Pastor Scott Andrews | January 5, 2025
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Luke 8:22-25
There are many advantages to preaching verse by verse through books in the Bible. We’ve talked about this before: it forces us to take verses in their context; it forces us to cover texts we would not normally choose – we’d choose to skip over some because they’re difficult or too controversial; and third it forces us to cover all the Bible, since it’s all God’s word, not just selected, feel-good passages.
But I thought of something else this week – another advantage. As you may know, pastors sometimes use their pulpits as a bully-pulpit. What is that? First coined by President Theodore Roosevelt, he meant bully pulpit positively. It is defined as a public position or office which allows its occupant an outstanding opportunity to speak out on any issue – to advocate for an agenda or sway public opinion. But, when used in the church setting, bully pulpit is not always positive. It’s used to refer to a pastor who uses his pulpit to speak out on particular issues in the church – usually sin issues – without having to specifically name names, or personally confront individuals – although most know who or what he is talking about. The first pastor I worked with after Bible college once told me, “Throw a rock into a pack of dogs, and you don’t have to wonder which one you hit.” I thought it awful then – I still do – it’s a terrible analogy, but it makes the bully pulpit point.
So, if you preach in an expositional fashion through books verse by verse and you come to a truth the church really needs to hear, the church cannot say, oh, you picked that text because of this situation or that person – we know who you’re talking to. No – it’s just the next verses. Now, there have been times we’ve come to a text that was most appropriate for a given time, situation or even person. And, I’d love to tell you I’ve never targeted anyone, but I’d be lying. Certainly, there have been times when a certain text reminds me of a need of this or that person, and I may therefore hit the truth a bit harder. Of course, more often than not – that person is me.
I say all that to suggest, we come to such a passage today. Not that it’s difficult or a controversial passage but given what we’ve just experienced in the high country, this seems like a perfect text for us. But, I didn’t pick it – it picked us. I’ve even thought, wow – this seems too close, not enough time has passed. But, we will allow God to direct His word. So let’s read the text – Luke 8:22-25.
It’s a familiar story – one we’ve undoubtedly heard many times. It appears in all three synoptic gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke. But, I’ll tell you, when I read it this week, I wondered, too soon? You see, last weekend, we had almost two inches of rain fall and the wind howled – did it cause you some anxiety? Were you a bit fearful? I suppose some were, and understandably so. So again, let’s just allow God to direct His word to our hearts in our storms.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been in Luke 8 – it’s a magnificent chapter – becoming one of my favorites. There, after being reminded in the first few verses that Jesus’ disciples included women like Mary Magdeline, Joanna and Susanna, we launched into a lot of Jesus’ teaching. In fact, if you have a red-letter Bible which has the words of Jesus in red, you may have noticed the past few weeks in Luke 8 are almost all red – Jesus speaking. He has been doing some amazing and challenging teaching, all centered on this: he who has ears to hear, let him hear. It’s not enough to “believe” the gospel – you must prove the gospel by a transformed life. It is not the transformed life that saves you – it simply proves the reality of your saved life. One author I read recently said, works are not justification, but they are confirmation.
Now, we arrive at a section which extends all the way through the rest of chapter 8 and much of chapter 9 which asks literally, and answers the question, who is this man? It’s the question of all time – one which everyone must ask and answer concerning Jesus. There is nothing more important than this question and its answer. He was either who He and the Scripture says He was – and who His words and works prove He was, or He was the greatest magician and charlatan of all time. But I would say, the miracles prove beyond any doubt that He was the very Son of God.
This section contains an amazing set of miracles in which Jesus is demonstrating His divine authority. He is done teaching for now, but He ups the ante in what He does. The next four miracles, found in the rest of chapter 8 are spectacular – greater than anything He’s done yet, at least grouped together. Look at those next four miracles:
- He calms a storm, demonstrating His authority over nature (8:22-25). There was an earlier nature miracle in chapter 5 with the miraculous catch of fish – but it’s nothing compared to this.
