The Wind/Spirit and the Water, Part 3, Luke 8:22-25

One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”
Luke 8:22-25

Our last two blog posts have been about the Spirit/Wind and the water (or the sea). In our first post, July 2011, we suggested that Jesus’ “born again” discussion with Nicodemus was based on a reference to the Exodus event, an act of deliverance for the people of Israel from the tyranny of Pharaoh to a new relationship with God. Our August 2011 post was a study of Genesis 1:2 in which the Spirit/wind hovered over the darkened, chaotic water to bring light and order.

That brings us to our final post on “the wind/spirit and the water,” found in Luke 8:22-25 and Mark 4:35-41¹. In this event, Jesus and his disciples are in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, when a sudden, violent storm blows in and the boat is in danger of capsizing². The accounts in Luke and Mark are very similar, except that Mark adds one detail: that Jesus is in the stern. The disciples are afraid as the wind and the sea suddenly rise and they accuse Jesus of not caring since he isn’t doing anything about the situation. Jesus then rebukes them for their lack of faith and calms the storm.

It would be easy to interpret the disciples’ accusation of Jesus as indicating that they already believed that He is the Son of God and therefore as Lord of nature can supernaturally calm the storm. I don’t think this is the case. It is not until after the resurrection that the disciples realize that Jesus is more than just a miracle worker, Rabbi or even human Messiah. So why do they accuse Him?

Perhaps a detail in Mark’s Gospel explains the comment. The boats in use on the Sea of Galilee in the time of Jesus were combination rowing/sail boats³. When the lake is calm, the boat functions as a row boat, with several rows of oars. Just as a rowboat does not necessarily need a rudder, when rowed, neither did these boats. When a wind blows, the sails are raised and the boat is kept in right bearing to the wind by a person at the rudder in the stern (the rear portion of the boat). The account in both gospels tells us that a sudden storm blows in, but Jesus is asleep, and according to Mark’s Gospel, he is in the stern. If Jesus is in the stern at the rudder and a sudden squall blows, then indeed the boat would be in danger of capsizing. Without anyone at the rudder, the boat would turn parallel to the waves, and the wind and the waves would throw the boat on its side.

I think the disciples’ comment, “Lord (Master) don’t you care?” can be understood in this light. They are not calling him “Lord” indicating his divine nature, but rather as their master, their leader and teacher. Yet the boat is about to capsize and since he is at the rudder he is the only one who can keep that from happening. Yet he is asleep. Get up! Take the rudder!
Instead, he rebukes the storm.

No wonder the disciples were in shock and awe—“Who is this! Even the wind and the sea obey him?”

If this interpretation is correct, then why does Jesus rebuke them for their lack of faith? They wanted Jesus to take the rudder, and I don’t think Jesus expected them to think otherwise. His rebuke is in response to their accusation, “Don’t you care?” The disciples’ comment does not reflect a lack of faith in the supernatural, but rather a lack of faith in the character of Jesus. “Don’t you care…?”

In the ancient Semitic world, the depths of the sea⁴ represented those hidden, dark things that were most feared in this created order. The ancient Semitic god yamm, was the god of the sea, a terrifying being, and the sea itself a place of chaos, turmoil and darkness. Being cast into the sea represented being given over to the thing one fears most, to the dark forces of chaos and destruction. Remember Genesis 1 from last month’s post? One of God’s most important actions is bringing order to chaos. No wonder the disciples are afraid; they too are about to be cast into chaos.

Isn’t this a picture of how we are in times of sudden trouble? All is well and then something unexpected and perhaps terrifying comes into our lives. I think that in most cases we do not doubt the Lord’s ability to take care of the situation, but I think we wonder if He really cares enough to do so. “Lord, how could you let this terrible thing come on me? Don’t you care?” It’s a totally natural response. Chaos, darkness, fear, and destruction all loom forebodingly over us, and it seems like Jesus is nowhere to be found when we most need Him.

The account in the gospels begins by Jesus telling the disciples to get into the boat to go to the other side. The Western shore of the lake, the Galilean side, is their destination. Yet, in another sense there is another destination to this journey, the “destination” of a deeper, intimate knowledge of the Lord’s ability and care toward those whom He loves. If the sole destination of the journey were the physical destination of the Western shore, then the storm was a hindrance. However, for this second destination, a spiritual destination, the storm is essential. For how else could the disciples see their teacher as the One who has mastery over the “wind and the sea?”

When we considered Jesus’ interaction with Nicodemus (John chap. 3) we concluded that Jesus was making an allusion to the Exodus event, in which Israel was born anew to God through the wind and the water, according to Rabbinic tradition. Through this allusion, Jesus sought to draw Nicodemus to a deeper understanding of being born anew personally unto God through the Spirit. In Genesis 1:2, the Spirit hovers over the waters, turning chaos (tohu b’bohu⁵), darkness and destruction, into light and a renewed creation. We concluded that post with the suggestion that Genesis 1:2 reveals a pattern which we see repeated throughout the scripture, that God is a God who rescues and restores, who brings order out of chaos and light out of darkness through the working of His Spirit.

Sudden chaos and darkness, tohu b’bohu may come into our lives, or the forces of the enemy may chase us, as Pharaoh’s chariots chased the Israelites. As the Israelites were terrified, and as were the disciples, so may we be. Yet it is true that even from these dark things can come light and from the chaos, order. The account of Jesus and the disciples in the boat can serve as a great encouragement to trust even in the dark times. When sudden trouble comes one of the hardest things to do is to truly believe that He is Lord and Master over the trouble and does care for us. The disciples did not drown; they made it to the other side. Yet through the process, was a new revelation of Jesus to them. Even in troubled times, can we remember the disciples’ question and their own answer:

“Who is this?”

“He [who] commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

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¹Compare to Psalm 107:23-30.
²Although the “Sea of Galilee” is just a mid-size fresh water lake, its geographical setting makes for occasional very violent squalls.
³A 1st Century boat was found in the late 1980’s embedded in the bottom of the lake. It was excavated and is now on display at the Yigal Alon Museum at Kibbutz Gennosar in Galilee. Also, a church mosaic floor from the Byzantine period (4-7th C.) depicts these boats.
⁴מצולה in Hebrew
⁵See our post from August 2011.

© 2011 – David Miller