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Matthew 8:26
ESV And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
NIV He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
NASB He *said to them, 'Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?' Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.
CSB He said to them, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
NLT Jesus responded, 'Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!' Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.
KJV And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
NKJV But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

What does Matthew 8:26 mean?

Jesus was apparently quite tired. He saw gathering crowds on one side of the Sea of Galilee and commanded His disciples to take a boat with Him to the other side. He soon fell asleep in the boat, which was struck by a sudden and violent storm (Matthew 8:23–24). Even the experienced boatmen among the disciples are afraid they will drown, and they wake Jesus with pleas for Him to rescue them (Matthew 8:25).

When Jesus wakes up, His first response is not to immediately save them. Instead, He asks them why they are afraid, and chides their lack of faith. His meaning seems to be that the disciples should be more assured of His ability to save than they are afraid. His primary concern for those who would follow Him is that they trust Him.

Then Jesus stands up and rebukes the wind and sea. He tells it to stop, and an immediate calm falls over the lake. The storm vanishes. Jesus has previously demonstrated His authority over the natural world of human biology and disease (Matthew 8:1–4), as well as the supernatural world of demons (Matthew 8:16). Now He shows that He is master of all of nature, including the weather.
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