22  Calm in the Storm  (Luke 8:22–25)

Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. 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. They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” 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?” (8:22–25)

God has a plan to redeem both His people and His planet. That plan began to unfold immediately after the fall, when God promised that a redeemer would come who would destroy Satan (Gen. 3:15; cf. 1 John 3:8).That redeemer, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, came to offer Himself as a sacrifice and “save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). He will come again in glory and majesty to destroy the wicked (Rev. 19:11–16) and rule the earth (Rev. 11:15; 20:4, 6). He will restore peace, justice, truth, righteousness, and joy to the renewed planet.

Obviously, to reverse the curse on both fallen mankind and the earth will require immense, incomprehensible, inconceivable power. In the kingdom Satan and his demon hosts will be bound (Rev. 20:1–3) and the saints will reign with Christ (vv 4–6; Dan. 7:18, 27; 1 Cor. 6:2). Sin will be instantaneously punished (Ps. 2:9; Isa. 11:3–4), and peace (Isa. 2:4; 9:6–7; Mic.4:3), joy (Isa. 12:3–4), and the knowledge of God (Isa. 11:9) will dominate the earth. Health and healing will replace disease and death (Isa. 29:18; 33:24; 35:5–6).

Even nature will change. Natural enemies will live together in peace; “the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them…. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den” (Isa. 11:6, 8). Carnivorous animals will eat straw like oxen (Isa. 11:7). Crops will flourish (Isa. 30:23–25; Joel 2:21–27), even in what is now barren desert (Isa. 35:1–2; 35:6–7). In short, paradise lost will become paradise regained.

The power required to redeem lost sinners and restore the cursed earth is beyond human ability or comprehension; it belongs only to God. In Psalm 62:11 David said, “Power belongs to God.” Job expressed that same truth poetically when he exclaimed, “The thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26:14 NKJV; cf. 36:22). Psalm 79:11 and Nahum 1:3 speak of the greatness of God’s power, while Psalms 29:1–10 and 68:32–35 describe it. So clear is the evidence of God’s power that it leaves unrepentant sinners without excuse for their rejection of Him (Rom. 1:20). God’s power is revealed in His sovereign rule over all things (Ps. 66:7), raising Christ (2 Cor. 13:4) and believers (1 Cor. 6:14) from the dead, saving lost sinners (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18), rescuing the righteous (Neh. 1:10; Ps. 106:8), and destroying the wicked (Rom. 9:22).

Creation itself reveals God’s mighty power (Jer. 10:12). The earth is twenty-five thousand miles in circumference, eight thousand miles in diameter and weighs approximately six sextillion tons. It spins on its axis at about one thousand miles per hour, and travels in its approximately one hundred fifty million-mile orbit around the sun at about one thousand miles a minute. The sun itself makes a vast orbit around the center of the Milky Way galaxy

At the other end of the size spectrum, a teaspoon full of water contains trillions of atoms, while the material in an atom accounts for only about one trillionth of its volume. If the empty space were to be squeezed out of a human body, it would be reduced in size to a tiny fraction of a cubic inch. From the vastness of space to the infinitesimally small realm of the atom, God upholds all things by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3).

In his inspired record of the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, Luke makes His identity unmistakably clear. He is the Messiah, God the Son, the second person of the Trinity incarnate. His genealogy reveals that Jesus was a descendant of David, and thus Israel’s rightful king (3:23–38). He had a unique virgin birth (1:26–35; 2:1–7; cf. Isa. 7:14). At His baptism the Father affirmed that Jesus was His beloved Son (3:21–22).The account of His temptation revealed His absolute authority over Satan (4:1–13), and He also exercised that same authority over the demons (4:33–35, 41). Jesus also demonstrated power over disease (4:40; 5:15, 17; 6:17–19; 7:1–10) and death (7:11–15). His supernatural power over disease, death, Satan, demons, and the forces of nature shows that He alone has the power to reverse the curse and usher in the kingdom. That power awed and terrified those who witnessed it in action, as they realized that they were sinners in the presence of Holy God (5:8; 8:25, 37, 47, 56).

The Lord Jesus Christ had displayed His power over the natural realm in an earlier incident recorded by Luke (5:4–9). In this far more dramatic demonstration of that power, Jesus calmed a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee. The story may be divided into three parts: the calm before the storm, the calm during the storm, and the calm after the storm. The epilogue, relating the disciples’ terror at the display of divine power they had witnessed, might be titled the storm after the calm.

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; (8:22–23a)

Luke’s note that the event he was about to relate took place on one of those days indicates that his chronology is purposely vague and indefinite. As noted in the previous chapter of this volume, he was not following a strict time sequence in this section of his gospel, but was arranging his material thematically Mark’s account reveals that this incident took place on the evening of the same day that Jesus taught several parables, including that of the soils (Mark 4:35). Most likely after eating a meal in nearby Capernaum (cf. Matt. 8:5), Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, probably a fishing vessel owned by Peter, Andrew, James, or John. (Although they had already become full-time followers of Jesus [Luke 5:11], they apparently still had their boats [cf. John 21:3]). Mark’s account records that there were other small boats accompanying the one the Lord was in (Mark 4:36).

