Some of you may be living in a storm. You may be dealing with a health crisis, a season of grief, or a family emergency. If you are not in a crisis right now, enjoy the reprieve.
Jesus and his twelve disciples are traveling by boat on the Sea of Galilee when they are suddenly caught in a “furious storm” (Mt. 8.24). The Greek word Matthew uses to describe this storm, seimos, is where we derive our English word seismic. It’s a seismic, epic kind of storm. The Sea of Galilee is equivalent in size to Washington, DC. It’s sometimes called a lake by the gospel writers and is the lowest freshwater lake in the world, some seven hundred feet below sea level. It’s also susceptible to sudden storms as hot desert winds from the west coupled with moist air off the lake provoke sudden, violent storms. The gospel writers report Jesus is asleep in the stern during the storm surge. After a grueling day healing people and teaching swelling crowds, not even a violent storm can rouse Jesus from sleep. The disciples panic and awaken Jesus, “Lord, save us. We’re going to drown.” His response to his frightened disciples is vintage Jesus, “You of little faith, why are you afraid?” (Mt. 8.26). He then stands in the boat and rebukes the wind. Rebuke is a vigorous word. The only other place the word appears in Matthew’s gospel is when Jesus rebukes evil spirits. When the sea returns to complete calm, the disciples must have looked at each other with I-can’t-believe-what-just-happened expressions. “Who is this man? Even the wind and sea obey him” (Mt. 8.27).
Matthew tells us earlier in the same chapter that the disciples have just witnessed Jesus healing a man with leprosy, a servant with paralysis, and Peter’s mom with a high fever. If Jesus displays this much power over sickness, surely, he can be trusted in a storm. Given all the attention the disciples direct at the storm, they lose sight of who is in the boat with them. Don’t obsess over the storm. Focus on who is in the boat with us. Sometimes, Jesus calms the storm. Sometimes, he calms us in the storm.
Basil of Caesarea (330-378) led God’s people during a contentious era in church history marked by major Christological controversies and disputes with Roman emperors. His appeal that God would provide a haven for storm-tossed souls leads us to pray: