Trust in Jesus the Saviour

Matthew 8:23-27; 9:1-13

Sometimes the storms in our lives appear without warning. Jesus was in the boat with his disciples sleeping when 'without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat' (8:24).

Presumably the disciples were used to storms on the Sea of Galilee; it was renowned for sudden flash storms, stirring the water into twenty-foot waves. However, this storm must have been a particularly serious one because the disciples woke Jesus up and said, 'We're going to drown!' (v25).

During the storms of life, it is natural to panic (certainly, I tend to). Sometimes it appears that Jesus is 'sleeping' (v24). He does not appear to be doing anything about our problems. Thankfully, we can all cry out, as they did, 'Lord, save us!' (v25).

The natural response to the storms is doubt and fear. Jesus tells us that the response to storms should be trust ('You of little faith', v26a) and that you should not be afraid ('Why are you so afraid?', v26a). Jesus is quite capable of calming the storm and that is exactly what he did. Even in the midst of a storm such as global pandemic or the cost of living crisis (Choose Faith over Fair).

Having shown his authority over the elements ('Even the wends and waves obey him!', v27), he goes on to demonstrate his authority over evil powers by freeing the two demon-possessed men (vv.28-34). Jesus was far more concerned about people than possessions unlike those who pleaded with him to leave their region (v.34).

Jesus goes on to make the point that forgiveness is more important than healing. But healing is not unimportant. Jesus does both. He shows his power over sickness and disability by healing a paralyzed (9:1-2). 'The crowd was awestruck, amazed, and pleased that God had authorized Jesus to work among them this way!' (v.8, MSG).

In the midst of the storms there are moments of calm. Today's passage ends with such a moment as Jesus calls Matthew to follow him. Jesus is invited to dinner at Matthew's house.

The Pharisees are surprised to see Jesus eating with 'a lot of disreputable characters' (v.10, MSG) and say 'What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riffraff?' (v.11, MSG).

'Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what the scripture means: I'm mercy, not religion. I'm here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders."' (vv.12-13, MSG).