Seeking to escape the ever-present crowds for a time of rest, Jesus said to the disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” Leaving the vicinity of Capernaum on the northwest tip of the Sea of Galilee, they headed for the region known as Gerasa, on the eastern shore. There Jesus had a divine appointment with a demon-possessed maniac, whom He would heal (8:26–39).

Known today as Yam Kinneret and variously called in Scripture the Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1), the Sea of Chinnereth (Num. 34:11; Josh. 13:27) or Chinneroth (Josh. 12:3), and the Sea of Tiberias (John 6:1; 21:1), the Sea of Galilee is a large (approximately thirteen miles wide by seven miles long) freshwater lake that is the most significant geographical feature of Galilee. The Jordan River, which arises from several sources near Mt. Hermon and flows into the lake from the north, is its main source of water. At about 680 feet below sea level, the Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake on the planet. The Jordan exits the southern end of the lake, and flows south into the Dead Sea, which is 1, 300 feet below sea level.

The lake is about thirty miles east of the Mediterranean Sea, situated in a bowl-shaped section of the Jordan Valley, which is part of the Great Rift Valley running from Syria in the north to Mozambique on the African continent in the south. The lake is surrounded by steep hills on all sides, which are a major factor in the development of the sudden, violent, sometimes life-threatening storms that the lake is known for. Cooler air from the higher elevations flows down the slopes and collides with the warmer air nearer the lake’s surface. In addition, as the air flows through the ravines and canyons it is compressed, and its speed intensifies. Most powerful of all are the winds that flow from the eastern desert down off the large plateau region above the lake known as the Golan Heights. In 1992 the winds from one such storm generated waves ten feet high that crashed into the city of Tiberias on the western shore, inflicting considerable damage.

After dark (cf. Matt. 8:16) Jesus and the disciples launched out onto the lake. As they were sailing along Jesus, exhausted from a long day of crowds and preaching, fell asleep. Mark adds the detail that the Lord was asleep in the stern of the boat, His head pillowed on a cushion (Mark 4:38). Along with being fully God, Jesus was fully human, therefore subject to hunger (Matt. 4:2; 21:18), thirst (John 4:7; 19:28), and fatigue (cf. John 4:6). This incident is the only place in Scripture that pictures Jesus sleeping. He was calmly, peacefully resting, despite knowing that the storm was coming. Trusting in His Father’s plan, He was secure in the knowledge of His sovereign power and ability to calm the wind and waves.

It should be noted that the reference to the Lord’s disciples encompasses more than merely the twelve apostles. Mathētēs (disciple)refers to a learner, student, or follower, someone who attached himself to a teacher. It is used of people who had some interest in Jesus, but does not necessarily indicate a high level of commitment to Him. In fact, at this point some of the Lord’s disciples were not saved; John 6:66 notes that “many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.” When a would-be disciple said to Him, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home” (Luke 9:61) Jesus replied, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (v. 62). Along with a man who professed willingness to follow Jesus wherever He went (v. 57) and one who when challenged to follow the Lord chose instead to wait for his inheritance (v. 59), this man chose earthly things over a full, saving commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The people illustrated by the rocky and thorny soils in the parable of the soils were also professed disciples of Christ who received His word, yet were never truly redeemed (see the exposition of 8:4–15 in chapter 20 of this volume). Genuine disciples will manifest not only repentance, confession, and obedience, but also perseverance. Jesus was about to put on a display of His divine power designed to move those who witnessed it to genuine faith in Him. (For a further discussion of the meaning of the term “disciple” see chapter 21 of my book The Gospel According to Jesus [revised and expanded edition; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994].)

THE CALM DURING THE STORM

and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” (8:23b-24a)

All of a sudden the lake’s tranquility was shattered as a fierce gale of wind descended on it. Lailaps (fierce gale) describes a powerful storm, potentially one with hurricane force winds. Katabainō (descended) is the root of the meteorological term “katabatic,” which refers to winds created by air flowing downhill. The term accurately describes the storm-producing winds that plunge down the surrounding heights to strike the low-lying Sea of Galilee, as noted above. Mark added the adjective megas (“great”) to the noun lailaps (Mark 4:37 ESV), while Matthew described the storm as literally “a great shaking [seismos, from which the English word “seismology” derives] on thesea” (Matt. 8:24).

Clearly, this was no ordinary storm, but one so severe as to be life threatening. The massive waves churned up by the powerful winds werebreaking over the boat (Mark 4:37) and covering it (Matt. 8:24). As a result, the boat was filling up with water (Mark 4:37) to the point that it began to be swamped, putting the disciples in grave danger. Despite the raging storm, with its howling winds and towering waves, Jesus was still peacefully sleeping the rest of complete exhaustion and confident sovereignty in the stern (Matt. 8:24; Mark 4:38). While chaos and pandemonium raged all about Him, He remained untroubled in the storm, calmly asleep.

