Daily Devotional For Monday, July 1, 2024

Can you believe we are already into July? Wow the days are flying. I have been enjoying taking us through questions asked in the Bible. Some are asked by people and some by our Lord Himself. Today, we come to another question Jesus asked specifically to His disciples. It is found in Matthew 8:26, “And He said to them, `Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?’” (ESV).  When we look at the context, we might be a little more willing to give Jesus’ disciples some grace here. Look at Matthew 8:23-24, “And when He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. (24) And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but He was asleep” (ESV). 

Here they are, Jesus’ disciples, they did not want to be left out of the adventure. So, when Jesus got in a boat, they got in the boat with Him. The Greek New Testament word for “disciple” is [μαθητής, mathetes] and it means “a follower, learner, or pupil.” The word itself has no spiritual connotation, and it is used of superficial followers of Jesus as well as of genuine believers. In fact, pastor and author John MacArthur tells us there were four kinds of disciples (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 32):

1. “The broadest group were the curious, those who followed Jesus for a while simply to find out what He was like. They were fascinated and intrigued by what He said and did, but they would not surrender to Him as Lord and Savior. We see this in John 6:53, 60, 66, “So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you . . . (60) When many of His disciples heard it, they said, `This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’ . . . (66) After this many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him” (ESV). 
2. The second category of disciples included those who were intellectually convinced of Jesus’ divine message and power. We see this in a man named Nicodemus. Look at John 3:2, “This man (i.e. Nicodemus) came to Jesus by night and said to Him, `Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with Him” (ESV). Sounds great, doesn’t it? But at that point he was not yet committed to Jesus. As the Lord went on to point out, Nicodemus was not born again and consequently had no spiritual relationship to God, no participation in His kingdom, and no eternal life.
3. The third category of disciples was composed of secret believers. Joseph of Arimathea was such a clandestine follower until he asked Pilate for permission to bury Jesus in his own tomb and thereby proclaimed allegiance to his Savior. We see this in a man named Joseph of Arimathea. Look at Matthew 27:57-58, “When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. (58) He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him” (ESV). 
4. In the fourth category of disciples were the true and open believers, those who were publicly and permanently committed to Jesus Christ. The small group of disciples who followed Him was more than just the twelve and no doubt included all four kinds.”

“Disciple” [μαθητής, mathetes] refers to one who wants to sit at the feet of a great teaching master and learn from him. Sometimes, all they want is information, but not transformation. 

The boat Jesus and His disciples got into would have been a small fishing vessel. The Sea of Galilee sits 600 feet below sea level. Mt. Hermon rises 9,200 feet to the north, and strong northerly winds often plummet down the upper Jordan Valley with great intensity and  force. When these winds are met with the warmer air over this 600 feet below sea level bowl,  the intensity increases even more. Hitting the cliffs on the eastern shore, the winds swirl and twist, causing the waters beneath them to churn violently. The fact that they come quickly and with little warning makes the storms all the more dangerous and frightening.

The Bible tells us a “storm” hit them while they were out on the Sea of Galilee. The Greek New Testament word translated as “storm” is [σεισμός, seismos]. This is where we get our English word seismic and seismograph. The word  literally refers to a great shaking such as that which comes with an earthquake. In this case, it means this storm was so intense, it shook the water and waves on the Sea of Galilee as if it was similar to you shaking water inside a glass so that it starts coming out of the glass. 

Even today, these storms can come on the Sea of Galilee without warning. If it were not for modern day meteorology, fishermen on the Sea of Galilee would find themselves in a similar situation.  Mark 4:37 tells us this: “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling” (ESV). Meaning, any more filling, the boat is going to sink and the all could drown.

The Bible tells us this about Jesus in Matthew 8:23b, “. . . but He (Jesus) was asleep” (ESV). We might wonder, “How could Jesus stay asleep with waves crashing over the boat with such force and shaking that everyone is getting wet while the boat continues to fill with water?” Well, this just shows us how exhausted the physical part of Jesus was from teaching and healing. It also shows us that as God in human flesh, His divine side had nothing to fear – even this storm – as we see in later verses. Mark 4:38 says this,”But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, `Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’” (ESV).

Probably soaked from the intense storm and waves, Jesus is sleeping peacefully and what appears to His disciples, totally unaware of the imminent danger. The disciples turned to Jesus out of fear of drowning and death. There are many people who never seem to have a need or even belief in God until tragedy strikes such as sickness, death, loss of a job, or when some other tragedy strikes. It has been said there are no atheists in a foxhole or on a crashing airplane. Even when people turn to the Lord when they have exhausted every other avenue, the Lord is pleased. I believe the Lord Jesus Christ loves to hear the cries of desperation from the lost and saved because in that moment they are admitting their own inadequacy to fix that situation. 

Jesus’ response to His disciples was this in Matthew 8:26, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” (ESV). The Greek New Testament word translated as “afraid” is [δειλός, deilos] and it means “being fearful or cowardly.” We can almost see them looking at each other and then looking at the storm as if to say, “What? Jesus? Are You blind? Are You numb to this storm? Do You not see our boat filling and we are all going to die out here?” His question may have shocked and surprised them. 

Again, I want to share with you the words from pastor and author John MacArthur:

“The great question in their minds was why Jesus was not afraid. It was the middle of the night, the storm was sure to wash them overboard or sink the boat, and any response but fear seemed foolish and unnatural. Jesus’ calmness so perplexed the disciples that they accused Him of insensitivity in Mark 4:38b, “. . . Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’” (ESV). Jesus told them they were of little faith. He was in essence saying to them “Don’t you believe in Me and in My power?” He asked, in effect. “Haven’t you seen enough of My power and experienced enough of My love to know you are perfectly safe with Me? You have seen Me perform miracle upon miracle, even on behalf of those who never trusted in Me or even bothered to thank Me. You have seen My power and My compassion, and you should know that because of My power I can help you and that because of My compassion I will help you. Even if you should drown, don’t you know that would mean instant heaven? What, then, do you have to be worried about?” (Source:  John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 34).

I really appreciate the insight pastor and author Chuck Swindoll gives to this passage:

“Nevertheless, all of the disciples were at the peak of panic. They shouted, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” (8:25). The first line was a confession of great faith—they actually believed that Jesus could save them because He is Lord even of this storm. But the second line reveals their fear and doubt—“We’ll never make it! We’re going to drown!” In the midst of the panic, they awaken Jesus. And what does the Lord of glory do? Does He instantly jump to His feet and rebuke the storm? No. He shakes His finger at the disciples and scolds them for their “little faith” (8:26), manifested in their palpable fear. Only then does He take care of their problem with a word: “He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.”

In the Greek text, there’s a great contrast between the conditions of the storm and what immediately followed Jesus’ rebuke. In 8:24, Matthew describes the storm as a “mega shock”  [σεισμός, seismos]; in 8:26, he describes the calm as a “mega sheen” [γαλήνη μεγάλη, galene mega]. What a major difference for them to witness. No wonder the dripping wet disciples stood in astonishment, their fear finally focused on the right thing—the awesome, divine power of the God-man. They uttered, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (8:27). Finally, they were starting to get it.

The principle here is convicting: Don’t follow Jesus if you fear the storms of life more than you fear the Lord of life. If rough-and-tumble circumstances cause us to buckle and crumble instead of drive us to call on the Lord, we need to get our theology straight. He alone is the divine Son of Man who has sovereign power over all things that could do us in. If the winds and sea obey Him, there’s no situation—natural or supernatural—that He can’t handle” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, Vol. 1-A, “Matthew,” p. 156).

Questions To Consider

1. When you get bad news, what is your first response? Run to someone else? Run to a substance or bottle or drink or drug? Absorb yourself in work to stay busy? Or is it Jesus Christ? 
2. We love these stories in the Bible, but when something similar happens to us, like the disciples, we tend to panic rather than pray. Why?
3. Jesus knew the storm was coming when He got into the boat, but He said nothing to His naive disciples about it. Why do you think Jesus kept silent about this?
4. What do you think the lesson Jesus wanted His disciples to learn? When you have a storm hit you that is swamping you, what is the lesson Jesus wants you to learn?
5. What does the contrast for the “mega seismic storm” compared to the “mega seismic calm” say to you and why?

Scripture To Meditate On: Matthew 17:20, “He (Jesus) said to them, “. . .  For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you’” (ESV).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I really need to trust You when life goes south on me with my family, or my marriage, or my job, or my schooling, or with my friends, or with my co-workers or even with my health. You are going to allow seismic storms in my life to get my attention as You did those disciples and to show me You have everything under control. Please forgive me for having such little faith in You. Jesus, I  know that “without faith it is impossible to please You” (Heb. 11:6). The issue isn’t You; it’s me. I love You Jesus no matter what the storm is. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly