The One Who Rules the Waves (Matthew 8:23-27)

Here’s my message from this past Sunday. You can catch the audio here.

Today’s passage is one of the best known - and loved - in the Bible. And if you’ve spent much time in church at all, there’s a good chance you’ve heard this passage preached, and heard it preached in this way: Jesus is stronger than even your storms, and He’ll still those storms - if you just don’t fear, if you’ll just have faith.

But as author David Seccombe puts it, this “might… be a better way to destroy faith than create it.” You think? Because, what happens if our marriage doesn’t get fixed? Or if our cancer isn’t healed? Is the Lord not big enough? Or maybe good enough? Why can He calm her storms - and not mine? Keep His boat from sinking - and not mine? What’s wrong with my faith?

Now does this story here in Matthew give us hope during our struggles? Oh, yes. And we’ll get there soon. But there is a far greater point that our gospel writer is trying to make.

This book again presents Jesus as the long-awaited King, who is going about inaugurating His kingdom on earth. We’ve been asking God to help us see Him as our King, that we’d have our identity in Him. And that we’d increasingly find ourselves about His kingdom. That we’d see it as our purpose together.

Matthew has five alternating cycles of stories about Jesus and sermons from Him. We just completed the first cycle with the “Sermon on the Mount.” Now we’re in the second, which again begins with stories.

Here in chapters 8 and 9, we see Jesus showing the power of His kingdom. We see the great authority of this King. So far, we’ve seen Christ’s authority over disease. Next week, we’ll see His authority over demons. Today, we see His authority over nature. With just a word, Jesus commands the wind and the waves. The storms cease. And there’s instant peace. We’ll get to what that means soon enough, but first I want to walk through this passage from the viewpoint of the disciples.

The Disciples in the Boat - Then

Let’s start by seeing where the disciples find themselves. They’re in a boat, says verse 23. They followed Jesus there. Now this section picks back up from the passage we saw last week. A crowd is gathering. Jesus tells his disciples, “Let’s head over to the other side” - verse 18 tells us - but they get interrupted, talking to a couple of guys. And Jesus throws at them a couple of shocking replies.

We see them refocus here today, in verse 23. His disciples obey what He asks. And they get in what’s likely a fishing boat. That would hold a group of their size - and not many more. But where are we, you might ask? And heading to the other side of what? What body of water are we even talking about? They’re leaving a town called Capernaum, where Jesus has been healing, and they head out onto the Sea of Galilee. And that helps us understand what’s coming.

Let’s turn to look at what happens to them there. Now that sea’s surface was more than 600 feet below sea level. And it was surrounded by mountains that towered over that lake. And that’s really what it is. A really big, freshwater lake, about 13 miles long and 8 miles or so wide. The wind could really whip around, down in that valley, so the Sea of Galilee was known for some really big storms.

And here, a really massive storm blows in, and it about capsizes the boat. The waves are tall. They’re flooding the deck. Now, I don’t talk much about the Greek, but here, scholars have pointed out that the term, used here for storm, is actually the word seismos. Now does that sound familiar at all? Heard of a seismograph? What does it do? It measures earthquakes. You know, with the Richter scale.

So this is not the word normally used for storms. There’s something supernatural about this one. It’s truly of seismic proportions. Bobby’s going to take on the next passage, with Jesus taking on the demons. It’s possible we’re supposed to understand the same thing happening right here. Maybe this isn’t just seismic. Perhaps it’s satanic. With the devil and his forces trying to take out Jesus - before He can take His victory and accomplish our redemption.

But in the face of that, catch what Jesus is doing. He’s sleeping like a baby. Amy likes to tease me at times, for the days back when our babies were really still babies. She’d be up in the middle of the night, giving one of them a feeding, and that baby would be screaming, and I’d be laying right beside her, sleeping like a baby myself.

Who keeps on sleeping through screams like that? Who sleeps through a storm of that magnitude? Somebody, who’s really exhausted, first of all. And Jesus as a man, ministering like He does, is really, really tired. But second, somebody’s who’s got no worries. That’s one who can snore. And Jesus is good. He has no cares at all. But that doesn’t apply to the others in the boat.

Let’s see then now how those disciples respond. Listen to verse 25 again: “And they went and woke him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing.’” Back when Amy and I first got married, we were living in Indiana. I was going to seminary, just across the river in Louisville. She was working at a hospital over in Kentucky, as well. One day, I was at home, she was about to leave work, a big storm was coming in. I was watching it unfold on the news. A tornado warning. I couldn’t catch her in time, and she started driving home. She hit the bridge that crossed the Ohio River when the back end of her car started shifting to the side. And the whole vehicle, as she’s driving forward, starts going backward. She’d found herself in the tornado. I’m at home, praying and freaking out. She was in the middle of it, thinking it was the end.   