The disciples, on the other hand, were panic stricken. Since many of them were fishermen, used to the lake and its treacherous weather, they understood how strong a storm their boats could endure and knew that their survival was threatened by this one. Desperate and terrified, fearing for their lives, they came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Matthew’s account says they called Jesus “Lord” (Matt. 8:25), while Mark notes that they addressed Him as “Teacher” (Mark 4:38). Far from being contradictory, as some skeptics imagine, the gospel writers’ accounts accurately reflect the chaos and confusion that reigned on that stormy night. This was no orderly, organized delegation calmly presenting their petition to Jesus, but rather a panicked mob facing imminent death. Thus, some cried out, “Lord,” some “Teacher,” and others Master. The disciples had witnessed the Lord’s power over disease, demons, and death. Some of them had seen His power to control the fish in the Sea of Galilee (Luke 5:5–9). But could He control the enormous power of wind and water?

With no human solution available, they came to the One who had demonstrated divine power in the past. Perhaps some of the disciples remembered Psalm 65:5–7:

or Psalm 89:9:

Surely someone recalled Psalm 107:23–31:

In their time of desperate need, the disciples appealed to the One who alone could save them.

THE CALM AFTER THE STORM

And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” (8:24b-25a)

Awakened by the disciples’ desperate pleas, Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves. His exact words according to Mark 4:39 were “Hush, be still.” Instantly obeying the voice of the Creator, the wind and waves stopped, and it became calm. Skeptics, determined to deny the miraculous at all costs, have pointed out that storms on the Sea of Galilee often stop as rapidly as they start. But while the wind might have died down almost at once, it would have taken much longer for the waves to subside. When Jesus commanded the wind and waves to stop, both did so instantly, and it became absolutely calm (both Matthew and Mark use the adjective megas [“great”] to describe the glassy calm).

Having calmed the storm, Jesus used the incident to teach His shocked and astonished disciples the lesson He wanted them to learn. As they sat in their boats on the now perfectly still surface of the lake, He said to them, “Where is your faith?” (cf. 12:28; Matt. 6:30; 14:31; 16:8; 17:20). They had seen Him perform countless miracles, so their lack of faith on this occasion was distressing and inexcusable. On the otherhand, this was the first time that one of the Lord’s miracles had directly involved them, and beyond that reality their lives were at stake. That made it far more difficult for them to remain detached and objectively analyze the situation. Paul, in contrast, was able to remain calm throughout the two-week-long storm that ended in shipwreck (Acts 27:14–44). But he had already faced persecution and death many times before and been delivered by the Lord (cf.2 Cor. 11:22–33).

The lesson for the disciples was clear: they were to trust the Lord even in the most severe and threatening circumstances. They were, as Peter would later write, to cast all their anxiety on Him, knowing that He cared for them (1 Peter 5:7). Paul expressed his confident trust in the Lord’s care when he wrote triumphantly, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38–39). Summing up the lesson Jesus wants all believers to take from this incident, David Gooding writes,

Sometimes the Lord will bring a storm into believers’ lives for chastening; other times to increase their faith. Jonah ended up in a storm because of his disobedience, while in this incident the disciples’ obedience put them into the storm. In both cases God was there to deliver them.

EPILOGUE: THE STORM AFTER THE CALM

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?” (8:25b)

Having witnessed an astonishing, unparalleled display of supernatural divine power, the disciples understandably were fearful and amazed. The only thing they found more terrifying than the storm outside their boat was having the Creator and controller of the storm in it. The trauma of realizing that only God could do such a miracle caused them to say to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” (cf. 8:37, 47, 56). The obvious and only answer to that rhetorical question is the one they gave later after Jesus stilled another storm on the Sea of Galilee: “Those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘You are certainly God’s Son!’” (Matt. 14:33). By then they had a firm answer to their question here.

In response to Christ’s earlier miracle on the lake, Peter had exclaimed, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8)—a response that is typical of those who experience God’s presence. Abraham described himself as “dust and ashes”(Gen. 18:27); Job humbly said, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5–6); after encountering the preincarnate Christ in the person of the Angel of the Lord, Samson’s father “Manoah said to his wife, ‘We will surely die, for we have seen God’” (Judg. 13:22); exposed to God’s presence on Mt. Sinai, the Israelites “trembled and stood at a distance. Then they said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die’” (Ex.20:18–19); overwhelmed by avision of God in His heavenly temple, Isaiah cried, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isa. 6:5); Ezekiel fell on his face when he saw a vision of God (Ezek. 1:28); after seeing the glorified, exalted Christ, the apostle John “fell at His feet like a dead man” (Rev. 1:17).

This brief vignette of Christ’s life reveals Him in His divine glory as the One who controls all of the natural forces of the universe. But not only does it reveal His power, but also His compassionate care for those who are His. This storm, as do all of life’s storms for believers, served to increase the disciples’ faith in His willingness and ability to deliver them from any situation, no matter how hopeless it may seem. Having experienced God’s gracious care for him throughout his long and difficult ministry, the apostle Paul could say confidently as his life drew to a close, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Tim. 4:18).