CRITICAL NOTES
Luke 8:22. The other side.—The eastern side, which was comparatively uninhabited.
Luke 8:23. Fell asleep.—A pathetic touch, indicating as it does how wearied He was with the labours of the day. Came down.—From the hillsides. Recent travellers speak of these sudden and impetuous storms as characteristic of the Lake of Gennesaret. Thus Mr. Macgregor says: “The peculiar effects of squalls among mountains are well known to all who have boated much on lakes; but on the Sea of Galilee the wind has a singular force and suddenness; and this is no doubt because that sea is so deep in the world (six hundred feet below the level of the Mediterranean) that the sun rarifies the air in it enormously, and the wind, speeding swift above a long and level plateau, gathers much force as it sweeps through flat deserts, until suddenly it meets this huge gap in the way, and it tumbles down here irresistible.” He describes his own experience of “a great storm of wind”: “A brisk breeze from Bashan had freshened while we paddled along these bays … The sea rose more and more, and at last heavy clouds in the east burst into a regular gale.… The wind whistled, and sea-gulls screamed as they were borne on the scud. Thick and ragged clouds drifted fast over the water, which became almost green in colour, as if it were on the salt sea, and the illusion was heightened by the complete obscurity of the distance, for the other side of the lake was quite invisible.… The storm lasted next day” (The Rob Roy). Were filled with water.—Rather, “were filling with water” (R.V.).
Luke 8:24. Master, Master.—The repetition of the name is a mark of anxiety caused by the danger in which they were. Rebuked the wind.—St. Luke agrees with St. Mark in representing Christ as stilling the tempest before He rebuked the disciples for unbelief. St. Matthew reverses the order. Probably the former are more exact in the order of events they follow; the rebuke for unbelief would have greater weight after the deliverance from danger.
Luke 8:25. Where is your faith?—“They had some faith, but it was not ready at hand” (Bengel).
Luke 8:22-25.—St. Luke’s note of time is very vague—“on a certain day.” St. Mark says that the incident happened on the evening of the day on which the parable of the sower was spoken
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Luke 8:22-25
Faith and Fear.—Jesus was fast asleep amid the dashing waves and drenching storm. But was the danger real? Yes, to human eyes very real. To these fishermen, who had known that water all their days, it was real, and they were afraid for themselves and Him. It was very natural, this fear, though foolish: natural that they should dread the idea of all their hopes and prospects being lost in this premature grave, yet foolish that they should fear for themselves and Him so meaningless an end. Yet nature got the upper hand of faith, and they gave way to their headlong terrors.
I. Christ rebukes the storm.—Though unmoved by the piercing shrieks of the wind and the hoarse menace of the waves, He wakes at the first cry of the disciples. He arose calmly, composedly. The Son of man had been sleeping. The Son of God awakes and speaks,—for Himself exhausted, for others still mighty. He looked down at the waves; He looked up into the heavens. “He rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.” What a revelation of God in man! It is not so much the mere power that impresses. We have seen Him do as great works before, and greater. But, as the wondering disciples said, “it is the manner of the man.” In what condition is man by himself more thoroughly helpless than in a storm at sea—in a frail boat—the sport of the elements—a mere straw upon the waters, with death opening all her mouths upon him? In no condition, unless you add that in which Jesus was a few moments before—fast asleep. A waking man in a shipwreck may be on the watch for some means of escape But a man asleep in a boat rapidly filling with water and on the point of going down!—such and so helpless did Jesus seem the one moment. And the next! He stands and speaks to the elements, and they hear with the facility and readiness of well-trained servants. “What manner of man is this! for He commandeth even the winds and the water, and they obey Him.”
II. Christ rebukes His disciples.—He had His own disciples to rebuke and correct as well as the storm to still. “Where is your faith?” The question does not imply that they were absolutely faithless. This could not be. Their instinctive application to Him when things became so bad shows clearly enough their belief that He could and would deliver Himself and them from the danger. But He rebukes them for the littleness, the narrowness, of their faith, for the want of larger trust. They ought to have had such confidence in Him as to believe that sleeping or waking made no difference to Him, that the boat which carried Him and them together would not be overwhelmed. It was not that they had no faith; but—like one who has a piece, though in sudden panic he forgets to fire—it was as bad as if they had none. They failed to apply their faith fully. It was not ready for use. They believed Jesus to be the Christ, they had left all to follow Him, and had they been consistent with their own belief they had showed no such unworthy fear. But fear for the moment ruled, and not faith. Thus they became weak, as we all are when our faith is not at hand in the time of need: thus they justly incurred the rebuke, “Where is your faith?” They had entrusted to Him their souls, their lives, their all; and yet they forgot all this in a moment of panic, out of mere natural, human fear. How exactly like us and our unbelief! For unbelief is always the same confused, feeble, sinful thing. You have received Christ as your Saviour; you have long ago known His great salvation; and yet let any sudden squall arise, and you fear and cry out as if all were lost. You grow downcast “when days are dark and friends are few.” You are unstrung when some sudden trial crushes your home. Your knees fail and your hands hang down. Why is this? Where is your faith? Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God; believe also in Jesus. You believe in His almightiness, as the Christ of God, to whom all things in providence are entrusted for His people’s sake. Is there anything in your lot or life He cannot master whom the winds and waves obey? You believe in His wisdom. Are not your times in His hand? And your times of storm and terror you have found before to be His times of help and healing. You believe in His love; and His love is never more active toward you than in the tempest of trial. You believe in His faithfulness—that His promise stands sure, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
The distinctive teaching of the miracle may be summed up in these two items:
1. Directly, it teaches that to Him as Lord of providence belongs all power to defend His cause and people from danger, and that He is continually exercising that power which on special and signal occasions has called out not only the fervent adoration of His own, but has attracted the wonder and admiration of the world.