These disciples here are that afraid. Now this tells us again that this is no ordinary storm. These men Jesus has called - they’re experienced fishermen. Remember? They’ve been here before. And they’re freakin’ out. See them running over to Jesus, who’s catching some Zs, and they start shaking Him“Jesus, do something! We are going to DIE!” They’re filled with fear. But don’t be too hard on them yet. At least they know where to go. That Jesus can help.

Notice then what Jesus says - and what he then does. He starts out by doing some rebuking. Verse 26: “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” “Why are you guys freaking out?” “Why’s your faith so small?” They may be running over to Him. But they’re still not grasping who He is.

Back many years ago, when we met downtown in the Tiger, before that day’s Gathering started, this man came in and immediately started going off. The music was too loud. It would damage our ears. He was pointing and shouting at pretty much everyone. And I had to do something. So I walked over to him. I got right in his face. And I told him, respectfully but boldly - with everyone’s eyes fixed right on me - “You can’t come in here and do this. You must stop. Now. Do you hear me?” And I kept repeating those words, “Do you hear me?” until finally this smile started to form on his face. And no joke, he said something like, “I was just messing with you. I just care about you kids.” And then he stopped and joined us for worship. It was wild.

This is what Jesus does here. BUT WITH THE SEA. “He rose,” verse 26 says, and “rebuked the winds and the sea.” And there’s immediately a “great calm.” Water’s rushing over into the boat. There are likely waves 20 foot high or more. And then, instantly, at His word, it all stops. The gales obey. The waves bow. And there’s quiet. 

Now this may again hint that this is some supernatural kind of storm. He performs exorcisms, rebuking the demons. He can also tell Satan not to mess with His sea. But more than anything this draws attention to who He is.

Let’s see then how these men react. It’s fairly humorous right? They think they’re about to die. They’re really scared. And then Jesus makes it stop. And now they’re scared even more. Now there’s this deeper storm - that’s raging in their hearts. They marvel, verse 27 says. And they cry out, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey Him?”

As N.T. Wright puts it, “The sea has always been a symbol of wild untamable power.” This was really for most cultures. But the people of Israel especially didn’t care much for the water. As Wright says further, “The sea remained, in Jewish writing, a place and a power of darkness and evil, threatening and wild.” Now who could control the world’s waters? Certainly no man. Only the gods. Or in Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Remember back in the beginning, when God takes that chaos, those waters, and turns it into cosmos, to order, when He makes the heavens and the earth? Or think back to the Exodus, when the waters of the Red Sea stand before the people of God. God parts them, right? And the Israelites walk right on through.

The disciples here, see what takes place, and they cry out, “Who is this guy?” And the answer of course is, “He ain’t just a guy!” And that takes us here to this passage’s point. Here at the climax. To the answer to their question.

What does God - what does Matthew - want us to see? A couple of things, actually. Who Jesus is. And that’s the most important point, for sure. But also what it all means. How we should respond.

Who is Jesus? He’s a man, first of all. Here’s one way I annoy my wife. And I’ve done this even more since she’s been sick. I wake up in the night, and I worry how she is. And I touch her gently, to make sure she’s ok. And… sometimes she wakes up. If the disciples would have done this, they would have felt him breathing. He was - He is - flesh and blood. He got tired after serving the crowds all day. And He had to lay down on the deck and rest.

But He’s also God. That’s the main thing to see here. This past week, one of our Field Guide readings was in Psalm 107. And that Psalm contains some words that remind us of these here.

Psalms 107:23    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.

Now this Psalm praises God for His care through the years. And here, in the dangers of the high seas. But as commentator Derek Kidner explains, “The stilling of the lake-storm by our Lord as a sign for disciples ensures that we read this stanza as relevant to others besides Israelites and sailors.”

Yeah, it’s relevant to us, alright! We, too, need to see who Christ is. Who can stand up in a boat, look at the storm, and tell it to shut up? Who talks to the weather, like it’s a child, and expects it to immediately obey? Only one. The God of the Universe. Do we see that in Jesus - here and in our lives? He’s man, for sure, and there’s so much comfort in that. But there’s even more, as we realize that He’s God.

But there’s something else I want you to see. What have we been saying is Matthew’s big theme? Again, Jesus is saying God’s Kingdom has come. He’s saying He’s the long-awaited King. Now hold that thought, and let’s think back at the beginning. The Lord makes Adam and Eve. He puts them in the garden, like kings. Ruling over a Kingdom. Under God Himself.

