ON THE VANGUARD

UNDERWATER TEMPEST
“Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.”
Matthew 8:24

Have you ever had one of those moments when it feels like the ground that was once so solid falls out from beneath you? You know, those times when you thought you were walking secure and stable only to find that you stepped on a weak spot and the ground gave way. The sudden shift from solid to flimsy can catch us off guard and throw us into a panic mode. I have been there a few more times than I care to admit. There were times in life when I felt the storm coming, like when my marriage was failing, but then there were other moments when I had no idea, like when I lost my job in 2000. Living in Tennessee now days as opposed to California where I was born and raised, I look at it as a comparison between tornados and earthquakes. In Tennessee we are warned when a tornado is coming, but in California there is no warning for an earthquake.
But a quake is exactly what the disciples faced out on the lake one night. In Matthew 8:23-27 we read of a time when Jesus and His disciples were in the boat. With no warning whatsoever, a storm came up on the lake. The waves from this storm were so great that they washed over the sides and onto the boat. But notice where Jesus was during the storm and the splashing of waves…sleeping. The disciples woke Him and knowing His power, asked Him to save them. Jesus got up, disappointed at His disciples’ lack of faith, but then rebuked the waves and the storm was done. This passage ends stating that the disciples were so awestruck that they questioned just who Jesus really was.
I want to point out something in this passage, though, that I think we can truly gain from. In my opinion we know this story from the aspect of Jesus rebuking the wind and waves and the storm being done. However, let us take a look at the word ‘storm’ here. In most places in the Bible the word storm means some type of weather or storm cell that came on them and created rain, winds, hail, what have you. But in this passage only, when referring to the wind and waves Jesus rebuked, it had nothing to do with the weather above. It was the movement of things below that caused this storm. The Greek word in this passage only is SEISMOS, meaning a shaking such as an earthquake. Because the Sea of Galilee is fed partly by underground springs, at any point the springs can give way and cause a shaking underground. This release can produce an unexpected tempest below the water which plays out on the water as strong waves that can swallow up a boat, just as the disciples were facing in Matthew 8:24.
So how does this relate to us? I ask again, have you ever had one of those moments when it feels like the ground that was once so solid falls out from beneath you? In other words, have storms come upon you without warning? We have all had those moments I’m sure, but the thing we need to remember is that Jesus is with us. When the waves came up and rattled the boat the disciples began to panic. “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” We cry out also in these moments, Lord, save us! He has all authority and power in His hands, and has given it to us to use in His name. We are not to be those of little faith but rather those who are empowered by Him. In His name, in Jesus’ name, we too can speak to the wind and waves and command their peace. He is the Lord over the storms we see coming and the Lord over the underwater tempests. What kind of man is this that even the wind and the waves are stilled in His name?