Sovereign and Submitted

INTRODUCTION

From the very beginning, people have struggled with the problem of suffering and evil. If God is so great then why do we suffer?

Maybe you’ve asked this question yourself while staring at your ceiling at 2AM. It could be physical health, a relational loss, or some financial weight you can’t carry.

Maybe you prayed and did everything right, thinking that God would come through. But instead making things better, it felt like they only got worse.

Maybe you started to question who God really is. Your convictions began to shift. You didn’t stop believing in God but you started to wonder if he cared.

Sometimes it can feel like, on Sunday morning, these questions are somehow off limits. But everyone faces the problem of suffering. It’s not something we can ignore.

Pain and suffering is a problem we all face.  

Some of you are facing it now and you’ve never felt more alone. If that’s the case, our text today gives us something to consider.

Many smart Christian philosophers have addressed this “problem of suffering.” But when you’re suffering, the problem isn’t philosophical.

Suffering is a “lived reality,” so the answer needs to work in real life. Logical syllogisms offer little comfort to people who are feeling the pain.  

How do you survive the crippling fear and doubt that leads to unbelief? How do you handle the emotional pain that rises up in your heart? How do you keep yourself from losing faith in God? That’s where Matthew takes us in our passage today.

In this series we’ve been asking the question, “What Man Is This?” Matthew gives us a answer with each story that he tells.

At a basic level, the simple answer is “Jesus is the Christ.” It’s what Matthew has been defending from the very beginning.

Jesus came down the mountain the same way he went up: surrounded by massive crowds and doing many miracles. Each miracle demonstrated the authority of Jesus. He touched a leper and made him clean and healed a servant with a word.

Sovereign & Submitted

Jesus has authority over sickness and disease. Should you think to doubt it, Jesus healed every sick person in Capernaum at Peter’s house in a single night.

In the face of suffering, Jesus is sovereign.

He is not helpless in our suffering but can tell it what to do. Sickness and disease are but servants to his will. That’s what it means to be “sovereign” in that way.

But Matthew doesn’t stop with the authority of Jesus. He holds the sovereignty of Jesus in tension with something else.

Last week we looked at two men with faith conditions. Jesus was unwilling to be second to either one. He won’t abide divided loyalties with those who choose to follow.  

Those who come to Jesus must choose to turn in follow. But before you make that choice Jesus says to “Count the cost.” “The Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Mat 8:20)

It’s hard for us to see it but that passage holds a tension. On the one hand Jesus is the royal son of man. On the other hand, Jesus has no place to lay his head.

The title, Son of Man, is a Messianic claim from Daniel 7:14-15. Jesus thought himself to be God’s promised anointed king.

But he also understood what that Christ would have to do. Even as a King he was submitted to God’s purpose.

In the face of suffering, Jesus is sovereign.

Yet, to the Father’s will, Jesus is submitted.

Because Jesus was submitted to the Father’s plan, “even the Son of Man would have no place to lay his head.” It was submission to the Father’s plan that cause our Lord to suffer.

It’s with this tension that Matthew tells this story. And it’s this tension that will help you suffer well.  

Jesus possesses all authority yet submits himself to God. And because Jesus was submitted, we can too can overcome.

Read The Text

I know that’s a lot so let me show it in our passage. Let’s begin in verse 18 which is where we were last week.

Matthew 8:18–27 CSB

18 When Jesus saw a large crowd around him, he gave the order to go to the other side of the sea. 19 A scribe approached him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 21 “Lord,” another of his disciples said, “first let me go bury my father.” 22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” 23 As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves—but Jesus kept sleeping. 25 So the disciples came and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!” 26 He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!”

The way that Matthew tells this story is different than Mark and Luke (Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25). Matthew’s focus is thematic more than chronological order.

Matthew’s version is much shorter (Mt-85; Lk-94; Mk 118) and he changes certain words. Each decision serves to amplify his theme.

Jesus is the sovereign yet submitted to God’s plan. In verse 18 he gives the order and in verse 23 it is obeyed.

In between, Matthew couches the authority of Jesus. Those who follow give their absolute allegiance. When verse 23 says, “His disciples followed him into the boat…” you’re meant to feel the full weight of those words.

These people counted the cost and chose to follow Jesus. They were fully submitted to do what Jesus said. Even though that’s true and they did what Jesus said, it was that very choice that brought a storm into their life.

