There Was a Great Calm

Day 11: Matthew 8:18-34

“And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?’ Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” - Matthew 8:26 ESV

After a long day of ministering to crowds of those who needed healing and authoritative teaching, Jesus was seemingly exhausted. Even though Jesus was God, he also had a body like ours that required sleep. This, though, seems to be the only reference to our Savior catching some shut-eye.

The storm that arose on the water was troubling to the disciples. It was probably the "swamping" of the boat by the waves that did the trick. They cried out, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!"

"We can imagine Jesus lingering in the midst of this violent scene, holding the disciples’ eyes for a moment to let his rebuke settle in, and then getting up from where he had been sleeping to calm the sea." - Weber, S. K. (2000). Matthew (Vol. 1, p. 120)

Their fear was apparently something that they could have done something about, and its remedy was their faith (trust) in Jesus.

The phrase "of little faith" is one word in Greek: oligopistos. It is used five times in the New Testament, and always by Jesus speaking to his disciples.

We would do well to pray something like this today: "Father, grow my faith. In your great power, eradicate fear from my life as my trust in You increases. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen."