He got into a boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. 25 They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. 27 The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?”
In this passage, Jesus gets into the boat first, and His disciples follow Him (v. 23). A few verses earlier, Matthew tells us that Jesus had given orders “to cross to the other side” of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 8:18). The disciples are therefore following Him into the boat and across the Sea of Galilee. The miracle is not separated from discipleship. To follow Jesus means to go with Him where He leads, even when the way becomes frightening and uncertain.
A storm comes suddenly and violently. On the Sea of Galilee, strong winds could arise quickly, turning the water dangerous in a short time. Matthew uses a strong word for the storm, a word that can also mean an “earthquake,” showing that this is more than a passing inconvenience. The boat is being covered by waves, while Jesus is asleep (v. 24). The disciples are not imagining the danger. The storm is real, the boat is threatened, and their fear is understandable.
Their cry is direct and reverent: “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” (v. 25). This is the prayer of frightened disciples who know they cannot save themselves. It is also the prayer of the Church in every age when trials, persecutions, confusion, or weakness seem to threaten her. The boat has long been seen as an image of the Church, because Christ remains with His people even when storms rise against them.
Jesus first addresses the disciples before He addresses the storm. “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” (v. 26). He does not say they have no faith. They have followed Him, and they call upon Him as Lord. Yet Jesus’ words show that fear and little faith are closely connected in this moment. The storm is real, but the Lord is with them in the boat.
Then Jesus rises and rebukes the winds and the sea. The word “rebuked” is forceful. It shows His authority, not only over sickness and human need, but also over the elements of the created world itself. In the Old Testament, God alone rules the sea and uses the waters for His saving purpose, as when He brought Israel safely through the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21–22). The psalmist says of the Lord, “You rule the raging sea; you still its swelling waves” (Psalm 89:10). Another psalm says of those rescued from the storm, “He hushed the storm to silence, the waves of the sea were stilled” (Psalm 107:29).
Immediately after Jesus speaks, there is “great calm” (v. 26). Matthew sets the “violent storm” beside the “great calm” to show the authority of Christ. The sea obeys Him because creation belongs to Him. The disciples’ question, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?” (v. 27), points toward the deeper truth that they will come to understand more fully: Jesus is not merely a teacher or wonder-worker. He is the Lord who saves.
This passage also speaks to ordinary Christian life. Storms can take many forms: fear, suffering, spiritual struggle, uncertainty, persecution, or trials faced by the Church. Christ may seem silent for a time, but He is not absent. The disciple’s task is not to pretend there is no storm, but to turn to the Lord who is already in the boat.
Lord Jesus Christ, when fear rises and our faith grows weak, teach us to call upon You with trust. Remind us that You are near to Your Church and near to every disciple who follows You. Speak Your peace into our hearts, and strengthen us to trust You in every storm. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Matthew 8:23–27 and notes on Matthew 8:23, 8:24, 8:25, and 8:26.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Page 21, notes on Matthew 8:23–27, 8:24, 8:26, and 8:27.
- Casciaro, José María, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Pages 74–75, notes on Matthew 8:23–27.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. Pages 648–649, paragraph 58.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, Richard J. Clifford, Carol J. Dempsey, Eileen M. Schuller, Thomas D. Stegman, and Ronald D. Witherup, eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. Page 926.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, with a Foreword by Pope Francis. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022. Pages 1188–1189.
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