- He drives out a legion of demons, demonstrating further authority over the forces of evil, no matter how numerous they are (8:26-39) – and though this world with devils filled, should threaten to undo us; we will not fear for God has willed His truth to triumph through us. He’s cast out demons before, but not like this.
- He heals a woman with a hemorrhage for twelve years – by her merely touching the hem of His garment. The authority isn’t quite as clear in this one – but we read she’d spent all her money on doctors, and they were unable to help her. But Jesus could (8:43-48).
- Finally, He raises Jairus’ daughter from the dead – demonstrating His authority over death itself (8:40-42, 49-56).
Sure, He raised the widow’s son in the last chapter. But in these packed four miracles, we see divine authority perhaps like nowhere else. He demonstrates His authority over nature as the creator, over demons as the Son of God, over disease as the great physician, and over death itself, as the author of life. It is stunning. Allow yourself to be impressed with Jesus again, or perhaps for the first time.
But that’s not all. We get to chapter 9, and after sending out the Twelve with authority over demons and disease, Jesus feeds the five thousand. Again, familiar story, found in all four gospels, but how do you feed 20,000 people with a boy’s lunch? Then we’ll get to what many suggest is the highpoint of the book – in fact, the highpoint of all three synoptic gospels. In this story, they’re up on Caesarea Philippi, and Jesus asks His disciples the question – the most important question of all time, who do people say that I am? After hearing their answers, He asks them, who do you say that I am – and Peter answers, You are the Christ of God, the Son of the living God. Right answer, Peter. It’s the answer Luke is seeking to prove.
But we’re not done. After that, as they start the six-month journey south to Jerusalem where Jesus will be crucified, they stop at the Mount of Transfiguration – so named because there, Jesus takes Peter, James and John to the top of the mountain and is transfigured before them. The veil of His flesh is pulled back a bit for them to see His glory. And they hear the voice of the Father saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One.” In other words, God Himself answers the question of all questions, who is Jesus? He’s My Son – God in the flesh. So buckle up – we are launching into some of the greatest stories in all the Bible – it’s going to be an incredible ride.
Now, before we jump into the text, I want you to notice something else. Side by side, we see the humanity and deity of Jesus. He’s tired, so He sleeps. Then He wakes up, and calms a storm. Perhaps the only other place we see such humanity and deity in a greater way is in the crucifixion – as man, He dies – and in the resurrection – God raised Him from the dead such that He holds the keys of death and hades. So let’s get to the text – I’ll outline it like this:
- First is the Promise of Storms – that is, storms will come. (22-24)
- But second, there is the Promise in Storms, that is, we will never be alone. Something I think we need to be reminded of, given our recent experiences (25).
Luke says, on one of those days, but Mark narrows it to the end of this day we’ve been studying. It’s been a long day of miracles and teaching. Mark tells us the crowds were so great, He got into a boat, pushed off from shore, and taught from the boat. The point is, it’s been an exhausting day. So He tells His disciples, let’s go to the other side of the lake. It’s interesting to note, the lake is the Sea of Galilee, called by a number of other names, but Luke alone calls it a lake, which is what it really is. He’s not only a doctor, historian and theologian, he’s also a geographer.
As they set sail, Jesus is tired. Perhaps the cool evening breeze, the rocking of the boat, the descending of nightfall, and the call of the cushion in the back of the boat all lured Him to sleep. After all, He was fully man. Did you know, God created us to need sleep. It’s crazy if you think about it. If you average 8 hours a night, and live to be 75, you will have slept 25 years of your life.
But here’s a question for you, how well do you sleep? What is it that keeps you awake at night? What is it, right now, that wakes you up with fits of stress or anxiety? What challenge are you facing, in what storm do you find yourself that disrupts your sleep? That brings worry? What is it that is bothering you that our Lord can’t handle? If you’re sick, He can heal you. If you’re demon-oppressed, He can deliver you. If you’re sinful, He can forgive you. If you’re in a storm, He can calm you. And even if you die, He’ll raise you again.
Listen, here’s what we need to know – we serve a Christ who promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He is with us in the midst of life’s challenges. We need to allow our faith, our trust to increase, and trust that He’s here, He’s in control, and we can rest in Him. We can even sleep in the midst of the storm. He fell asleep, and the pounding of the waves, the thrashing of the boat, the howling of the waves didn’t awaken Him. He trusted Himself fully to His Father.
Anyway, they are on their way to the other side of the lake. Mark tells us there are others who decided to follow. He speaks of a flotilla of boats full of disciples who decided to follow Jesus. By the way, in 1986, a well-preserved hull of a fishing boat was uncovered in the mud around the Sea of Galilee which dated to the first century. It’s estimated the boat would have been about 27 feet long, 7.5 feet wide, with 4.5 foot sides. There would have been four oars, two on each side, likely a sail. Interestingly, they would have held up to 15 men, so likely Jesus and the Twelve were in this one boat in this flotilla of boats.
Can’t you see them now? They’re all out in the boats, following Jesus, feeling pretty good about themselves. In fact, if you listen carefully, they’ve all started to sing together, “Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started on this”…wait, not that one. How about this, “I have decided, to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back. Though none go with me, still I will follow, the shore behind me, the waves before me, no turning back, no turning back.” And they watch the people on the shore getting smaller and smaller, and they’re feeling good – we’re with Jesus. We’re the committed ones. We’re true disciples.
And a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. By the way, the words here refer to a hurricane – too soon? – Matthew calls it an earthquake – the sea was so tossed it seemed like a seismic event. You should know, storms happen all the time on the Sea of Galilee – meaning, a storm should not come as a surprise.
You see, the Sea of Galilee is 700 feet below sea level. The mountains rise steeply on the east side of the lake, with high hills on the west side. They say that the cool winds sweep down the valleys onto the surface of the Sea of Galilee, colliding with the warmer winds, and quick, violent, sudden storms then result – they aren’t that unusual. Tana and I have had the privilege of leading three trips to Israel, and always included is a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee – it’s so cool. But as I thought about it, I noticed – the ride is always the first thing in the morning – never in the evening – someone’s read the Bible. Anyway, as common as fierce storms are there, I think this one was special for a couple reasons:
First, this storm appears to be of unusual proportions. Remember, some of these disciples were experienced fishermen – Peter, Andrew, James and John. They had fished their whole lives on this lake. They had seen storms; they had lived through them before. But I believe this was different. A fierce gale, a hurricane, an earthquake. This was a great storm – so great, that the waves swamped the boat – breaking over the boat – and threatened to sink them. The point is this – this was a great storm. Did Jesus not know? Or was He in the process of doing something with these disciples. Would they still follow? Would they still trust? Would we?
A second reason this was unusual and perhaps came as a surprise is the same reason so many of us are caught by surprise at storms in our lives today. We somehow think that if we’re with Jesus, it’s going to be smooth sailing. Come on, I have decided to follow Jesus – what’s the deal with the storm? Where are you God? Haven’t I committed my life to you? What’s going on?
Get the picture in your mind. A flotilla of boats. They’re all following Jesus, the miracle worker. They’re starting to wonder, could this be the Messiah? They’re feeling pretty good – several of them have been healed, the rest saw it with their own eyes. They’ve left the shore. Life is good. Life is grand. What’ll happen tomorrow? Whatever it is, it’ll be great. And a fierce storm arose. There aren’t supposed to be storms when you follow Jesus, are there?
Go with me on this. They began doing the things experienced seaman do – they began battening down the hatches, tying down the sails, lashing down the cargo. They maybe started rowing – gotta ride this baby out. Which is exactly what we do. The weather starts getting rough, the tiny ship is tossed – if not for the courage of the fearless crew, our minnow would be lost. So, we take matters into our own hands. We can take care of it – we start rowing, we’ve seen storms before. But this one looks to be big, so we start rowing harder. And after a while, it appears we might be in trouble, we might need help. So then, we turn to the Master for help, but not till we’ve exhausted all our measly resources.