And what does He tell them? Listen to verse 28 of Genesis chapter one. It reads, “And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” What else is Jesus doing, as He’s commanding these waves? Exercising dominion, as man was intended. Subduing the earth. Indeed, He is. He’s saying, to those who’ll see, “I’m a new, better Adam. I rule over the heavens and the earth. This is my Kingdom. I’m the King. I’m gonna make it all new. So listen to me.”

And that’s the second main point we need to see. The first is who Jesus is. He’s God. He’s the King. The second is how we respond. He wants us to see Him and believe. To listen. The disciples’ question urges us to see Him in His glory. Jesus’s question tells us to put our trust in Him.

He says, again in verse 26, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” “Guys, come on. You shouldn’t have worried. More than that, you needn’t have worried. I’m in the boat. Right here, right now. You could have been getting some rest like me. There’s no safer place you possibly could have been. I am power itself. And you guys are my friends. Why’s your faith so small, fellas?”

See, it’s not just a matter of who Jesus is. It’s also a matter of where Jesus is. And with that, I want to think about what this means for us today.

Our Ride in His Boat - Today

Now, I don’t think this is really an allegory. But it’s not too much of a stretch to see ourselves right in this story. Think about where we find ourselves today. If we call ourselves disciples, if we’re those who follow Him, in this wild, scary world, we’re in the boat with Him. Where is Jesus? He’s right next to us. He’s not just God. He’s God with us. Right? And shouldn’t that make a difference in our lives?

Ponder then what also happens to us here. We go through storms, right? God in His sovereignty lets Satan throw hell straight at us. All manner of sufferings and trials. From people. From nature. From the evil systems of this world. Infidelity and divorce. Ovarian cancer and cardiac arrest. Systemic racism. Wars and tornadoes. Joblessness and poverty. Fatal car accidents that steal away teens. Best friends that one day turn their backs - and never speak to you again. We walk through so many storms as we walk through this world.

And it’s so tempting, right, to wonder if He might be asleep? What else do people signal when they roll over and go to sleep? That they don’t care. We can so easily think that describes our Jesus. He doesn’t care. He’s not good. And He’s gonna let me suffer and die.

Turn with me then to how we so often respond. Sometimes we curl up in a ball, and go to sleep ourselves. And we feel even more alone. And with even less hope. But we often also cry out to God. And, like here, even lash out. “Where are you, Jesus? I’m going to die. Will you not help me, Lord?” And again, it’s good that we at least go to Him. As Matthew Henry once explained, Jesus doesn’t rebuke us for coming to Him in prayer. No, He rebukes us for not trusting Him as we do.

Let’s think then about how He responds to us. He asks us why we’re so  frightened, why our faith is still so small - if He is the God of the universe, the King of the world. Why are we running around in panic on the deck? Yes, here, as a man, Jesus is in a deep sleep. But certainly not as God! As Psalm 121:4 puts it, “Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

We could be resting, because He’s always at work. There can be a storm out there. But a calm in here. If we believe. Can you hear Him saying that to you, there in your trials? Can you squint to see, through the storm, beyond the clouds, some stars - shining, twinkling, proclaiming His love?

Now as I kicked things off, we can’t read this in this really poor way. Chant a prayer, and Jesus will fix your marriage now. Or conjure up enough faith, and the disability disappears. Yes, Jesus can heal. And we should surely go to Him and ask. We’ll see Him work wonders as we walk through this book. But those wonders Jesus does - they don’t happen all the time. They point ahead, though, until the day when He returns. And His Kingdom comes in full. And when, as Revelation 21:1 puts it, “the sea” will be “no more.”

I remember Amy hearing that for maybe the first time, and getting really upset. I mean, she loves the beach. Who doesn’t? And playing in the waves. But I think like so much in Revelation that this is symbolic. All the danger and chaos of this fallen creation. It’ll all go away. So think about it this way, babe. Maybe you’ll be able to wave your arms, and snap your fingers, and command the tide yourself. Or tell the dolphins to jump. And they’ll salute and soar. I think there’ll be oceans in the new heavens and the new earth. There’ll just will be no more drownings. And no more trials or burdens of any kind.

But you may ask, why do we have to have these trials at all? Why can’t God make them go away. I think God gives us some reasons - that they test and prove our faith - and grow and form us as His people. He’s at work in these storms. But we won’t know all the whys until we’re surfing with Jesus in that new world. But as Tim Keller has put it so well, if we have a God who’s big enough to get angry at, for not doing things as we’d like, He’s also probably big enough to have reasons we couldn’t understand.

Let’s turn now to how we can react to Christ’s words. Now I said earlier, we can be tempted to think that Jesus doesn’t care. That He’s sound asleep, while we’re drowning across the room. And He won’t use His power to help. But there’s also a tendency for us to believe the opposite - that He wants to use His power to hurt us. I recently read William Kent Krueger’s novel, This Tender Land. And in it, the main character, a young boy named Odie, loses a teacher of his, the only mother figure he has, in a tornado. And then he begins to read that experience back toward God. That’s who He is, he concludes. The tornado God.

