The Keeper of the Waves
Matthew 8:23-27 "Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"
I have been thinking about these verses. Let's look at the facts. Jesus got into the boat. The disciples followed him. So far, so good. [It's always great when a disciple gets into the boat with his/her master. It shows faith. Or companionship. Or naivete. Or maybe it shows some of each of these. ]
The storm comes up. Not just a little rain shower, but a wind, rain, hail and thunder and lightning - kind of storm. There was no warning for the storm. I imagine if they'd tuned into the WEATHER channel and saw that there was a storm warning, they might have had a few words of advice for Jesus about the wisdom of heading out in a small(ish) boat against the kind of waves that lake had a reputation to make. I also think that probably wouldn't have made a difference to His decision to get into the boat and go across the lake.
So there they were in the middle (or too far from shore to row back) of the storm-ravaged lake . It looked like they were going to capsize and disappear into the depths. Their families might never know what happened to them. I imagine fear gripped their hearts in a way they'd never experienced before. Perhaps some of them thought "This is it. This is how I'm going to die." Maybe their stomachs churned, their panic took over in shortness of breath, and the tightness in the chest that comes with absolute terror.
They looked over at Jesus and to see what He's doing. There He is, curled up, sleeping.
What sort of thoughts went through their minds? Did they do a double take and wonder if he was already dead? After the way the waves had swept over them I imagine there wasn't an inch of dry boat anywhere. Maybe they looked again to see if their eyes were deceiving them. Nope, it was true, He was out like a light. Why in the world was He sleeping? How unbelievable was it that anyone could sleep when the boat was being inundated? Next, they went and woke him up. They probably said to themselves: "If we are all going to die, then at least we all should be awake to see it".
"Don't just lie there! DO SOMETHING!" was their cry. "We've tried everything we know to do. It's not working! The storm is going to sweep us away. DO SOMETHING!".
Did Jesus even take time to stretch? Or rub the sleep out of His eyes? Why didn't the storm turn His world upside down? I think it was because He knew the outcome. The control of the storm lay with Him. They wouldn't drown. The storm would cease. The waves would calm down. They would cross to the other side and live to see another day.
I have been thinking about these verses. Let's look at the facts. Jesus got into the boat. The disciples followed him. So far, so good. [It's always great when a disciple gets into the boat with his/her master. It shows faith. Or companionship. Or naivete. Or maybe it shows some of each of these. ]
The storm comes up. Not just a little rain shower, but a wind, rain, hail and thunder and lightning - kind of storm. There was no warning for the storm. I imagine if they'd tuned into the WEATHER channel and saw that there was a storm warning, they might have had a few words of advice for Jesus about the wisdom of heading out in a small(ish) boat against the kind of waves that lake had a reputation to make. I also think that probably wouldn't have made a difference to His decision to get into the boat and go across the lake.
So there they were in the middle (or too far from shore to row back) of the storm-ravaged lake . It looked like they were going to capsize and disappear into the depths. Their families might never know what happened to them. I imagine fear gripped their hearts in a way they'd never experienced before. Perhaps some of them thought "This is it. This is how I'm going to die." Maybe their stomachs churned, their panic took over in shortness of breath, and the tightness in the chest that comes with absolute terror.
They looked over at Jesus and to see what He's doing. There He is, curled up, sleeping.
What sort of thoughts went through their minds? Did they do a double take and wonder if he was already dead? After the way the waves had swept over them I imagine there wasn't an inch of dry boat anywhere. Maybe they looked again to see if their eyes were deceiving them. Nope, it was true, He was out like a light. Why in the world was He sleeping? How unbelievable was it that anyone could sleep when the boat was being inundated? Next, they went and woke him up. They probably said to themselves: "If we are all going to die, then at least we all should be awake to see it".
"Don't just lie there! DO SOMETHING!" was their cry. "We've tried everything we know to do. It's not working! The storm is going to sweep us away. DO SOMETHING!".
Did Jesus even take time to stretch? Or rub the sleep out of His eyes? Why didn't the storm turn His world upside down? I think it was because He knew the outcome. The control of the storm lay with Him. They wouldn't drown. The storm would cease. The waves would calm down. They would cross to the other side and live to see another day.
In thinking about this story, it occurred to me that the disciples might have liked to do a 're-write'. It certainly would be a lot shorter. In my imagination, it would go something like this:
Matthew 8:23-27 "Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.... Jesus was sleeping. So, the disciples went and curled up beside Jesus and went to sleep too. Later, he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men stretched and yawned and said to each other "I had the best sleep ever for I was beside the KEEPER Of The Waves".
Matthew 8:23-27 "Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.... Jesus was sleeping. So, the disciples went and curled up beside Jesus and went to sleep too. Later, he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men stretched and yawned and said to each other "I had the best sleep ever for I was beside the KEEPER Of The Waves".
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