The Boat Experience

Once a furious storm came up on a sea ‘without a warning’. The waves swept over the boat. There were experienced fishermen like Peter, Andrews, James and John in the boat. Their skills failed. The good thing in this incident was that Jesus was in the boat with his disciples (Matthew 8:23-27). Prior to this incident, the disciples had seen Jesus performing miracles to others. Now it is their turn to expect a miracle. But Jesus was sleeping. God never sleeps nor slumbers. That is for sure. But the second person in trinity, Jesus in human flesh, slept like we humans do. He slept out of tiredness, and also to teach the disciples a lesson. Firstly he rebuked them for their little faith because they screamed that they were perishing! Then he rebuked the winds and the sea. They obeyed. Perfect peace prevailed. Here are some lessons I learnt.

Learning 1
The disciples not only learnt about anchoring their faith in the divine power of Jesus. They also learnt that God who parted the Red Sea, River Jordan, is of the same essence in Jesus. A sudden shocking news pins us down. Unexpected death rips and wears us out. What is our faith level in times of adversity? We have the benefit of knowing these real incidents that demonstrate the power of Jesus over nature, disease and death. Jesus, Immanuel, is always with us. He expects us to face adversity fearlessly. He will order peace in our painful and stormy situations. Jesus can make a difference in our difficult situations. He is the Lord of all creation.

Learning 2
There is another interesting learning in this boat experience. Jesus never used the word ‘miracle’ but only the word ‘sign’. His miracles were real. But on the other hand they had deeper meanings. It was Jesus who got into the boat. His disciples followed him (v.23). So the next lesson for the disciples was to follow Jesus by setting their feet in an unfamiliar gentile zone (v.18), stepping out of their comfort zones. In the early church, this meant following Jesus in both the Christian and gentile communities as witnesses. This was why the little boat on the stormy sea became an ancient symbol of the church. The church in this regard is not a pleasure boat. It is a fishing boat! Did not Jesus ask his disciples, to follow Him and to be fishers of people?

Learning 3
Satan attempted to curtail the mission of Jesus right from the beginning. He worked through Herod to finish off baby Jesus, when he was around two years old.  The people in the synagogue in Nazareth tried to push him down a cliff (Luke 4:29). The sudden storm in the sea in this boat experience could have been an attempt from satan to finish off Jesus and his team of disciples in one take. It did not happen then. But eventually Jesus gave his life on the cruel cross for all our sins. He crushed satan’s heel through his ultimate power over death by rising on the third day. Following Jesus, his twelve disciples were martyred too for their faith, in Jewish and gentile areas, as witnesses all over the world. They are now with Jesus forever. Satan is a defeated foe. Christ reigns supreme. Every creation would obey, every knee bow would bow to the Lord, one day! Come Lord Jesus, reign supreme over us!!

Prompted to write this after my morning devotion today @ https://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2018-01-31/When-the-storm-strikes