Harmony of the Gospels
-AD 28-
Sea of Galilee
Title: Sea Made Calm
Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25
-Matthew-(Matt 8:23-27; KJV)
23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
His disciples prepared a ship according to His directions. And when He went aboard, they followed Him. He wanted to be alone with them, and so the crowd was dismissed, and the ship moved out on the sea.
“And, behold, there arose a great tempest”-The Sea was thrown into an awful turmoil by a great wind storm, and it shook the ship violently. The Sea of Galilee was responding to the hand of God; not to Satan or to chance. The storm had begun suddenly and without warning, and in a very unusual way it came down and lifted up the waves. The waves came over the sides of the ship and it began to sink. But Christ was sleeping soundly in the stern of the Ship. No doubt, He was exhausted from the day’s activities; but the storm had been brought by God for a purpose; to strengthen the faith of His disciples.
The disciples woke Jesus with their loud cries and repeated calls for help. They said to him, “Master, master! Save us, we perish!” They thought they were lost, because there was no foreseeable escape. So they appealed to Christ, believing that He was their only hope; for they had seen the miracles that He had performed earlier that day.
“And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?”-They had some faith, but not enough. He called it “little faith," small like a mustard seed. They had very little faith that He could help them, if He slept; but if they woke Him, they believed that He might help them. And so Christ rebukes them, mildly, for their lack of faith, because as Eternal God He was able to save them whether He was awake or asleep.
“Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”-Jesus got up from His resting place and with a majestic voice and in an authoritative manner He reprimanded the wind and the sea with these words, “peace, be still.” At His command the wind ceased and the sea became calm and the ship moved quietly on.
The disciples saw what happened, and they were amazed by it. The scene that they witnessed convinced them of his power and deity. They asked, “What manner of man is this.” He had to be more than a man; only God could order the forces of nature, and have them obey. He can be none other than the most high God.
-Mark- (Mark 4:35-41; KJV)
35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
Jesus was worn-out, because of the demanding work that involved the crowd that followed Him; for He tended to their needs and answered their requests. He needed to rest and to spend more time teaching His disciples, therefore He wanted to pass over to the thinly settled region on the east side of the Sea of Galilee.
He went aboard a ship and left the multitudes on the shore; but there were other ships there and they accompanied His ship when they launched out into sea. Therefore, there were a number of witnesses to the miracle when Jesus subdued the tempest.
Now a great storm came suddenly, and the waves beat the boat, and it began to fill with water.
The disciples were disturbed by their circumstances, so they woke Jesus and said to Him, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” He had been asleep, with His head resting on a rolled-up sheepskin.
When He awoke, He spoke to the wind and the sea, and they ceased and became calm. By speaking to them, He personified them to give emphasis to His authority over them. The immediate calm showed the perfection of the miracle, because the waves on this lake continue to roll long after the wind ceases.
Now He turns His attention to His disciples and says to them, “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” They must have had some faith or they wouldn’t have appealed to him.
They didn’t know what to make of Jesus, and they talked among themselves about what they had seen, and the question was asked, “What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” They had seen His complete lordship over the realm of nature, and now they were certain of His divinity.
-Luke- (Luke 8:22-25; KJV)
22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.
24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
This incident may be for the purpose of showing both the disciples and us today that sometimes it is necessary for us to come into extreme danger, so that we might have a test to show both His extreme power and our weakness.
Notice that Christ sends His disciples, but He goes with them. You can be sure that you are safe anywhere that Christ accompanies you. He said to His disciples, “Let us go over unto the other side of the lake.” He was going to meet a man there who was possessed by demons. There He would demonstrate once again His power over Satan.
Once at sea, they were hit by a violent storm, which tossed their ship so that it began to fill with water, and they were afraid that they might die. But Jesus was asleep and the storm did not wake Him. At times, we may encounter rough seas in our lives, and it may appear that Christ is asleep, because He may not immediately give us relief. He may try our faith and patience, and therefore deliverance will be even more welcome when it comes at last.
They cried, “Master, master. We perish.” The best way to silence our fears is to bring them to Christ, and lay them before Him. If He is your Lord, He will not let you perish. He rebuked the storm and the raging water and they ceased immediately.
When He calmed the storm, they were glad, and amazed. But Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith, and He asked them, “Where is your faith?”
Because they were afraid, they wondered about what they had witnessed. Now they feared the one who had stilled the storm. They said to one another, “What manner of man is this?” They might as well have said, “Who is a God like unto thee?” Only God could do what He did, and they believed in Him because of this miracle.
