Yesterday I shared a story about a father and daughter who found themselves stranded on their upside down sailboat in lake Ontario earlier this year.  We explored the fear they must have felt, and I asked who you’d call in a similar situation.

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

(Matthew 8:23-27 ESV)

The Sea of Galilee was not very big lake!  But Israel was a very land-focused nation –the sea was the image for all kinds of terror in their history and common stories.  They talked a lot about the “promised land” and avoided the sea.  Yes, some of Jesus’ followers were fisherman, but most were not.

Now they are in a “great storm” – one of the words used here is the same word you’d use for an earthquake.  Everything around these guys was moving and terrifying.  As the waves crash down, the boat is swamping.

And somehow, Jesus is sleeping through it all.  This is no cabin cruiser, where he’s below decks and dry.  He’s being soaked by waves, there is shouting and commotion all around him as the guys try to bail out, adjust their sails, point the boat into the wind, and otherwise save themselves.

How???  Was he so exhausted he didn’t notice?  Or is this simply the kind of thing that doesn’t bother him?

Question: Why do you think Jesus wasn’t waking up?

Meeting with a Group?  Your discussion questions are in this week’s Group Study Guide

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