What was true for Jesus is now also true of them. This is the tension Matthew wants us all to feel.

A SUDDEN SURPRISE

Jesus is the sovereign and anointed Son of Man. And Jesus is submitted to the Father’s plan to save.

If you turn and follow, then he will save your life. But those who choose to follow will also face the storm.  

You can follow Jesus and your life get shaken.

Following Jesus doesn’t keep you life FROM trouble. Following Jesus keeps you safe when trouble comes. The Lord is our refuge IN trouble not an escape FROM it.

Jesus will often ask you to do something that puts your life at risk. If not physically, then emotionally or some other kind of way.

I chose the word shaken because Matthew chose to use it. When Mark and Luke tell this story they use a different word.

They use the word “windstorm” which conveys the idea of a hurricane. (Luke 8:23; Mark 4:27) Matthew uses the word “seismos” translated “violent storm.”

The word “seismos” means “shaking.” You can hear it in our English “seismograph.” It’s a measurable blast of energy unleashed by some disturbance (ie. earthquake).

There are even “seismic waves” that can hit a boat in similar conditions.

Matthew’s focus in on the shaking more than the actual wind. It’s less about the storm and more about what it caused. That’s interesting to me and intentional by Matthew.

The storm was causing their boat and bodies to literally shake. The waves had gotten so large that they were tossing them side to side. As you think about this storm that’s the picture you need to have.

And all of us can think of times when life has felt this way. You just get knocked around from one thing to the next. It’s outside of your control and your goal is to just “survive.”

Whatever that may look like that’s what Matthew has in mind. And for Matthew, this shaking, is because they’re in the boat. They’re exactly where Jesus commanded them to be.

So as we think about these storms here are things you must remember.

Surprise

The first thing Matthew mentions is how suddenly it formed. You can see this in the word translated “suddenly.” (kai idou…behold!)

When life gets shaken it can take you by surprise.

The idea is that this storm wasn’t something on their radar. Mark adds the detail that this journey was at night. That’s probably one reason that Jesus was asleep.

When Audra and I visited Israel, we sailed the Sea of Galilee. It’s technical name is “Lake Gennesaret” (a fresh water lake fed by the Jordan River). It was one of my favorite moments because the landscape was beautiful and calm.

As you can see from this video the water is vast and deep. There are also elevated hills on the southern and eastern shore.

It actually this geography that makes this area so prone to storms. The cooler air from the mountains comes down to meet the warm air on the water.

Even while we were there, I saw this dynamic play out. The wind would really pick up and the waves began to build. The larger hill and mountainous area send cool air down through the revines. This creates a type of front that whip up big waves in a hurry.

Did God Say?

So when Matthew says “suddenly” I don’t think he was lying. A similar thing can happen when we face these storms in life.

It’s one thing to look at clouds and use your wisdom to avoid the storm. It’s another thing, when you’re walking in wisdom and a storm comes out nowhere.

When these things take you by surprise it can cause your heart to question. The “fight or flight” response kicks and you struggle to think rationally.

It’d be easy to say to Jesus, “I must’ve made a mistake. I know you said ‘Get in the boat’ but I didn’t see this coming.”

When you find yourself surprised by a sudden storm in life. And you’re in that storm through your obedience to what God said. It’s important that remember God is faithful to his Word.

There is no suffering that changes what God has said.  

Sometimes it’s submission to God’s Word that brings the storm. And it can make you question, “Did God really say?” This strategy from Satan is as old as the Garden of Eden. Just because your hurting doesn’t mean that God was wrong. Just because the storm arrived doesn’t mean you did not hear him.

Should I Stay?

It’s often true that storms surprise WHEN they come. But we should never be surprised THAT they come.

This idea is central to the New Testament vision for discipleship. I could read passage after passage.

Jesus warned us what it meant to follow him. In the Beatitudes he warned us of the coming persecution. “Blessed are you… it’s how they treated the prophets who came before you. Rejoice and be glad…” (Mat 5:11-12)

Peter said, “Don’t be surprised when a fiery ordeal comes to test you as if something unusual were happening. Instead rejoice that you’re counted worthy to share in Christ’s sufferings.” (1 Peter 4:12-13) If you share in his sufferings, you also share the glory.