It doesn’t say that in the text, but I suspect much of that happened. They worked, they bailed, they rowed like crazy. But it was pretty much hopeless. Pretty soon, the other boats begin gathering around, “Where’s Jesus? What’s He doing?” And the answer came back, He’s sleeping! Would that bother you? Wake Him up – maybe He doesn’t know what we’re facing here. By the way, this is the only time we read in the gospels that Jesus was sleeping. He was fully man, so I’m sure He slept. But of all times to be sleeping, this doesn’t appear to be the best time. Unless, of course, He can rest in the midst of storms because He knows who’s in control.
You ever feel that way? You’re in the midst of an unbelievable storm. The waves are crashing in around you – you feel like you’re about to drown. And you wonder what God is doing. You wonder if He’s asleep in the boat, oblivious to your circumstances. And you begin to scream and hollar, God, don’t you know? Don’t you care? Don’t you know I’m dying here?
Which is exactly what the disciples did. They surrounded Him. Get this picture, too: the howling of the winds, the crashing of the waves, the water splashing around and on Him didn’t wake Him up. I don’t think a little nudge was going to wake Him up either. Excuse me, Jesus, we have a situation. No, they gathered around Him with panicked voices, yelling, “Master, Master, we are perishing.” Hear this – while the noise of a life-threatening storm did not awaken Him, the cries of His people did. He heard them – He always does.
Now, before we go to our next point, what do I mean by the promise of the storm? I believe we have a tendency to expect the Christian life should be easy – Jesus should take care of all my problems. But, the Scripture actually promises the opposite. There is the promise of the storm. Jesus is always in the business of refining us, reforming us, taking us deeper. Peter said it this way, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ….Beloved, do not be surprisedat the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”
Storms have a way of knocking off the rough edges and increasing our faith. James calls them trials which mature our faith. The fact is, storms should not surprise us, they’re promised.
But that’s not all that’s promised – there’s also the promise in the storm. What is that? We see that in verse 25. What’s the promise? The promise of His presence. Yes, it’s true they left the shore. Yes, it’s true they were in the boat. Yes, it’s true they were facing a storm of unbelievable proportions. But it was also true Jesus was in the boat with them. He was so unconcerned with the storm He slept. Not because He didn’t care, but because He was carefree. He knew He was in the hands of His Father, and it was not yet His time to go. And when it was time, He would go – just like you and me.
Listen, this is the promise in the storm. Every time we face a storm that threatens to overwhelm us, we can know we don’t face it alone. As believers in Jesus Christ, He is in the boat with us. If we choose to follow Him, we can expect the storms to increase – but we also have the promise of His presence. That’s good news.
But notice something else. Jesus stood up, rebuked the storm, then rebuked them for their lack of faith. Jesus, don’t you get it? We’re about to die here. You ever say that to God? How much more do you think I can take, God? Do You even know where I am? This is important – Jesus didn’t just stand up and calm the storm – He wanted to build faith. In other words, He expected them to have faith in the middle of the storm – not just after He took care of it.
Think about that for a minute. God expects our faith in Him to sustain us through the trials of life, not after everything has subsided. Wow, God, that was really neat what you did. No, He wants us to trust Him in the storm – God, I trust you are going to do something great. And even if you don’t, even if I drown in this trial, I still trust you. Like Shadrack, Meshack and Adednego – we will not bow down and worship your idol, King Nebuchadnezzar. And if you throw us into the fiery furnace, our God is able to rescue us. And even if He doesn’t – we still trust Him – and we still won’t bow. That’s faith in the face of the storm. That’s what Jesus wants from us.
