The story of Jesus calming the storm (Matthew 8:23-27) has been used rather frequently to say that Jesus can calm the “storms” of your life.\u00a0 There are two obvious problems with this interpretation even though they may be well-intentioned.\u00a0 They may be well intentioned when the interpreter wants to give his audience hope, and gives them hope in Jesus, all of which is commendable.\u00a0 The difficulty is, of course, that if it is a hope that Jesus does not give, then one is promising something that may not happen.\u00a0 What the interpreter wants to do is to give the hope that Matthew intended to give, no more, no less.<\/p>\n
Now the first thing that is obviously wrong with this is that this application isn’t true.\u00a0 Jesus has not promised to calm the “storms” of your life.\u00a0 He has promised to go through your difficulties with you (if you are a believer), take you to heaven when you die, and raise up your body to live with Him on a new earth forever.\u00a0 But . . . many of the “storms” of your life will stay “stormy” until you die.\u00a0 And, the ultimate “storm” is your own death, which will not (unless the rapture occurs) be calmed.\u00a0 You will have to go through that storm.<\/p>\n
The second item is not theological, but is simply hermeneutics.\u00a0 The “storm” in the story is a real storm.\u00a0 While the word is the same, the meaning of “storm” is clearly not meaning the “storms” of life, but a “storm” over the Sea of Galilee.\u00a0 Again, they are the same word, but a totally different meaning.\u00a0 That would be like me telling you to “pack your bags and put them in the trunk” and “you pack your bags” and try to stuff them up an elephant’s trunk.\u00a0 They are the same word, but a totally different meaning.\u00a0 And without the author showing you that he intended to play on the word “storm,” it is totally in the imagination of the interpreter.\u00a0 In fact, doing this is not just imaginative, to be kind, but is treating the text as a very low piece of literature to be manipulated at the behest of the interpreter.\u00a0 It is\u00a0 denying the author his inspired meaning for the meaning of the uninspired interpreter.<\/p>\n
Now, as I’ve said before, these are part of a larger story, that is “The Biblical Story.”\u00a0 If one is aware of the larger story, they will recognize this story has occurred before in Biblical history.\u00a0 It is the story of Jonah.\u00a0 In Jonah chapter 2, Jonah has fled God and is on a ship with pagan sailors.\u00a0 God “throws” a storm and the sailors search for Jonah, who is asleep in the ship.\u00a0 Jonah arises, admits that it is his God that is creating the storm in order to chastise him for his disobedience.\u00a0 The sailors throw Jonah overboard and God calms the storm.<\/p>\n
Now, fast forward to Jesus.\u00a0 Again the storm comes up, and again the sailors (now the disciples) go to awake Jesus.\u00a0 But this time, instead of another Jonah admitting that it is his sin that has caused the storm, Jesus replies to the disciples, “Why are you afraid, o ye of little faith?”\u00a0 In other words, Jesus is asking them, ‘Who do you think is sleeping here?\u00a0 Do you think that I am another Jonah?’\u00a0 Or, stated positively, Jesus is telling them, “I am not another Jonah, I am the Christ, the Son of God.\u00a0 Why do you fear?”<\/p>\n
With that then Jesus calms the storm.\u00a0 Of course, in the Jonah story, God calmed the storm.\u00a0 It is not much for the disciples to see the comparison.\u00a0 And their conclusion, the one that Matthew has included to help you with the application, is “Who is this Man, that even the wind and the waves obey Him?”\u00a0 The answer Matthew wants you to come to through the eyes of these disciples is that this is God Himself in the form of a Man.<\/p>\n
You see, you will never get to ride in a boat on the Sea of Galilee with Jesus, nor any other body of water.\u00a0 You will never get to watch Him raise His hand and the waves and wind cease . . . immediately.\u00a0 The disciples did.\u00a0 They are telling you about Jesus when He was there, so you will believe in Him, though He isn’t here (in person).<\/p>\n
“Who is this Man . . . ?”<\/p>\n
Written:\u00a0 Dr. Charles Baylis, January 26, 2015<\/p>\n
Painting Credit:\u00a0 Rembrandt, “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee,” 1632.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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