Jesus Calmed Two Storms
TRANSLATION
(23) And when he got into a boat, his disciples followed him. (24) And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea so that the boat was swamped by the waves. But he remained asleep. (25) And they came to him and woke him saying, “Save us, Lord, lest we die!” (26) And he said to them, “Why are you so afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. (27) And the men marveled saying, “What kind of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey him?”
(28) And when he came to the other side to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him coming out of the tombs, so threatening that no one could pass. (29) And behold, they cried out saying, “What have we to do with you, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (30) Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. (31) And the demons begged him saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into that herd of pigs.” (32) And he said to them, “Go.” And they came out and entered the pigs. And behold, the entire herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters. (33) And the herdsmen that fed them fled and went into the city and told everything, particularly what had happened to those who were demon-possessed. (34) And behold, everyone in the city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
OBSERVATIONS
Two seemingly unrelated miracles in this segment demonstrated Jesus’ divine power. In the first he calmed a storm on the sea of Galilee. In the second he delivered two demon-possessed men from their oppression. In the first paragraph, repetitions included “boat” (vss. 23 & 24), “sea” (three times in vss. 24, 26, & 27) and “winds” (vss. 26 & 27). Note the contrast of “a great storm” (vs. 24) with “a great calm” (vs. 26).
In the second paragraph, “demon-possessed” is found twice (vss. 28 & 33) as well as “demons” (vs. 31), “herd” and “pigs” (each found three times in vss. 30, 31, & 32), and “begged” (vss. 31 & 34). Upon closer examination, we find that in each miracle Jesus calmed a storm, the first in nature and the second in the hearts of the two demoniacs. We may never know why the evil spirits begged to be released into a herd of pigs nor can we fully grasp why the Gadarenes would, to their own detriment, beg Jesus to leave their region after such a demonstration of divine power apart from their fear of greater economic loss.
OUTLINE
I. Jesus demonstrated his power over nature by calming a storm on the Sea of Galilee. (23-27)
II. Jesus demonstrated his power over the supernatural world by healing two demoniacs. (28-34)
IDEA STATEMENT
By calming two powerful storms, one in the natural world and the other supernatural, Jesus displayed his divine authority over all creation.
APPLICATION
Had we been present with the disciples to witness the two demonstrations of Christ’s power described in this segment, we would have felt the same kind of fearful awe they experienced. For these professional fishermen, trying to stay afloat in a storm that was almost swamping their boat was bad enough, but watching Jesus calm the waves with a single command must have unnerved them even more. Almost before they had landed their boat, they were once again confronted by danger, this time in the form of two demoniacs who refused to let them pass. Again it was Jesus who calmly dealt with the supernatural opposition that confronted them.
Matthew recorded the question that was in all the disciples’ thoughts as they reached the shore: “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey him?” Within a short time they were likewise asking, “What kind of man is this that even the world of demons submits to his authority?” There was only one answer to both questions. The one whom they were following was more than just a man. His was the kind of authority that marked someone divine. Later the church would formulate the doctrine of the “hypostatic union,” that is, Jesus was actually both God and man, having two natures, divine and human, eternally fused into one unique person. The disciples at this point were incapable of grasping such a concept. However, they knew that, with their own eyes, they had witnessed something the world had never before experienced.