up again. The hold was rapidly filling with water. As the man hurried to his place at the pumps he said to the captain, “If this will not do, the Lord have mercy upon us!” His own words startled him. “Mercy!” he said to himself in astonishment, “Mercy! mercy! What mercy can there be for me? This was the first desire I had breathed for mercy for many years!” About six in the evening the hold was free from water, and then came a gleam of hope. “I thought I saw the hand of God displayed in our favour. I began to pray. I could not utter the prayer of faith. I could not draw near to a reconciled God and call him Father. My prayer for mercy was like the cry of the ravens, which yet the Lord does not disdain to hear.”

It took a storm at sea for the man to begin to see God. He lived much of his life, apart from a faithful Christ-loving mother who taught him the scriptures as a child, as if God did not exist. But in his hour of desperate need, his mother’s God and prayer, flooded his heart and opened his eyes to see Jesus as more than just a Jewish Rabbi.

We see the same thing in Luke 8:22-25. Jesus is with his disciples. He leads them into a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. While they are traveling, a massive storm hits them. The disciples are beside themselves believing they are about to drown. They turn to Jesus to find his resting in the stern of the boat. They wake Jesus to tell him they are all going to drown. Jesus rebukes the winds and seas and tells them they are all going to live. At that moment, their perspective of Jesus changed. They entered the boat believing that Jesus was a rabbi. Now, at this moment, Jesus is more than a rabbi. What are we to make of this? What was Jesus doing in the life of his disciples? How does knowing the difference between Jesus being a rabbi and the Son of of God matter to you in 2023?

Jesus uses difficulty to give you a greater perspective of his sovereignty so you will trust him with your life.

Two Main Ideas

Jesus is God

The main idea of this passage is, Jesus is God. He is not merely a demigod, who is half human and half God. He is fully human and fully God. This is the perspective that the disciples lack about Jesus.

In chapter eight, Luke is revealing the identity of Jesus. He is not just another prophet or wise Jewish sage. He is the Son of God. Luke reveals Jesus’ identity with three stories that show He has power over nature, demons, disease and death. He is able to control, even conquer, the things only God can control and subdue.

The disciples, however, do not see Jesus this way. In their mind he is special. He is a good teacher. He is a man of God, but he is not God’s Son. He is not fully divine. You gather this by Jesus’ rebuke and their response to him in,

Luke 8:25 ESV

He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

Had they truly understood who Jesus was and his power, they would‘ve have trusted them with their life, especially when the storm was raging around them.

In Jewish tradition, only God had true power over the seas and the wind. God

Psalm 107:29 ESV

He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.

The Psalmist says,

Psalm 89:8–9 ESV

O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you? You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.

God governs his creation by his power And uses it for his will; whether he he floods the earth in his judgment (Gen 8-9), or he redirects a rebellious prophet named Jonah with a large fish (Jonah 1-4). For Jesus to rebuke the winds and the seas is to display the kind of power only God can display.

Jesus is Sovereign

This makes sense in light of how Paul describes Jesus in his letter to the Colossians

Colossians 1:15–17 ESV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Jesus subdues and sustains all of creation, visible and invisible, and all authorities in heaven and earth, and all of creation was made by him, and through him, and for him, and he is like the superglue that keeps everything together. Of course Jesus can tell the winds to be still and the seas to stop raging. He is God and He is the Lord over his creation.

I don’t know when it happens, or even necessarily how it happens, but at some point in your walk with Jesus, you forget who he is and what he is capable of doing in your life. At some point your religion becomes routine. Your heart grows cold, and you you loose confidence in the power of Jesus Christ to change lives, even the most broken life. Jesus becomes more of a man and less of God. You need a change of perspective.

You can tell when Jesus is more your wise teacher and less of your Savior by your grumbling and disputing. You become critical of God’s people and his church. You become impatient with God’s timing and the way he is choosing to work. You begin to loose victory over sins in your life that you’ve thought you were past. Your prayer life is hit or miss and your Bible reading is as dry as Texas on the fourth of July. Jesus cannot be just a man to you. He must be the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Messiah, the Second Person of the Trinity, if you are going to have waiving faith. Brothers and sisters, if this describes you, you need a change of perspective. And God cares about your faith and your perseverance that he will do whatever it takes to open your eyes to behold His Son properly. Just as God brought John Newton into a storm to open his eyes to see Jesus, and just as Jesus brought his disciples into a storm to reveal himself as God, so he will do for you and our church, sot hat we will trust his sovereignty and worship him properly. In other words,

Because Jesus is the Sovereign Lord, he can bring you into the storm, sustain you through the storm, and transform you by the storm.

Jesus brings you to the storm (Luke 8:22).

Luke 8:22 ESV

One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out,

You need to notice who is leading the discussion in verse 22. Jesus moves his disciples into the boat. He tells them, “Let’s go across the lake that is called the Sea of Galilee.” The disciples comply with Jesus and set out across the lake. The disciples do seem to be alarmed by the weather, which, by speculation (give it a grain of salt and no more) it might have been clear skies and smooth seas. Peter and his brothers were experienced fisherman. He the weather been brewing, as outspoken as Peter was, he might have said something.

The Sea of Galilee was surrounded by hills and gorges. Sudden wind storms would appear out of nowhere stirring up the lake. Most fisherman from Capernaum would stay close to the shoreline. The storm was coming that would bring impenitent death to the disciples.

To be fair, there is some discussion as to whether Jesus knew the storm was coming or if it just appeared. Either way, the point is Jesus was in control of the storm the entire time. There was not a moment where Jesus lost control of his creation. The text does not say, “knowing a storm was coming, he put his disciples in a boat.” But I argue that since Jesus is sovereign over his creation he would have known the storm was coming just like he knew a coin would be in the fishes mouth to pay the temple tax (Matthew 17:27). He also knew where the donkey would be tied for him to ride on his triumphal entry. He caused fig tree to welt and multiplied fish for Peter’s net. Jesus constantly interacts with his creation to teach lessons of faith, which is what the disciples were lacking in Luke 8. Jesus likely knew the storm was coming and still he chose to bring his disciples to the middle of the lake where there was no escape, and he then closed his eyes and slept.

Some of you may look at this text and say, “Why would he do that?” That does not seem very good to me. If I am honest with you, the sovereignty of God scares me at times. On the one hand, it is hard for me to acknowledge that God has the absolute authority and ability to govern my life as he chooses to govern it. My sinful nature does not like that idea at all. On the hand, stories like this force me to see God’s goodness in a place we normally do not see it; during suffering or hardship.

Suffering and hardship question God’s goodness. “How can God be good if he purposely inflicts pain on your life,” is the typical question that arises. The answer is simple to understand, but at times harder to accept.

God is good to inflict pain in your life if it brings about good in your life. We know this intuitively when we discipline out children. When they cross the line, as parents, we love them enough to correct a behavior that is not good for them. The child does not like the correction because it is uncomfortable for them, whether it is a swap on the behind or a time out in the corner. As parents, however, we know that a moment of uncomfortable correction that is received by the child brings about a more good for the child.

If we being evil can bring about good from pain, how much more can God bring about good for your soul through hardship?

Furthermore, God promises to make everything work for our good and his glory, and he is able to keep that promise (Romans 8:28).

For the disciples, the good he was going to bring about in their life was a greater perspective, a deeper understanding, a more vivid realization of who he was. He as not just their rabbi, he was the Son of God who came to save sinners. So, Jesus brought them to the middle of a lake with a storm on the horizon to give their faith a right perspective.

Jesus sustains you through the storm (Luke 8:23-24).

Luke 8:23–24 ESV

and as they sailed he fell asleep. 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.

Jesus is resting likely in the stern of the boat. The storm quickly approaches. As the winds rage the the waves swell, filling the boat with water. Things were getting dangerous, and Peter and his brothers knew it.

The woke up Jesus believing they were going to drown. That is what the word perishing means. The situation looks a lot like the time Jonah was running from God. He fell asleep while the crew were about to perish under a God ordained storm. But unlike Jonah, Jesus was not in rebellion. Jesus was resting in the reality that the wind and the sea would obey his command. Jesus stood up and rebuked the wind and sea. The wind died down and the sea calmed-again, just like Jonah when he was thrown into the sea. The difference is Jonah had to jump in the water for God to settle the storm. Jesus merely had to say the word and the wind and sea obeyed him. Jesus was not a prophet like Jonah. He is the living God.

You know the disciples have the wrong perspective of Jesus not so much by the circumstances they were encountering at the time. They had faith in Jesus. They turned to him in the moment of need. The issue is they did not pay attention to him resting in the stern of the boat that was taking on water.

Several years ago I took a Southwest flight from New Orleans to Louisville, Ky. As I was were flying over Alabama, we encountered severe weather. Several tornadoes broke out beneath us forcing the plane to climb and make a series of S-turns. The plane rattled and shook, but oddly enough I felt fine. I didn’t get nervous until I saw the flight attendant hi-tail it down the isle, and buckle up in her seat. She looked nervous. That is when it dawned on me that if she, a person who flies in airplanes for a living is nervous, then I should be nervous.

When the disciples saw jesus resting they did not see the Son of God, who sustains the entire world, resting in the boat. Had they saw Jesus as the Son of God resting in the boat as the winds raged and the sea swelled, they would have remembered Jeremiah’s word,

Jeremiah 32:17 (ESV)

‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

and then

salm 89:8–9 (ESV)

O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?

You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.

