35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Question 1
Have you ever seen a big storm at sea?
Question 2
What do you think is being taught here about Jesus?
The sea is extremely dangerous and powerful. Even on a bright day at the beach, the strength of the waves can throw you around in a scary way. Imagine how it would feel to be in a small fishing boat in the middle of a storm? It was obviously a horrible experience because several of the disciples were fishermen, yet they were worried about their lives. The only person in the boat who felt no fear was Jesus – he could even sleep!
Seeing how shocked the disciples were, Jesus had compassion for them and did something no one expected. He begins to rebuke the wind and says “Quiet! Be still!” to the sea. And they obeyed immediately! The disciples couldn’t believe what they had seen. Though they had seen his authority over people, and unclean spirits and illnesses, this was something different again. They couldn’t understand how he had authority over nature, because they had yet to fully understand that Jesus was King over all things.
But what Jesus did shouldn’t really surprise us at all. This miracle confirmed what he was saying about himself – that he was the Son of God. If you read Psalm 107:28-29, you will see a description there of God doing exactly the same job of calming a storm and calming the waves. Of course it would be absolutely impossible for you and me to do what Jesus did. But he created the world in the first place, and therefore has authority over his creation.
Question 3
How does this story help us to believe in Jesus?
Question 4
Why do you think the disciples are so scared? What stopped them from seeing who Jesus was?
Pray
for faith to follow Jesus no matter what storms you face, knowing that He has complete control over everything.