Jesus told his disciples, “I tell you this so that in me you can have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Take heart, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

James said “Count it all joy when you experience trials of many kinds…” (James 1:1-2)

Paul told Timothy, “ALL who live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…” (2 Timothy 3:12) He then sent Timothy to tell the church in Thessalonica the same thing. “…so that no one would be shaken (same root as Matthew) by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed to this… we told you in advance!” (1 Thessalonians 3:3-4)

The sovereignty of Jesus doesn’t not keep us from a shaken life. It’s actually through submission that the suffering actually comes!

If God has sent you, then you should stay.

Jesus was in the boat in obedience to the Father’s mission. He was going to the other side to preach the Gospel to the outer regions. He was going to cast out demons and show God’s power over evil.

These disciples who followed Jesus were following in that mission. They’d be sent so they they had ot stay. The same is true for those who follow Jesus today.

Don’t give up too soon. Don’t quit before you finish. Don’t grow weary in doing good for you will receive the reward. Whatever you do, do not give up.

God’s mission has an enemy. God’s Word remains unchanged. Your suffering has a purpose. God’s purpose will prevail.

A SMOTHERED FAITH

But that’s not the only thing Matthew wants us to see. Matthew also mentions that “Jesus was asleep.”

“… Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves — but Jesus kept sleeping. So the disciples came and woke him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to die!’ He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?...”

When life gets shaken it may surprise you when it happens.

A shaken life can also suffocate your faith.

Again, the language Matthew uses is different than Mark and Luke. He uses the word “siesmos” to describe the storm. He uses the word “kalypto” to describe the waves.

“Kalypto” means to “cover up” or “conceal” something by laying over it. Like the word “krypto” it’s out of sight but in this case it’s just covered up. These waves had gotten so big they were “covering up” the boat.

In 1986, two brothers, both amateur archaeologists found the “Jesus Boat” on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. (Moshe and Yuval Lufan) On our trip to Israel, we also saw this boat. If I was in a storm, this isn’t the boat I’d pick!

As you can see, it’s not really that big. It was 27 feet long, 7-8 feet wide and 4-5 feet tall. A normal wave would be 1-2 feet tall. When storms blew in, the waves could reach 10 feet!

When our lives get shaken we can feel a similar way. It’s like we’re suffocating beneath the weight of all the pressure.

The voice of fear begins to rise. Despair begins to spread. Our hope begins to fade and we question if God cares. Have you ever been there before?

Have you ever faced a storm that had you crushed beneath the waves? You felt like you were smothered beneath the weight of so much pain?

It could’ve been mental or emotional and the weight of mental stress. It might’ve been more physical and threatening to your life.  Maybe, like these disciples, it was all of that combined! Not only were they afraid, they were fearing for their lives!

In Mark’s Gospel, they question if Jesus cares. “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38) In Luke and Matthew they simply think they’re going to die. (Matthew 8:25) Either way, the suffering was undermining the faith they had in Jesus.

Those of you who’ve suffered have probably felt the same. You might’ve still believed in God but you questioned “Does God care?”  

When God is Silent

Give what they faced, it’s no shock their faith was shrinking. The shock of Jesus sleeping probably made that worse!

Matthew put the two of them side by side on purpose. “…the boat was being swamped by the waves…but Jesus kept on sleeping.” (Mat 7:24)

 Not only was their faith being smothered by the waves. It was also dealing with inaction by their Lord. Mark includes that Jesus was sleeping on a “pillow.” (Must be nice! While others work.)

There are many theories on why Jesus stayed asleep. Most of them imply some kind of metaphorical meaning.

Some say Jesus’ sleeping represents our faith. When our faith is sleepy, we must act to rouse it. Others say the sleeping represents the peace of Jesus. Even in the storms of life, in Jesus we’re at rest. Honestly, I’m not sure I buy either.

Matthew’s point seems to be that Jesus was present. But even though he was present, he was slow in his response. Not only was he slow, he was “asleep.” In that way, his sleeping also functions as God’s silence.  

How many times, in suffering, have you wondered to yourself “God, if you’re up there, I’d kinda like to know it! You believe but your struggling.”

God may be silent but he is NOT indifferent. God may delay but, but he does not lack true power. Just because he’s silent doesn’t mean he will not save.

There is no silence that can change God’s power to save.

The disciples see this truth as soon as Jesus wakes. Mat 8:25-26

Matthew 8:25–26 CSB

25 So the disciples came and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!” 26 He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?”

