マタイによる福音書8:23-27 Matthew 8:23-27,

One day, Jesus and his disciples got into a small boat to cross to the other side of Lake Galilee. Among the disciples were Peter, Andrew, James and John who had been fishermen on Lake Galilee. These men must have known how to operate the boat. So Jesus left the boat to his disciples and went to sleep. The weather must have been calm at first when they set out. The journey seemed to go smoothly.

However, the weather suddenly changed, and a storm came. Because Lake Galilee is surrounded by mountains, strong winds can blow down from the mountains. Immediately, the storm caused a huge wave on the lake, which covered the boat and almost made it sink. It seemed to the disciples that the boat would sink at any moment. So they woke Jesus, who was asleep, and said, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” The disciples thought the boat was going to sink and they would drown to death.

Jesus woke up when he heard the disciples’ voices. And he rebuked them saying, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he got up and this time he rebuked the wind and said to the lake. According to another passage of the Bible (Mark 4:39), Jesus said, “Peace! Be still!” It is very strange that “he rebuked the wind” and said to the lake, “Peace! Be still!” It is as if the wind and the lake are living beings. But when you think about it, isn’t nature like a living thing with an extremely strong force? For example, even now, when typhoons come, heavy rain and storms can cause great damages. Typhoons seem like terrifying monsters that do not listen to humans.

However, Jesus was powerful enough to subdue nature, which does not listen to humans. Why is this? Because Jesus is the only Son of God the Father, the ruler of heaven and earth. Jesus, who was in a small boat with his disciples, was able to rule over nature. When Jesus rebuked the wind, to their amazement, the wind and the lake were stilled and became calm. The disciples would have known that Jesus had the power to perform miracles to heal the sick. But how amazing to subdue nature! The disciples wondered, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

The disciples had believed in Jesus and followed him. But they did not know that Jesus had such power. Then, when Jesus died on the cross and rose again, the disciples discovered that he had the power to overcome the power of death, which no one else could overcome. Nothing is impossible for Jesus because he is the only Son of God the Father, the ruler of heaven and earth. We, too, believe in Jesus and live. But we may not really realise the wonder of Jesus’ power. For example, when you are working on something and encounter difficulties, do you say, “No more” and give up? In the worst case scenario, do you ever think about quitting believing in Jesus? At such times, remember today’s Bible story. Surely Jesus will say to us, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” and he will resolve our difficulties just as he calmed the storm.