Now Jesus is a God of great power. Who commands the winds and the waves. And that should incite in us fear. Apart from Christ, we’ll one day encounter His wrath. We will run into God - as a tornado. And it’ll be too late then to find some shelter. But again, if we’re in Christ, if we know Him, and He knows us, we’re in His boat. We’re like Noah in the Ark. We’re safe. And for that reason, in another sense, all our fear goes away. He doesn’t want to hurt, but to help. Alistair Begg puts it this way:

“The God who makes Himself known to us in such a way that we find ourselves on our faces before Him is the God who, in His mercy, says, ‘Get up, you don’t need to be afraid.” (Alistair Begg)   

Or think of Jonah. He’s running from God, and he’s on a boat. A storm comes up. The sailors freak out. And Jonah knows what has to happen. Throw me in the sea, he says. And God’s anger at me will be quenched. And they comply. And the sea gets calm. Jesus, though, perfectly does what His Father asks.

But on that cross, He still throws Himself in. In our place. And God’s wrath against us - as sinners before Him - is also appeased. And we can draw near to Him again. And find peace. But with that, we also can’t doubt that Jesus understands our pain. Because He suffered to fully take ours away.

Jesus wants us to see His power and marvel. But He also doesn’t want us to wait until the storm clouds have passed. He wants us to experience the peace of trust in Him, in the middle of that tornado, believing He’s got it all in control. In the words of C.S. Lewis, he’s not safe, but He’s good. Today. This was so hard for the disciples in that boat to get in their heads. But we’re on the other side of the cross. And we have His Spirit, if we believers.

Who is Jesus? He’s God in the flesh. Where is Jesus? He’s in the boat, here with us. And for that reason, we can rest in faith.   

Seeing and Believing Jesus Today

Now, as we wrap up, and to help us apply these verses, I want to lay out six questions for you to pray about this week.

First, how big is the Jesus you claim to worship? Is He small enough that you can manage? Or does He unsettle you? If He’s not big enough to command your obedience and respect, He’s also not big enough to offer any help.

Second, what storms do you need to entrust to Him? What are you going through right now? That threatens to pull you under? How can you see the glory of the King? And rest and relax in His care? He’s great. But He’s also good.

Third, how are you seeking to hear His voice? In the storm? Are you drawing near to Him, in your pain? So you can hear His words of peace? If we don’t read His word, and talk to Him in prayer, we won’t be marveling. And we won’t be resting. How are you struggling to see His glory?

Fourth, who’s with you - there in the boat? Here’s what should have happened. Peter should have said, to Andrew, James, and John, “Guys, He just healed that leper. And that paralyzed man. Why you freaking out?” Friends, we need community, to see Him and trust in Him. People to shake us. People to wake us. To remind us of truth.

Fifth, how could you consider leaving His side? There’s been a lot of talk about deconstruction over the last couple of years - of people who’ve looked at all the pain - and have given up their faith. But people have been doing that forever. And in not choosing Jesus, people are still making a choice. To throw themselves overboard. And there’s no safety there.

Sixth, who do you need to pull up on the deck? Who are those who’ve pulled away from the church, who you need to go and pull back toward safety? Who are those who’ve never known Jesus, and who need the peace that’s only found in Him? God calls us to bring them to our King.

The One Who Rules the Waves

Now most of you know, but my wife was diagnosed with cancer back in 2020. And let me say, get those scans ladies! Don’t put it off. But she went back in for them to draw some labs and to give her some meds this week. Everything looked good. But as Amy recounted what the oncologist had said, I felt a rush of fear.

That doctor - along with her surgeon - were really amazed at Amy’s response to the chemotherapy and to the radiation treatments. And that she was doing so well. And that cancer hadn’t returned. I felt myself beginning to freak out. In a way, I’d started to feel myself move on. But they won’t even call her in remission for a couple of more years. What if it did come back? How could I handle that? I started to spiral.

But words like these give me peace. No, they don’t promise me - or Amy - or any of us here, that cancer won’t happen, that it won’t come back. But what they do tell us is that if it does, Jesus will be near. Yes, one day, all the chaos will be gone. The sea will be no more. But for now, we’re not alone in the boat. We’re not on our own in the storm. Marvel at His power. Rest in His peace. Let’s keep our eyes on our Savior in the eye of the storm. He is the Son of God. And it’s not just that He has authority over nature. He has authority over disaster. Whether it’s a tornado or a tumor. The One who rules the waves is with us. Let’s help each other trust that. Let’s pray.