And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
On a night crossing of the Sea of Galilee a sudden violent storm filled the boat with water and drove experienced fishermen toward destruction. Jesus was with them as their only hope, showing no alarm, and at His voice the wind and waves obeyed and became calm. When the danger was over He asked why they were so fearful and without faith, leaving them in hushed awe at His authority. Their fear revealed unbelief in forgetting He was with them and had commanded the crossing, so that they wearied themselves trying to save themselves by their own skill until they despaired instead of calling on Him at once. Faith in His presence and power replaces fear with peace and rest in every danger and trial, and He still hears the earnest cry for help and brings safely to land those who look to Him and do not depend on human strength.
Storm Setting and Rebuke
The question belongs to a sudden, violent night storm on the Sea of Galilee, when even experienced fishermen feared their boat was sinking. The boat became unmanageable and had to drive before the gale, the deck flooded and wave after wave beat in until it was full. The storm drove them toward destruction, and their skill failed until they despaired of saving themselves.
Jesus was in the boat with them as their only hope, showing no alarm but calm presence and power to quiet the sea. His voice stopped the storm and the elements obeyed, His voice calmed the raging sea and left the waves at rest with the danger over. He commanded the storm to cease and proved Himself master of wind and sea, rising as a commander equal with the Father and master of the situation. Angels guarded the small boat, and accompanying boats shared the crossing and were saved with them.
After rising in divine majesty to calm the angry sea, He turned to the disciples and asked why they were so fearful and without faith. The correction came after the deliverance was complete, after He had stilled the storm and left the waves at rest and all fear ended. Their fear revealed they had not yet learned to rely on Him, contrasting with His peaceful trust in God's love and care. His power over the tempest gave them reason to trust Him, and left them and those in the accompanying boats in hushed reverential awe at His authority over wind and sea.
The stilling happened on the night crossing before landing on the Gadarene shore, when the night on the water was over by the time they landed. It belongs to the night before He reached the Gadarenes and to the crossing toward Gergesa. The peril and the stilling of wind and sea were reported to the people of that coast by those who had crossed the lake with Him.
Faith Instead of Fear
Their fear in the storm showed unbelief and want of trust in Jesus, for they gave way to fear while He was with them and forgot both His presence and His command to cross to the other side. They had left God out of sight and fixed their minds on saving themselves, and only when they remembered Him did they see that their sole hope lay in His power. Their alarm stood in sharp contrast to His peaceful rest in the Father's love and care, a rest that faith shares even in the midst of danger.
Want of faith meant busy toil to save themselves by their own skill, strength, and effort until the boat was leaking and filling, they were wearied and worn, and at last they despaired of being saved. Instead of relying on themselves and forgetting He was in the boat, they should have trusted His presence and power and called upon Him as soon as danger appeared. Their delay left them struggling alone in self-confidence until hope was nearly gone, and they awoke Him at last with reproach rather than with timely trust in His word to go over.
Yet though He reproves unbelief, self-confidence, and slowness to seek Him, He still hears the earnest, humble cry for help and does not forsake those who trust Him. He accepts lowly petitions and gives the help that is needed in the way He knows to be best, even while correcting those who did not seek Him sooner. The call of faith always meets with a response, so that even the wearied self-helper who turns to Him at last is delivered.
Faith in Him takes the place of fear and brings peace and rest amid temptation, trial, and danger. Living faith in the Redeemer smooths the sea of life and delivers from danger, so there is no need for fear on land or on sea, sleeping or waking, if the Saviour is in the heart.
The same lesson belongs to all who meet the troubles of life and to times when the work of God seems to pitch and toss like a boat in the waves. Then faith is to be strengthened by remembering that Jesus is with His people, looking to Him, bringing Him every difficulty, and calling upon Him instead of depending on human strength. Those bound for heaven sail under the Saviour's command and may sail bravely with certain hope that He will bring them safely to land.
Christ's Power and Witness
The calming of the troubled sea displays command over the very elements by voice and by the lifting of a finger, with winds and waves obeying when spoken to. That mighty work over the sea was evidence of Messiahship. The one who so commands is the one to trust for help, while dependence on human strength leaves God out of sight. The same power appeared in walking upon the heaving sea and silencing its roaring by a word, in treading the foaming, white-capped billows of Galilee. That exercise of divine power fulfilled His mission as the Pattern Man just as truly as toiling as a carpenter while hiding His divine mission, raising the dead to life, and dying as man's sacrifice on the cross to lift the whole race to a new and perfect life.
The stilling of the tempest on the night crossing before landing on the Gadarene shore revealed authority over Satan, whom He had met before and conquered. That prior victory explains His calm stand when the demon-possessed men rushed toward Him while the disciples fled in terror. The peril and the stilling of wind and sea were reported to the people of that coast and to the people of Gergesa by those who had crossed the lake with Him. Yet even this display of power could not overcome hearts closed by prejudice and hatred. With eyes blinded by worldliness, the Gadarenes feared further loss of property after the destruction of their swine, refused to consider the advantage of having such a One among them, and sent Him away despite seeing evidence of His power and mercy, showing how fear for earthly interests keeps people from accepting Christ.
Remembering that He had calmed the wind and sea strengthened the disciples' confidence that He was the Son of God. Still, they feared and doubted during His trial. They expected Him to use His power to escape.