2. Less directly, but very significantly, the story suggests the perpetual presence of Christ in and with His Church, for its protection and deliverance.—Laidlaw.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON Luke 8:22-25
Luke 8:22-25. The Peace-bringer in the World of Nature.—Note:—
I. Christ’s sleep in the storm.
II. The awaking cry of fear.
III. The word that calms the storm.
IV. The gentle remonstrance.—Maclaren.
Luke 8:22. “He went into a ship.”—From a comparison of the various synoptical narratives we learn that this had been a very busy day in the life of Jesus—it had been crowded with works of healing, discourses, controversies with opponents, and conversation with disciples. St. Mark distinctly says (Luke 4:35) that the storm upon the lake occurred on the evening of the day when He first began to speak to the multitude in parables. We need not wonder, therefore, that He was fatigued and fell asleep in the boat. “The reason why He decided to cross over to the eastern shore of the lake does not seem to have been to secure a measure of needed repose. No hint of this being His purpose is given in the Gospels. His usual course after imparting instruction in one place was to go to another, and not to rest (Mark 1:38). This district of Decapolis, on the east of the Sea of Galilee, was a stronghold of heathenism, where there was an abundant field for religious work, and where rest would be out of the question” (Speaker’s Commentary).
“A ship.”—This ship which carried Christ, and in which He taught,—sometimes near shore, where the people stood; sometimes in calm, sometimes in storm,—was a beautiful emblem of the Church sailing over the waters of this world on her voyage to the harbour of eternity.—Wordsworth.
Luke 8:23. “He fell asleep.”—The scene suggests that in Jonah 1:5, where the prophet was asleep on board the Phœnician ship amidst the violence of the storm, and had to be roused from his slumbers. But with the disobedience of the prophet, and his helplessness to avert danger, are to be contrasted the untroubled conscience and serene majesty and power of Christ when He was in like circumstances.
The Wearied Saviour.—How touching that our Saviour should have been so speedily asleep! How suggestive of His great exhaustion that He should have been so sound asleep! Those delicate energies of His humanity, that needed to be statedly replenished, had been subjected to an excessive drain in consequence of the urgent demands of the people for teaching and healing.—Morison.
Luke 8:24-32. Lake and Shore.
I. A stormy lake.—
1. The weary sleeper.
2. The sudden danger.
3. The sure help.
II. The lake shore.—
1. A sad sufferer.
2. A gracious Healer.
3. A grateful would-be follower. Jesus calms the stormy sea, and then calms a storm-tossed soul.—W. Taylor.
Luke 8:24. “They awoke Him.”
I. The roar of the storm He did not hear in His sound sleep, but the moment there was a cry from His disciples for help He awoke. What a revelation of heart we have here! He is never asleep to His praying people. He hears the faintest cry of prayer amid the wildest tumults of the world. He is never too weary to listen to the appeal of human distress.
II. Though aroused suddenly, He awoke calm and peaceful. Such an experience reveals the grandeur and purity of His nature. No terror, no resentment, no upbraiding, for being disturbed, but perfect calmness and peace. Here we see what Christ meant when He said, “My peace I give unto you.” In this peaceful spirit He moved amid the various turbulent scenes of His earthly life.—Miller.
Even Weak Faith Effectual.—The disciples were in unbelief, which cried out, “We perish!” Yet were they at the same time sufficiently believing to call upon Him, “Lord, help us!” Even weak faith is faith still; the trembling hand yet holds fast the Deliverer.—Stier.
“Master, master!”—The exclamation which reveals
(1) timorous faith, reveals also
(2) genuine faith, for in their distress they flee to none but Jesus.
Alarm and Perplexity.—The disciples were
(1) alarmed by the violence of the tempest, and
(2) perplexed by the fact that for the moment Christ seemed oblivious to their danger.