There is one last thing I want you to notice inverse 24 before we close. Remember, we’ve been saying that Jesus is demonstrating through these miracles that He is the Son of God. He got up, rebuked the winds and the waves, and it became calm – perfectly calm. Verse 23 says it was a fierce gale of wind, verse 24 says it was replaced with a great calm. The tense of the verb speaks of an immediate miracle. The winds were howling, the waves were crashing. Jesus spoke – Mark tells us He said, “Hush, be still.” Literally, be muzzled – in the common vernacular of our day, put a muzzle on it. And it did – immediately. It became perfectly calm. From white caps to a sea of glass, instantly. There could be no doubt this was a miracle. As a result, the disciples were fearful – Mark says they feared a great fear. From a great storm, to a great calm, to a great fear. You see, they had gone from a great fear of what was going outside the boat to a great fear of what was going on inside the boat. They went from being afraid of the storm, to terrified of this man who could speak and calm the storm.
They began to realize, Jesus was something different. He was something other. “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” This is the first of many times in Luke the question is asked, “Who is this?” The disciples asked it. The people asked it. Herod will ask it. Even Jesus will ask the disciples, who do the people say that I am? And then He asks them, who do you say that I am? Who am I? Finally, the centurion answers the question – in Luke 23, as His death, we read he began praising God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent.” In Mark 15 we read, “Then the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly, this was the Son of God.’” The centurion believed when he saw Jesus face His greatest storm.
The storm immediately ceased. And the disciples cried out in fear and amazement, Who then is this? Who is this man? The disciples may have known the words of Psalm 107 (23-30) which say, “Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters; They have seen the works of the Lord, And His wonders in the deep. For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves of the sea. They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in their misery. They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, And were at their wits’ end. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they were quiet, So He guided them to their desired haven.”
Who calms the sea like that? God Himself. Who is this Man? Mission accomplished. Jesus was God in the flesh.
Which brings us to our conclusion. Some of you are in the midst of a storm right now. I know that for a fact. And if I know of some, there are at least that many more I don’t know about. And you’re not sure how much longer you can hold on. The waves are swamping your boat, and you feel like you could go under at any minute. And you’ve cried out, God, are you sleeping? Not only is He not sleeping, He wants you to be able to sleep. To rest under the shade of His glorious control.
Most of you faced the literal storm several months ago – unlike anything we’ve ever seen here. You faced danger, your lives and property were swamped. Further, some of you are in relational storms. God, are you sleeping? Some of you are in a storm with your finances. Some of you are in a storm at school or at work. Some of you have given your lives to ministry, to serving the Lord, and you’re in the middle of a firestorm – it’s not supposed to happen this way. And you’re not sure you’re going to make it. The waves are pounding, and you feel like you’re going to drown. You’re wondering where God is.
Can I encourage you this morning with this truth: Jesus is the Lord of the storm. He’s right there with you. He’s in control. He’s taking you deeper, strengthening your faith. He just wants to know, better, He wants you to know, are you still going to follow Him? Can I encourage you, if you’re in the middle of the storm right now, it might not be because you’re doing something wrong – it might just be you’re doing something right. So whatever you’re going through right now, would you say these words to yourself – Jesus is the Lord of my storm.
Communion
Jesus faced the greatest of all storms at the end of His earthly life, as He faced certain crucifixion. He’d been telling His disciples for six months what awaited Him in Jerusalem, but to Jerusalem, He went.
But Hebrews tells us, “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death.” I believe that happened in the Garden of Gethsemane. Father, if it’s possible, let this cup pass from Me. But it wasn’t possible – not if He was going to redeem His people. In His humanity, He faced the prospect not only of dying, but dying a cruel, horrible death. And not only facing that kind of death, but a death while bearing the sins of His people.
He faced the greatest of all storms, for us. And gave us this Lord’s Supper so that we would remember. So that we would be humbled. So that we would be forever grateful. So that we would give Him greatest glory. This is the first Sunday of the month – the first Sunday of 2025. What better way to begin than to remember, and recommit to follow Jesus, whatever storms such following may bring.