Many read this question as a negative indictment from the Lord. And certainly, their faith was not perfect. But it was strong enough for Christ to save them. It was rightly placed. They cried out, “Jesus, save us!” because they knew his power to save!

It’s the Greek word “sozon” which means to free someone from impending harm or evil.

So though their faith was “small,” their faith was still sufficient. Because the power of our faith depends on where it’s placed.

What matters to Jesus is not the quantity of our faith. It’s the quality of faith that is grounded in God’s power.

Don’t Be Scared

Even so, we should answer why their faith was “small.” It was rightly placed in Jesus and sufficient for salvation. Yet, according to Jesus, it was “little faith.”

This raises the question, “What did they not believe?” If their faith was “little” how did that manifest?

The answer is given in what Jesus rebukes. Their faith was “little faith” because their fear was very great.

If I put myself in their shoes I know what I would think. Jesus, you were sleeping – you have no idea. “The waves were like 10 feet and we were tossed around like dolls. Even Peter over there was crying like a baby.”

The fear that Jesus identifies is likely not “that” fear. It’s the fear that wonders whether if God really cares. It the fear that starts to think, “Maybe I’m not worthy. I know that God could save me but maybe he doesn’t want to.”  

It’s the thing we talked about with Jesus and the leper. “Jesus you can save me. The question is are you willing.”

It’s easy, when God is silent, to wonder “do you care.” What Jesus wants his followers to know is that God DEEPLY cares.

Do not mistake his silence for a lack of his compassion. The Father loves you deeply, much more than you can know.

That Jesus was “asleep” helps to illustrate this fact. He was “present” in the boat. He was “mighty” to save. But his silence and inaction was what caused them to fear.

Sometimes when you suffer it can feel like God is silent. But even though he’s silent, he’s always present by your side. And because he’s present and because you know he cares, even WHEN he’s silent, you can quiet your fears.

God is with you. So don’t be scared.

That Matthew wants us to see this can seen in how he frames it. Before Jesus calms the storm, he first deals with their heart. In Luke and Mark’s, Jesus starts by calming the storm. Only after does he question his disciples.

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus calms their fearful hearts. Their “little faith” was being helped by Jesus’ care. Only after healing their hearts crippled by fear, did Jesus face the wind and waves and tell them to “be still.”  

Jesus taught this truth again and again. It’s the most common command in Scripture, one for every day of the year. (Isa 41:10) But just because he’s silent doesn’t mean he is not there.  Chose to walk by faith instead of just by what you see.

SERVES THE FATHER’S PLAN

Matthew closes this passage with a question by the disciples. After Jesus calms the storm they wonder, “What Man Is This?”

Matthew 8:26–27 CSB

26 He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!”

When your life gets shaken it can take you by surprise. When your life gets shaken it can suffocate your faith. But don’t forget this one truth above the rest.

When life gets shaken it will serve the Father’s purpose.

When people ask the question, “Why did God let this happen? Almost always, I say, ‘There’s no way I can know.’”

There’s only one person who knows the answer to that question. I’m not him and he’s not telling me his plan.

There’s no way for finite minds to know the mind of God. He could have 1 billion reasons for permitting what he does. We’re simply not “God enough” to know the mind of God. The secrete things “belong to the Lord.”

But there are other things that we know for certain. The things that have been revealed are FOR US to know and pass along.

So while I can’t know God’ reason for your suffering. I DO KNOW that he’s working for your good. God works ALL THINGS together for the good of those who love him and who are called according to his purpose.

ALL things also includes the HARD things. It includes the painful things and storms that shake your life.

One purpose for this storm can be seen in their response. Without the storm, these disciples may not have asked this question.

They clearly believed that Jesus had authority. They also believed that he had been sent by God. Peter and others believed he was Messiah. But in this miracle, a whole new category is introduced.

In the Old Testament, there’s only ONE power sufficient to tame the sea. That power belongs to God and God alone.

The sea and deep waters were symbolic of worldly chaos. It was the way of things before God’s creative decree. The Spirit of God hovered over the face of the deep. Only He could bring order out of chaos.

When Jesus speaks and the wind and waves obey. He’s not just powerful, his power matches God. Jesus and Yahweh are equal in their power to command the stormy waves and cause them to be still.

Some say, “Jesus just got lucky and made his statement as the winds died down.” But Matthew says that the calm was “very great.” He uses the same adjective as he did the storm was raging.