“He arose.”—Let any man reflect how one suddenly roused with outcries of distress and danger of death around him would in the weakness of humanity comport himself, and it will help him to perceive and estimate the unapproachable dignity of this Being. Even while one with us He is paying His tribute to the infirmity of our flesh. The Son of man slept; the Son of God in man awakes and speaks. For Himself exhausted, for others almighty.—Stier.
Christ’s Calmness.—Cæsar’s confidence that the bark which contained him and his fortunes could not sink forms the earthly counterpart to the heavenly calmness and confidence of the Lord.—Trench.
“Rebuked the wind.”—Speaking to the wind and the billows of the water as though they were living powers (Psalms 106:9, “He rebuked the Red Sea also”), or to the evil powers which may be conceived to wield them to the danger of mankind.—Farrar.
Union of the Divine and the Human.—What Moses performed in the might of Jehovah when he opened with his rod the way through the waters, that the Son of the Father does through the efficacy of His will alone. Here also we meet with that union of the Divine and human nature which we so often discover in the gospel. He who wearied with His day’s work lays Himself awhile to sleep, because He needs bodily rest, and remains quiet in the most threatening danger, rises at once in Divine fulness of might, and commands the tempestuous wind and bridles the sea.—Van Oosterzee.
The Voice of Authority.—The elements which are deaf to us heard their Creator.—Jerome.
Luke 8:25. “Where is your faith?”—Christ acknowledges the faith which the disciples had; answers the prayer of faith by working a perfect calm; but rebukes them for not having the stronger, firmer faith to trust Him even when He seemed insensible to their danger.—Alford.
A Weapon not at Hand.—Faith they had, as the weapon which a soldier has, but cannot lay hold of at the moment when he needs it the most.—Trench.
Faith should be a Preservative from Terror.—Wherein were the apostles to blame? It was for the state of anxiety and alarm in which Christ found them when He awoke from slumber. Faith may and should add intensity to our prayers, but it should also save us from agitation and terror.
Wait Patiently.—By these words Christ censures all irregular ways of endeavouring to extricate ourselves from difficulties. Such irregular methods argue lack of faith. They are acts of irreverence, like that of the disciples disturbing Christ in His slumber. If the times are such that we can neither row nor sail in the vessel of the Church, we must wait patiently in the ship till He arises and calms the storm. Then the words apply: “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15); and, “Their strength is to sit still” (ibid., Luke 8:7); and “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” (Exodus 14:13).—Wordsworth.
“Being afraid.”—Two kinds of fear agitated the minds of the disciples within the space of a very few moments: indeed, the one fear followed immediately upon the other. The first was sheer terror of perishing in the waters; the second, a reverential fear, a holy awe, at having experienced a deliverance at once so gracious and so astonishing.
The Teaching of the Miracle.—The miracle proves
(1) that Christ never forgets His people, though He sometimes appears to do so; and
(2) that He will certainly deliver His people at last.
The Wonder of the Disciples.—The wonder of the disciples may find explanation in the fact that this miracle was the first of the kind they had witnessed—the first example of Christ’s power over the blind forces of nature. But we find in our own experience that each new manifestation of God’s power and love in delivering us from danger excites as much astonishment in our hearts as if we were learning for the first time the greatness of His majesty and mercy.
“What manner of man is this!”—A question not of doubt, but of astonishment. The disciples were amazed at
(1) the unexpectedness of the miracle, and
(2) at its unexampled character. For not only was the violence of the wind instantly checked, but also the raging of the water, which is usually disturbed for some time after the wind falls, ceased in a moment, and “there was a calm.” This miracle, like that in Luke 5:8, was wrought in a sphere familiar to them, and they were therefore fully able to appreciate the greatness of the power Christ displayed.
The Purpose of the Miracle.
I. It renewed and confirmed faith in Christ.
II. It gave prophetic assurance of His power and willingness to help in all subsequent times of danger. When at a later time storms threatened the bark of the Church, disciples could still believe that Christ was with them, and that in His own time He would deliver it and them from perishing in the waves.
The Miracle a Parable.—The symbolic application of this occurrence is too striking to have escaped general notice. The Saviour with His company of disciples in the ship tossed on the waves seemed a typical reproduction of the Ark bearing mankind on the flood, and a foreshadowing of the Church tossed by the tempests of the world, but having Him with her always. And the personal application is one of comfort and strengthening of faith in danger and doubt.—Alford.
Christ’s Presence a Source of Safety.—We are sailing in this life as through a sea, and the wind rises, and storms of temptation are not wanting. Whence is this, save because Jesus is sleeping in thee? If He were not sleeping in thee, thou wouldest have calm within. But what means this, that Jesus is sleeping in thee, save that thy faith, which is from Jesus, is slumbering in thine heart? What shalt thou do to be delivered? Arouse Him and say, “Master, we perish.” He will awaken—that is, thy faith will return to thee, and abide with thee always. When Christ is awakened, though the tempest beat into, yet it will not fill, thy ship; thy faith will now command the winds and the waves, and the danger will be over.—Augustine.