Saint Matthew’s emphasis on Jesus' wondrous deeds enables him to reveal Jesus’ true Messianic identity. In the Old Testament, Moses commanded the sea with his rod; Joshua with the Ark of the Covenant; Elisha with the prophet's mantle, but Jesus calms the Sea of Galilee with His Word.
The Sea of Galilee is a lake thirteen miles long from north to south and eight miles across from east to west at its
widest. It is notorious for its sudden storms. Although a storm can be amazingly glorious, magnificent, and magical, a violent storm is no fun - especially if you're in a little fishing boat on the sea!
Unable to control their fears, the disciples wake Jesus up, accusing Him of disregarding their safety. Jesus’ 'response is immediate.’ At once He rises, and rebukes the winds and the sea which instantly calm down. Only then does Jesus gently chide His terrified - and now astonished - disciples for the smallness of their faith.
Important Questions
A question lingers in my mind … how could Jesus sleep through all that turmoil?
The events in Matthew's Gospel can be compared to those in our daily lives. Let's ponder a few questions.
- What is the wind and sea in your life that you feel is about to take you under?
- Have you ever felt as though Jesus was asleep in your boat?
- Have you dared to wake Him?
- Has Jesus ever stood up in your life and created a great calm?
Yes, I have experienced a great calm in the midst of life's stormy weather. What often puzzles me is that I stewed in the turmoil for so long, trying the best I could, and sought help from other people too, before I could awaken Jesus. I turned to Jesus only as a last resort.
Each of us is making a journey across the sea of time, and it is natural that we will experience different types of storms occasionally: physical, emotional, and spiritual. We will face storms of sorrow, doubts, anxiety, worries, temptations, and passion. Only Jesus can give us real peace in these storms. Only He can console us in the storm of sorrow when we lose a dear one.
When the storms of doubt seek to uproot the very foundations of our faith, Jesus is there to still that storm, revealing to us His Divinity and the authority behind the words of Holy Scripture. He gives us peace in the storms of anxiety and worries about ourselves, about the unknown future, and about those we love.
The question is then, do we dare to wake up Jesus in the first place or does He come to mind as our last resort?