On a night crossing of the Sea of Galilee a sudden violent storm filled the boat with water and drove experienced fishermen toward destruction. Jesus was with them as their only hope, showing no alarm, and at His voice the wind and waves obeyed and became calm. When the danger was over He asked why they were so fearful and without faith, leaving them in hushed awe at His authority. Their fear revealed unbelief in forgetting He was with them and had commanded the crossing, so that they wearied themselves trying to save themselves by their own skill until they despaired instead of calling on Him at once. Faith in His presence and power replaces fear with peace and rest in every danger and trial, and He still hears the earnest cry for help and brings safely to land those who look to Him and do not depend on human strength.
Storm Setting and Rebuke
The question belongs to a sudden, violent night storm on the Sea of Galilee, when even experienced fishermen feared their boat was sinking. The boat became unmanageable and had to drive before the gale, the deck flooded and wave after wave beat in until it was full. The storm drove them toward destruction, and their skill failed until they despaired of saving themselves.
Jesus was in the boat with them as their only hope, showing no alarm but calm presence and power to quiet the sea. His voice stopped the storm and the elements obeyed, His voice calmed the raging sea and left the waves at rest with the danger over. He commanded the storm to cease and proved Himself master of wind and sea, rising as a commander equal with the Father and master of the situation. Angels guarded the small boat, and accompanying boats shared the crossing and were saved with them.
After rising in divine majesty to calm the angry sea, He turned to the disciples and asked why they were so fearful and without faith. The correction came after the deliverance was complete, after He had stilled the storm and left the waves at rest and all fear ended. Their fear revealed they had not yet learned to rely on Him, contrasting with His peaceful trust in God's love and care. His power over the tempest gave them reason to trust Him, and left them and those in the accompanying boats in hushed reverential awe at His authority over wind and sea.
The stilling happened on the night crossing before landing on the Gadarene shore, when the night on the water was over by the time they landed. It belongs to the night before He reached the Gadarenes and to the crossing toward Gergesa. The peril and the stilling of wind and sea were reported to the people of that coast by those who had crossed the lake with Him.
Faith Instead of Fear
Their fear in the storm showed unbelief and want of trust in Jesus, for they gave way to fear while He was with them and forgot both His presence and His command to cross to the other side. They had left God out of sight and fixed their minds on saving themselves, and only when they remembered Him did they see that their sole hope lay in His power. Their alarm stood in sharp contrast to His peaceful rest in the Father's love and care, a rest that faith shares even in the midst of danger.
Want of faith meant busy toil to save themselves by their own skill, strength, and effort until the boat was leaking and filling, they were wearied and worn, and at last they despaired of being saved. Instead of relying on themselves and forgetting He was in the boat, they should have trusted His presence and power and called upon Him as soon as danger appeared. Their delay left them struggling alone in self-confidence until hope was nearly gone, and they awoke Him at last with reproach rather than with timely trust in His word to go over.
Yet though He reproves unbelief, self-confidence, and slowness to seek Him, He still hears the earnest, humble cry for help and does not forsake those who trust Him. He accepts lowly petitions and gives the help that is needed in the way He knows to be best, even while correcting those who did not seek Him sooner. The call of faith always meets with a response, so that even the wearied self-helper who turns to Him at last is delivered.
Faith in Him takes the place of fear and brings peace and rest amid temptation, trial, and danger. Living faith in the Redeemer smooths the sea of life and delivers from danger, so there is no need for fear on land or on sea, sleeping or waking, if the Saviour is in the heart.
The same lesson belongs to all who meet the troubles of life and to times when the work of God seems to pitch and toss like a boat in the waves. Then faith is to be strengthened by remembering that Jesus is with His people, looking to Him, bringing Him every difficulty, and calling upon Him instead of depending on human strength. Those bound for heaven sail under the Saviour's command and may sail bravely with certain hope that He will bring them safely to land.
Christ's Power and Witness
The calming of the troubled sea displays command over the very elements by voice and by the lifting of a finger, with winds and waves obeying when spoken to. That mighty work over the sea was evidence of Messiahship. The one who so commands is the one to trust for help, while dependence on human strength leaves God out of sight. The same power appeared in walking upon the heaving sea and silencing its roaring by a word, in treading the foaming, white-capped billows of Galilee. That exercise of divine power fulfilled His mission as the Pattern Man just as truly as toiling as a carpenter while hiding His divine mission, raising the dead to life, and dying as man's sacrifice on the cross to lift the whole race to a new and perfect life.
The stilling of the tempest on the night crossing before landing on the Gadarene shore revealed authority over Satan, whom He had met before and conquered. That prior victory explains His calm stand when the demon-possessed men rushed toward Him while the disciples fled in terror. The peril and the stilling of wind and sea were reported to the people of that coast and to the people of Gergesa by those who had crossed the lake with Him. Yet even this display of power could not overcome hearts closed by prejudice and hatred. With eyes blinded by worldliness, the Gadarenes feared further loss of property after the destruction of their swine, refused to consider the advantage of having such a One among them, and sent Him away despite seeing evidence of His power and mercy, showing how fear for earthly interests keeps people from accepting Christ.
Remembering that He had calmed the wind and sea strengthened the disciples' confidence that He was the Son of God. Still, they feared and doubted during His trial. They expected Him to use His power to escape.