The idea is that the weather stopped and the waves calmed down at once, not through natural means but at the Word of Christ.

Jesus Has Spoken

The wind and waves obeyed the Word of Jesus. Jesus has authority over all creation. He speaks the word and it does what Jesus says.

For Jewish readers, Psalm 107 would’ve come to mind. It was a popular song about the LORD and his steadfast love.

Psalm 107:25–31 CSB

25 He spoke and raised a stormy wind that stirred up the waves of the sea. 26 Rising up to the sky, sinking down to the depths, their courage melting away in anguish, 27 they reeled and staggered like a drunkard, and all their skill was useless. 28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. 29 He stilled the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 They rejoiced when the waves grew quiet. Then he guided them to the harbor they longed for. 31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all humanity.

As you read this Psalm it sounds just like Matthew 8. Except, in Matthew 8:27, the disciples don’t give thanks. They raise the question, “What kind of man is this?”

They believed that Jesus exercised authority. But this miracle suggested something more. If Jesus has the power that the LORD alone possessed, then their response should be one of true worship.

Psalm 107 did not pave the way for the LORD of Psalm 107 to be with them in the boat. Yet, there he was. He was sovereign over the storm. If Jesus is Yahweh, there’s no storm he cannot still.

There is no storm that Jesus cannot still.”

If Jesus speaks the word, it has the power to still your heart. Physical storms, emotional storms, or storms of any other kind. When Jesus speaks, a shaken life finds peace.

Suffering and Salvation

Matthew ends this story with a question for his readers. It’s the question that stands behind this series.

“What kind of man is this? Even the wind and sea obey him!” (Matthew 8:27)

Notice, they don’t ask “Who is this man?” They know “who” Jesus is. They don’t know “what” he is.

The phrase “What kind of man” suggests that Jesus shattered their categories. They simply could not fit him in the box they had in mind. Jesus had the power that belonged to God alone. Yet every Jewish man confessed that “The LORD our God is ONE.”

As chapter 8 continues, their box keeps getting busted. Jesus was not just a man. He was something else. He was God come in the flesh who came to save the world from sin. He was sovereign over creation, sickness, sin and death. Yet because he was submitted, he was willing to lay down his life.

Jesus suffered to bring us God’s salvation.

But his suffering was much greater than our own. When Jesus died on the cross the physical agony was excruciating. But the spiritual agony was even worse than that.

Jesus cried, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.” Jesus also felt suffocated beneath the waves.

But unlike Matthew 8, the wind and waves kept going. Jesus took the ocean of God’s wrath onto himself.

In our place, condemned Jesus stood. All so we could saved by God’s grace. God is holy and our sins require his justice. But if he did that we would not survive. So he sent Jesus to take that storm in our place.

Jesus had his life be shaken to break the power of sin. As a result, we are now set free.

Matthew uses this word for “shaken” later in his Gospel. The next time it shows up is with his death on the cross. After Jesus dies, an earthquake hits the city. The Roman soldier looks at Jesus and says, “Truly, this man is the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:54)

The earthquake happens again at the resurrection of Jesus.  An angel of the Lord descends upon the tomb and a “violent earthquake” hits as he “rolls away the stone.” (Matthew 28:2)

In both cases you see the close connection between the shaking of a life and God’s purpose in salvation.

CONCLUSION

The cross of Christ gives a blueprint for how we ought to suffer. Through Jesus’s suffering on the cross he brought about salvation.

Through the suffering in our life, God can do the same.

Especially when our suffering is patterned after Christ. The suffering that we feel in obedience to God’s will.

Just as Jesus probably wanted to come down from that cross. He chose to stay because God had sent him there.

And just like Jesus suffocated on the cross. When we sense God’s silence we trust his power to save.

Jesus modeled perfect faith upon the cross. He did not die in fear but entrusted his life to God. He didn’t let his suffering create bitterness or resentment. Even in his dying breath he said, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.

As a result, even the storm of sin and the holy wrath of God, Jesus was able to still with his perfect sinless life.

Through our submission to the will and plan of God. What he did through Jesus, he continues through the Church.

One day the earth will shake again and Jesus will return. He will establish his perfect kingdom and our lives will shake no more. Until that day, we can suffer well in Jesus. Because we know through suffering God is working things for good.