And that is exactly what Jesus did when his disciples cried out to him. He stilled the storm. He kept them, sustained them, ensured the storm would not overcome them, not separate them from his love.

The last few years we have taken the Youth to Camp in Missouri. In one of the cabins is an old painting that says,

“Jesus may not keep the storm from raging around me, but he can calm the storm inside of me.” unknown

Jesus did not keep his disciples from the storm. To show them his power and authority to save sinners, Jesus brought them to the storm and sustained them in the storm.

When he brings the storm into your life you can know for sure he will sustain you through. Focus on his rest. Keep you eyes on Jesus. If he is resting, you should be resting. If he is not freaking out, you should not be freaking out.

Jesus transforms you by the storm (Luke 8:25).

Luke 8:25 ESV

He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

Once the sea was settled and the winds calmed down, Jesus addresses their faith. He asks, “Where is your faith?” Or in other words, “Why is your faith so weak?” Their response signals a change in perspective. They marvel at him. That is, they look at him with awe. They tremble before him and ask, “Who is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?” They know that only God controls the winds and the seas. No human being has sovereignty over that kind of chaos. Now the eyes of their heart, the scope of their faith, has been transformed, given more depth and understanding. Now Jesus is not merely a rabbi. He must be the Son of God.

John Newton’s New Perspective

The man rescued amidst the stormy sea was John Newton, the pastor and author of “Amazing Grace.” Newton was once lost. He was a vile man, a slave trader, hostile to the gospel. Although his mother did everything she could to help him know and understand Jesus, Jesus was nothing more than Jewish lunatic in Newtons eyes. That perspective of Jesus changed when the sovereignty of God rescued him off the shores of Africa, only to be brought to the middle of the Atlantic Sea with no way of escape. Jesus brought him to the place where he could see God’s mercy and grace for sinners-Jesus the Son of God. John Newton says in his own words,

“This is my testimony. This is my confession of faith. This is my hope – It is certain that I am not what I ought to be. But, blessed be God, I am not what I once was. God has mercifully brought me up out of the deep miry clay and set my feet upon the Rock, Christ Jesus. He has saved my soul. And now it is my heart’s desire to extol and honour his matchless, free, sovereign and distinguishing grace, because ‘By the grace of God I am what I am.’ It is my heart’s great joy to ascribe my salvation entirely to the grace of God.” John Newton

In Newton’s new eyes, the storm was God’s sovereign and distinguishing grace. The storm was the place where he realized he was a wretch who once was lost and blind, but could see Jesus rightly.

I do not know what 2023 will bring. We are not given that kind of foresight. We live everyday by faith making sure each of our plans are tempered with, “Lord willing.” But I do know seeing Jesus rightly will be what is necessary for your faithfulness this year.

Seeing Jesus rightly as the Sovereign Lord in 2023

In verse 25, Jesus addresses their unbelief with is question, “Where is your faith?” In Matthew’s account, he says they have little faith. That means seeing Jesus rightly is having the right faith. I want to close by giving you five lens of faith to see Jesus rightly in 2023.

Saving Faith

To be saved, Jesus must by your Sovereign Lord. God is the only one who controls the seas and winds, and has the power to save you from the storm, Jesus, the Son of God, who gave his life to atone for your sin and rose from the grave alive can save you from the wrath of God. Jesus cannot be just a rabbi, Jewish Philosopher, sage, or good teacher. You must see Him as your Sovereign Savior.

Strengthened Faith

Like I said before, the disciples had faith, but it was weak faith. Seeing Jesus as your sovereign Lord gives your heart strength and is able to believe God when he says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made great through your weakness. City Alight conveys this in their song, “Yet Not I, but Christ in me.”

To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus For my life is wholly bound to His Oh how strange and divine, I can sing, "All is mine" Yet not I, but through Christ in me

The night is dark but I am not forsaken For by my side, the Saviour He will stay I labour on in weakness and rejoicing For in my need, His power is displayed

To this I hold, my Shepherd will defend me Through the deepest valley He will lead Oh the night has been won, and I shall overcome Yet not I, but through Christ in me

Savoring Faith

Savory is usually a way we describe food. A savory food is pleasant to eat. It can also mean morally wholesome, and I think the two go together when describing your faith in Jesus. Jesus is savory in that he is the Bread of Life. He is a pleasant fulfillment of our desires. And our hearts desires are most pleased when they align with his holiness. To savour Jesus is to find him morally pleasant, to the degree you live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel.

Satisfied faith

Satisfied faith focuses on Jesus rest in the boat while the storm rages on.

“I am satisfied that the almighty power which sustains the stars in their orbits is equally necessary to carry me with safety, honor, and comfort through the smoothest day of my life.” John Newton

Sowing Faith

The church fathers allegorized this text to say that the church was in the boat enduring the storm of this world. I don;’t believe that is the right interpretation, however there is good application.