JESUS CALMS A STORM

INTRODUCTION — WHEN LIFE BECOMES A STORM

There are times when everything seems to be moving along exactly as we expected. Then, without warning, something happens that changes everything. A telephone call, a diagnosis, the sudden loss of someone, a marriage that begins to unravel, or a child who has wandered away from the Lord. Suddenly, the circumstances we believed we could manage are completely beyond our control. We find ourselves facing a storm and we must decided if we can trust the Lord when everything around us seems to be falling apart.

I have discovered over the years, in ministry and in life, that it’s one thing to talk about faith when the waters are calm, and it’s entirely different to exercise that faith when the storm begins to rage. There comes a moment when the Bible is no longer theological statements but it must become the very foundation we must stand upon. Sometimes, the Lord allows circumstances into our lives that test our confidence in Him and expose how much confidence we put in our own ability to control the world around us.

Throughout our study, Luke has been revealing the identity and authority of Jesus. We have seen His authority over sickness and disease. Now Luke brings us to the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus will demonstrate that His authority extends beyond the human body and the spiritual realm to the very forces of creation itself.

The disciples are about to discover that the One who has called them to follow Him, is the eternal Son of God, who has entered His own creation with absolute authority over the natural world.

I. THE COMMAND TO CROSS — OBEDIENCE DOES NOT GUARANTEE CALM WATERS

Luke 8:22 ESV

22 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,

At first glance, there does not appear to be anything particularly remarkable about this statement. Jesus has been ministering throughout the region of Galilee, teaching the crowds, healing the sick, and revealing the truths of the kingdom of God. Now He decides to cross the lake. The disciples follow His instructions, board the boat, and begin the journey. Don’t miss the point that the disciples were in that boat because Jesus told them to get into it.

There is a misconception that walking in obedience with God should result in a life of comfort. If we are faithful enough, pray enough, give enough, and follow the Lord closely enough, then God will protect us from difficulties. But if suffering comes it must be because we stepped outside the will of God.

The disciples were exactly where Jesus had told them to be, doing exactly what Jesus had instructed them to do, and yet they were about to encounter a storm that threatened their very lives. Sometimes the Lord leads us into situations where their own strength will prove insufficient so that they might come to a deeper understanding of His power, His faithfulness, and His character.

Consider the children of Israel after their deliverance from Egypt. In Exodus 14, God led them toward the Red Sea, where they suddenly found themselves trapped between the waters before them and the Egyptian army approaching from behind. From a human perspective, their situation appeared hopeless. Moses declared in Exodus 14:13, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today.”

Consider also the life of Joseph. God had given Joseph dreams concerning His future purposes, yet the path toward their fulfillment led through betrayal by his own brothers, slavery in Egypt, false accusations, and years of imprisonment. If Joseph had evaluated God’s faithfulness solely by the circumstances of his life, he might have concluded that the Lord had abandoned him. But when the full purposes of God were finally revealed, Joseph could say to his brothers in Genesis 50:20, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”

The apostle Paul was unquestionably called by God to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, yet his obedience brought him into circumstances of extraordinary suffering. 2 Corinthians 11:25-29

2 Corinthians 11:25–29 ESV

25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

Sometimes the storm comes precisely while we are walking in obedience to Him.

In John 16:33, Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” The promise was that the One we follow has already overcome the world. And that brings us to the next important detail in Luke’s account.

II. THE STORM THAT EXPOSED THEIR LIMITATIONS

Luke 8:23 ESV

23 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.

Several important details in this verse help us understand the circumstances confronting the disciples. First, Luke tells us that Jesus fell asleep as they sailed. Jesus had been ministering among the crowds, teaching, healing, and responding to the needs of the people. His earthly ministry involved genuine physical exertion, and in His humanity He experienced the same physical limitations that you and I face.

Now consider the storm itself. The Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake, approximately thirteen miles long and eight miles wide, situated hundreds of feet below sea level and surrounded by hills and elevated terrain. Because of its geography, strong winds can descend rapidly through the surrounding valleys and produce sudden, violent storms. The Greek term Luke uses describes a powerful windstorm, and the boat was filling with water. T

We should remember that several of these disciples were experienced fishermen. Peter, Andrew, James, and John had spent their lives working on the Sea of Galilee. They understood the lake. They knew how to handle a boat. There are circumstances in life where human experience, preparation, and ability simply cannot provide the answers we need. There are moments when the storm is greater than our capacity to manage it. Our lives are fragile, and the storms of this fallen world have a way of reminding us of that reality.

But there is something else in this verse that I find particularly striking. While the disciples were struggling against the storm, Jesus was asleep. The circumstances that had completely overwhelmed the disciples had not taken Jesus by surprise.

There are times when the Lord seems silent in the midst of our suffering. We pray, and the circumstances do not immediately change. We cry out for deliverance, and the burden remains. We ask the Lord to intervene, and from our limited perspective it appears that nothing is happening. And if we are not careful, we begin to interpret God’s silence as indifference.

Psalm 46:1–3 ESV

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

Isaiah 55:8–9 ESV

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

III. THE DESPERATE CRY AND THE SOVEREIGN RESPONSE

Luke 8:24 ESV

24 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.

