QUESTION #11 Where is your faith?

QUESTIONS JESUS ASKED BIBLE STUDY 


 








      Read Matthew 8:23-27 KJV: 

 

* Why are you fearful, oh ye of little faith? (Matthew 8:26)

*  Why are you so fearful? how is it that you have no faith? (Mark 4:40)

      Where is your faith? (Luke 8:25)

 

JESUS CALMS THE STORM

Reference: Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:36-41; Luke 8:22-25

 

Jesus and His disciples were on a boat when a great storm blew in. Jesus was asleep and they woke him because they were afraid they were going to die. They were fearful. 

 

1 Timothy 1:7 says, “A spirit of fear does not come from God, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” However, sometimes we are afraid, sometimes this “spirit of fear” overcomes us, and to overcome fear we need to trust in and love God completely. 1 John 4:18, says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear torments. He that fears is not made perfect in love.”

 

Matthew 8:23-24, “23And when Jesus entered into a ship, His disciples followed Him. 24And, behold, there arose a great storm in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but Jesus was asleep. 25And His disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.”

 

Mark 4:38 records that the disciples awoke Jesus and asked, Master do you not care that we perish?”

 

In this story, the Lord arose, rebuked the storm, and then asked why they were so afraid and had such little or lack of faith. 

 

In Matthew’s account he accused the disciples of having little faith, in Mark’s account he asked why they had no faith, and in Luke’s account he asked, where is your faith?

 

As we read this passage of scripture, we see the Lord not only rebukes His disciples but also nature itself, providing further proof of His divinity.

 

“And Jesus arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:39)

 

Jesus gets up and rebukes the wind and the sea. Now, for Him to have that kind of power is awesome and we should reverence Him because of that. But the next phrase is even more striking – it became perfectly calm, there was a great calm. All of a sudden, in an instant, in the midst of this terrible storm, it all stopped. Now the winds coming to a complete standstill is one thing. That’s pretty amazing. But the wind and the sea became still – perfectly calm – all of a sudden. Physics tells us that once set in motion the waves of the sea should have remained in motion for a while even after the wind stopped. That is not what happened. All of nature, all of nature’s laws, bend and conform to the will of the Master. He didn’t just stop the storm; He removed all evidence that there had been a storm. What an awesome display of power!

 

In Mark’s account, the disciples awoke Jesus and asked Him, “Master, do you not care that we die?” Does Jesus care? This is the question many Christians ask in their times of trouble. Does Jesus know my troubles? Does He care? From this passage we can be assured Jesus does care what happens to His people.

 

Jesus could not believe the disciples faith, He asked, “How is it that you have such little faith?” or “how is it you have no faith”, or “where is your faith?” The disciples lacked sufficient faith to realize that if they were in the Lord’s presence, they need not have feared. Our response, then, should be to remember as we enter life’s storms that we serve the same God. We should have faith that God is aware of our storm, and if we cry out to Him, He can calm any storm. 

 

Now, as we leave these verses, let’s reflect on the reaction of the disciples here. 

 

Matthew 8:27, “But the men marveled, saying, what manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!”

 

Scripture says, “They were amazed”. This was truly a marvelous sight to them. In fact, they marveled and said, “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the seas obey Him?”

 

And still today in this day and hour, that is the million-dollar question. Who is Jesus? He was so tired and in such a deep sleep that even a storm on the open water didn’t wake Him, demonstrating that He was fully human. The fact that He calms a storm with only His word demonstrates that He is none other than God in the flesh (John 1: 14; 1 Timothy 3:16). And just as the disciples called out to Jesus “save us!” in the midst of the storm, we also must call out to Him in faith to save us.

 

No or little faith in Jesus - creates fear when storms come upon us. Remember there is always a purpose when we go through the storms of life, but once we have learned to put our whole trust in God, we will no longer be afraid of the things that come against us. God’s promise and His presence are our resources to make it through raging waters and deadly storms.

 

Where is your faith? The time to exercise faith is in the midst of the storm.

 

To understand more about who Jesus is, see “Who is Jesus” Pamphlet in pocket of study.

 

Notes:

 

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