“Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Matthew 8:19 ESV¹

Read Matthew 8:18-27, Mark 4:35-40, & Luke 8:22-39

“When Jesus saw a crowd around Him” (Matthew 8:18), He said to [His disciples], ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake’” (Luke 8:22b). “And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him” (Mark 4:35-36). On their way to the boats, “a scribe came up and said to Him, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head’ (Matthew 8:19-20).

When this sincere scribe made his declaration, he was serious. He probably expected Jesus to be pleased. So, he was no doubt disheartened by Jesus’ reply. But I don’t think Jesus wasn’t discouraging him from making such a commitment, He was just warning this scribe that things are often not as simple as they may at first appear. This scribe, and the others who followed Jesus wherever He went, could not have conceived of the difficult situation they were about to encounter.

“So, they set out [on the Sea of Galilee], and as they sailed He fell asleep” (Luke 8:22-23). “He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion” (Mark 4:38a). “And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves” (Matthew 8:24). And “the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was … filling” (Mark 4:37).

 “And they went and woke Him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing’” (Matthew 8:25). “ ‘Teacher, do you not care’” (Mark 4:38b)? “And 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 4:39-40)?

The Sea of Galilee is a wide and deep lake. “At its widest points, the lake measures 21 km (13 mi) from north to south and 12 km (7.5 mi) from east to west. The lake’s total area is 170 sq. km (64 sq. mi) and its circumference is about 51 km (32 mi). Its deepest point has been variously estimated between 44 and 60 m (140-200 ft).”² It is not the type of lake on which anyone who is an inexperienced sailor would want to get caught in a storm.

“The Sea of Galilee is known for its violent storms, which can come up suddenly and be life-threatening for any on its waters. These tempests are caused by the situation of the lake in the Jordan Rift with steep hills on all sides. The cooler air masses from the surrounding mountains collide with the warm air in the lake’s basin. Winds sometimes funnel through the east-west-oriented valleys in the Galilean hill country and rush down the western hillsides of the lake. The most violent storms, however, are caused by the fierce winds which blow off the Golan Heights from the east. One such storm in March 1992 sent waves 3 m (10 ft) high crashing into downtown Tiberias and caused significant damage to the city.”²

The storm mentioned in the Scriptures on the Sea of Galilee must have been even worse than the storm in 1992, because, Jesus’ disciples didn’t know how to deal with it. They were intimately acquainted with the Sea of Galilee. They had spent their entire lives on it or not far from it. They were not unfamiliar with its ways, and they were not inexperienced sailors. In fact, several of His disciples were professional fishermen who had made their livings on that Sea. They knew how to read the weather and the signs of the Sea. They had undoubtedly encountered storms on the Sea of Galilee before. And they probably knew several tricks to help them successfully navigate through violent weather on the Sea.

When Jesus said, “Let us go across to the other side,” they probably thought, “We have this.” Their experience, their confidence, and their pride all told them this was something they could handle. There is no indication in Scripture that there was anything hindering the disciples from jumping into the boats and starting across the Sea. If there had been a sign of a storm brewing, they, in their confidence, missed it. They didn’t challenge Jesus that it was not a good time to cross the Sea, nor did they prevent others from joining them on this adventure. They probably even encouraged Jesus to take a well-deserved nap. But they were not prepared for the storm which confronted them. All of their skill was useless. Everything they tried was ineffective. It wasn’t long before these buff and brave men were shuddering in fear, worried for their very lives.

We can get caught in similar storms. Sometimes Jesus asks something of us, and we respond with absolute confidence because the task is something we feel we have the ability to accomplish. We, in effect, say, “We have this, Jesus. Go take a nap.” So, Jesus steps back. He lets us make a mess and start to flounder. It is then that we have a choice, we can keep plugging on, trying everything we know to do, or we can repent and surrender to Jesus for His help in His way. Jesus taught, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Nothing means nothing. There is not one thing we can do without Jesus’ help. He lets us struggle a bit until we learn this valuable lesson.

It was when the disciples were at their wits’ end that they finally gave in and asked Jesus for help. This was a last resort. Even though they were staring death in the face, it would have been hard to swallow their pride and call out to Jesus. After all, Jesus was an experienced carpenter and an impressive teacher. He knew how to mix up things and challenge the religious establishment. And He clearly had authority over sickness and demons. But, to them, what did He know about sailing?

We too can have misconceptions about Jesus. Sometimes, when we get caught in storms, we too have a hard time asking Jesus for help. When we have made messes, we can be too embarrassed to ask for help. Or we can think that our messes are so big, we are past the point of receiving help. We wonder if Jesus will help, we doubt He can help, or we fear Jesus won’t help.  We forget, “we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses … [or the messes we have made] … Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16). Jesus came to clean up our messes.

When the disciples did look to their Master, He was asleep. I don’t know how anyone could sleep in such a storm, but He did. Either He was completely exhausted from serving, or He was absolutely at peace. Even as water spilled over the side of the boat, soaking Him and splashing Him in the face, He didn’t awake. This upset the disciples. When they woke Him, they snapped at Him and accused Him of not caring. “’Save us, Lord; we are perishing’” (Matthew 8:25). “’Teacher, do you not care’” (Mark 4:38b)?

How often have we irreverently lashed out at Jesus? How often have we wrongly charged Jesus with being cruel? The disciples missed something we also often miss. When Jesus said, “Let us go across to the other side,” He intended to get to the other side! One of the reasons Jesus peacefully slept through the violent storm was because He knew nothing was going to stop them from getting to the other side. When everything is going well, and Jesus tells us something, we believe it, but when things start to fall apart, we forget what He has said. It is remembering what He told us in the calm that will help us get through the storm. “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion” (Philippians 1:6). “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). Attacking our Help and our Peace doesn’t get us out of the storm any faster; it will likely keep us where we are longer.

The disciples knew Jesus had authority. He had displayed it in the temple and in the synagogues, over sickness and over demons, in the villages and out in the wilderness, but never before over the Sea. They didn’t know the authority Jesus had over the Sea, because they hadn’t experienced anything like this before. Their minds couldn’t even conceive of it. The Sea had been their domain. They believed either they could control it, or it could not be controlled. They could not wrap their minds around anything different. That is why “they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who then is this, that He commands even winds and water, and they obey Him’” (Luke 8:22-39)? They were in awe because they no longer knew with Whom they were dealing. He was far more powerful than they had previously imagined.

When we find ourselves in the middle of a storm, we too have no idea with what or with Whom we are dealing. In the areas where we have no experience, we don’t know what Jesus can do, either. We tend to assess Jesus’ abilities through the filter of our knowledge. We tend to judge Jesus’ might based our own limitations. But Jesus is so much more than we can imagine. He has power and authority of which we can’t even dream. He can, with a word, change the direction of anything. He “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). When we are caught in storms, we would be far better off if we were just to admit we don’t have a clue what to do, get out of the way, and let Him work. Through humble prayer, may we let Jesus have control of the boat. Through faith and trust, may we experience His authority over the storm. With awe and reverence, may we praise Him for the unfathomable, spectacular works He has done and will do.

Yes, when we commit our lives to Jesus Christ, we, like this scribe and the disciples, have no idea what the future holds. But even if the ride is crazy and dangerous, we can be sure we are far safer with Jesus than without Him.

¹ Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.

²https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2009/03/Jesus-and-the-Sea-of-Galilee.aspx#Article