The disciples had reached the point where they believed their lives were coming to an end. They had exhausted their own resources, and now they turned to Jesus with the cry, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Matthew’s account records their appeal as “Save us, Lord; we are perishing” (Matthew 8:25), while Mark preserves the additional question, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38).

We believe that God created the heavens and the earth, that He raised Jesus from the dead, and that nothing is impossible for Him. But when our prayers seem unanswered we can begin to question His concern for us. Lord, do You see what is happening?

Notice how Jesus responds. Luke tells us that He awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Mark 4:39 records His command: “Peace! Be still!” And then Mark tells us that “the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

The forces of nature that had overwhelmed experienced fishermen were immediately brought into submission by the word of Jesus Christ and the disciples were confronted with a demonstration of authority unlike anything they had ever witnessed.

There is a beautiful theological connection here to the opening chapter of Genesis. In Genesis 1, God creates by the power of His word. He speaks, and light appears. He speaks, and the waters are gathered together. He speaks, and the dry land emerges. The entire created order responds to the command of its Creator.

There are moments when our hearts are so burdened that we do not know what to say. There are times when grief is so deep that words seem inadequate. There are circumstances in which our prayers amount to little more than, Lord, help me. And yet, Scripture reminds us that the effectiveness of prayer does not rest upon the eloquence of our words.

Hebrews 4:16 ESV

16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

And that brings us to the question Jesus asked His disciples after the storm had become calm.

IV. THE QUESTION THAT EXPOSED THEIR FAITH

Luke 8:25 ESV

25 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?”

After Jesus rebuked the wind and the raging waves, Luke tells us that the storm ceased and there was a calm. Then Jesus turned to His disciples and asked a question that must have penetrated their hearts: “Where is your faith?”

Remember where we are in Luke’s Gospel. These disciples had already witnessed extraordinary demonstrations of the authority of Jesus. These men had witnessed the authority of Jesus over disease, demons, and death, and yet, when the storm began to rage around their little boat, they responded as though the circumstances were greater than the Christ who was with them. Their problem was not that they had insufficient evidence of His power. Their problem was that they had not yet learned to apply what they knew about Jesus to the circumstances they were facing.

There is a tremendous difference between knowing what the Bible says about God and actually trusting God when our circumstances seem to contradict what we know.

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

The strength of our faith is not the intensity of our believing, but in the One in whom we believe. Jesus did not say, “Where is your courage?” He said, “Where is your faith?”

Perhaps this morning you are facing a storm that has exposed weaknesses in your own faith. The answer is not to hide our struggles behind religion but to bring them honestly before the Lord and ask Him to deepen your confidence in Him.

V. WHO THEN IS THIS?

Luke 8:25 ESV

25 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?”

I want you to pay particular attention to the progression of their response. Before Jesus calmed the storm, the disciples were terrified of the wind and the waves. But after Jesus spoke and the storm ceased, they were confronted with something even more fearful than the storm itself. They were beginning to grasp the extraordinary identity of the One who was in their boat.

They were no longer simply afraid of drowning. They were overwhelmed by the realization that they were in the presence of God manifested in the flesh, the eternal Son through whom all things were created and by whom all things are sustained.

Consider Psalm 107:23–30

Psalm 107:23–30 ESV

23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; 24 they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep. 25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. 26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; 27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end. 28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.

Does that sound familiar? This is why the question of the disciples is so important. “Who then is this?” The One who rebuked the waves was the One who had established the boundaries of the seas.

Colossians 1:16–17 ESV

16 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. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

The Christian faith rests upon the finished work of the eternal Son of God, who entered human history, lived a sinless life, died as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, and rose victoriously from the grave. The One who commanded the sea is the same One who willingly went to the cross to redeem us from sin and death. And the One who rose from the dead is the same One who now sits at the right hand of the Father, awaiting the appointed time when He will return in power and glory.

When we understand who Jesus truly is, it changes the way we understand everything else. The storms of life do not suddenly become pleasant. The difficulties do not necessarily disappear. The grief does not instantly evaporate. But we begin to recognize that none of these circumstances exist outside the sovereign knowledge and authority of our Savior and that is where genuine peace begins to take root in the heart of the believer.

Peace is not rooted in the absence of suffering. It is rooted in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Security was not found in the condition of the disciples’ boat, their experience as fishermen, or the predictability of the weather. Their security was found in the One who was with them. Sometimes the Lord calms the storm around us, and sometimes He sustains us while the storm continues.

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

FROM THE STORM TO THE CROSS

The storm on the lake threatened the physical lives of the disciples, but there is a far greater danger confronting every human being born into this fallen world. Scripture tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and apart from the saving grace of Jesus Christ, humanity stands condemned before a holy and righteous God. The greatest problem confronting mankind is not political instability, economic uncertainty, disease, warfare, or even physical death. The greatest problem is our sin and the eternal separation from God that awaits those who die without Christ.

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

The storms of this life are temporary, but our beyond this life is eternity. Who is in the boat with you for that? . The had entered the boat knowing Jesus as their Teacher and Master, but they emerged from that experience with a deeper understanding of His divine authority. Perhaps that is exactly what the Lord is doing today. Perhaps the circumstances you are facing have stripped away the illusion that you are in control or perhaps the Lord is allowing you to come to the end of your own strength so that you might learn to depend more completely upon His. Perhaps he is calling you to make him the Lord of your eternity. Will you do so today?