Delivered from Fear

June 13, 2021 Background Scripture: Matthew 8:23 – 27; Mark 4:35 – 41; Luke 8:22 – 25 Lesson Passage: Matthew 8:23 – 27 How do you respond to someone who talks to the natural elements as he would a person—and the elements respond to him? Or what do you think of a person who seems to be indifferent to being in an obvious situation where his life is in danger of perishing? I think we can agree that this would appear to be a very odd fellow. If not for the miraculous results, this person would likely be dismissed and labeled as insane. Yet, the observers of the events noted were amazed by the person and labeled by him as fearful and having little to no faith. That’s an interesting charge being that at least four of them made their living on that sea as fishermen. It has been noted that the geography of that region would cause violent storms to quickly appear on the Sea of Galilee. It is understandable that a tax collector might be frightened by the onset of the violent storm that was causing the boat to fill with water. However, this should not have been an abnormal situation for the four fishermen, unless the storm was an unusual one. Amid a storm that was causing the boat to fill with water, Jesus was at the rear of the boat sleeping on a pillow. I believe that the rocking of the boat on the turbulent waves would have been soothing if not for the screams and cries for help by the crew. And what about those other little boats that followed them according to Mark? It would be easy to assume that this was just an anomaly except for the fact that it was attested to by all three writers of the synoptic gospel accounts. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all believed that the gospel account could not be completely told without including this incident. What are some of the noteworthy things about this incident? First, it should be noted that there were many eyewitnesses to what happened. Since all truth should be established in the mouth of two or three witnesses, then it is safe to accept that this did indeed happen as it has been reported. Secondly, all three writers focused first on Jesus’ humanity. As a human, Jesus got tired and went to sleep. Obviously, he was not a light sleeper because the storm did not awaken him. The crew awoke Jesus with the announcement that the boat was in danger of sinking and they would all perish. Jesus commanded the wind to be still and the water to settle down. Everything became calm as nature obeyed the voice of its Creator. The fear of the crew quickly became awe at what they had all witnessed. Who can this be? Just when you think you know a person, then this happens! Then Jesus rebuked the crew for their little to no faith. We need to look a little closer at this. How is our faith shown? We show our faith by knowing what God has said about a situation, believing what God has said about the situation, and behaving in a manner that is consistent with what God has said. What was said? When Jesus got into the boat, he said to them “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” Once they were underway, Jesus went to sleep. If they believed what Jesus said, then they would have had the assurance that they were going to get to the other side of the lake. Once the storm arose, they would have known that it would not prevent them from getting to the other side of the lake. This experience prepared them for future experiences where their lives were endangered. They faced those future situations differently because one day Jesus had delivered them from fear. Robert C. Hudson May 22, 2021