The
evening started calmly as the small group of men, being in good
spirits, set out on the sea in order to travel to a port in another
city. After night fell, and the vessel
had made it out to the deep water, the still of the day was broken by
the sudden rise of a storm. The clouds rolled like boiling water and
blocked all light of moon and stars bringing a darkness so thick it was
almost palpable. The veil of blackness was broken
only by the flashes of lightning that fingered across the sky overhead
in repeated quick succession. The bursts of thunder that followed
almost immediately behind each flash were so deep and resonating that
the men in the small boat felt the vibrations in
their bodies. The fierce gale that blew swelled the waves into towering
walls of water that rose high over the boat. Each crash of wave
threatened to sweep one of more of the men into the sea to a watery
grave for there could have been no rescue in a storm
such as this. The rain fell in torrents driven with such force by the
wind that each drop stung the men’s flesh with every impact. Every man
was quickly drenched through every layer of clothing, and they
continually blinked and swept at the water running
into their eyes in order to see. They struggled in vain against the
storm to keep the vessel afloat as the wind and waves threatened to
topple it and water began to fill it. Many of the men on the vessel
were sea-hardened commercial fishermen from their youth
following their families’ generational trade. They were as accustomed
to storms at sea as they were storms on dry land. This storm was
different. This storm was uncommon. This storm struck their hearts
with white-cold fear. It was evident to them that
their struggles were futile.
One
man alone, their leader, remained undaunted. He slept peacefully in
the lower portion of the boat. When fear in the men’s hearts turned to
panic, they abandoned their
struggles. They awoke the man and called out, “Do you not even care
that we are going to drown!?”
Obviously
I’ve dramatized the story a little, but surely by now you have
identified it and know what this story is. Matthew (8:22-27) and Mark
(4:35-41) both record this event.
It is generally accepted that Matthew and Mark wrote their gospels in
the first century, with most scholars believing Mark’s was written
between 50 and 70 AD, while Matthew’s was written in the 70’s to 90’s
AD. Matthew was an eyewitness to the events in
Jesus’ life. Although not an eyewitness to the events, Mark recorded
the teachings of Peter who was an eyewitness. However, the fascinating
and accurately detailed foreshadowing of this historical event was
written by King David a thousand years before it
took place:
Those
who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they
see the works of the LORD, and His wonders in the deep. For He commands
and raises
the stormy wind, which
lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens, they go
down again to the depths; their soul melts because of trouble. They
reel to and fro,
and stagger like a drunken man, and
are at their wits' end. Then they cry out to the LORD in their
trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the
storm, so that its waves
are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; so He guides
them to their desired haven.
- Psalm 107:23-30
Let’s look at what Mark records after the distraught men cried out to Jesus:
He
awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And
the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are
you so afraid?
Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said
to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey
him?”
- Mark 4:39-41
“Who is this, that even the wind and sea obey him?”
They
had already witnessed Jesus perform many miracles: turning water into
wine, feeding thousands, healing lepers, healing the lame, casting out
demons, and even raising the
dead. But they did not raise that question about Him in those events.
What kind of man is He that even the wind and sea – nature itself –
obeys him?
And
the very next line after this event was Jesus perfectly fulfilling
scripture bringing them safely to their destination just as David wrote:
They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.
- Mark 5:1
But this was not their only storm.
Mark recounts this second event also (Mark 6:45-51), but this time let’s look at how Matthew recorded it:
And
after He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by
himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but the boat by
this time was a long
way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.
And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the
sea. But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were
terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried
out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart;
it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is
you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter
got out of the boat and walked on the water
and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and
beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately
reached out His hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of
little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into
the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped Him,
saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
- Matthew 14:23-27
Again the men in the boat were in deep water, a storm raged, and the disciples struggled.
The
first thing to note is Jesus’ words. The phrase He used is generally
translated like something above, “it is I”. The Greek words are “ego
eimi” which translates into English
“I am”. That phrase alone does not convey a divine meaning, but it can
in context of speech or action. And the Jews of the day would recognize
such context.
When
God prepared Moses to lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt, He identified Himself as "I AM".
Then
Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them,
‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is
his name?’
what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
- Genesis 3:13-14
The
Jews gathered in the temple to hear Jesus teach understood His claim
(“ego eimi”) clearly, and wanted to stone Him for blasphemy.
So
the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you
seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before
Abraham was,
I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself
and went out of the temple.
- John 8:57-59
The
second thing to note is Jesus’ action. Jesus never did anything without
a purpose, so His walking on the water was not simply another miracle.
It held meaning. These
disciples were not ignorant of scripture. Scripture was part of the
general Jewish education. Scripture was also ingrained in the culture.
Job is
believed to be one of the oldest books of the bible, dating perhaps to
around the time of Abraham due to its obviously patriarchal structure
and culture. This would
place the writing possibly around 1,600 to 1,800 years before Christ,
give or take a few centuries. So let’s take a moment to look at a
passage in Job that, perhaps like me for many years, you may have simply
read across without much thought but that the
disciples would have certainly understood.
It
is God who removes the mountains, they know not how, when He overturns
them in His anger; who shakes the earth out of its place, and its
pillars tremble; who
commands the sun not to shine, and sets a seal upon the stars; who
alone stretches out the heavens and tramples down the waves of the sea
- Job 9:5-8
When
Jesus entered the boat, this storm subsided also. And this time the
men’s response was different. They heard Him say “Fear not; I AM” while
watching Him walk on water
as scripture attributed to what God alone could do. Action matched
word. Their changed reaction?
“Truly you are the Son of God.”
[Originally written: February 13, 2017]
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