Matthew 8:26 - Printer Friendly

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.

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.

Matthew 8:23–27 demonstrates Jesus' authority over nature. Out on the Sea of Galilee in a boat, Jesus is sleeping soundly. A sudden and violent storm springs up, pouring water into the boat from the waves. The disciples fear for their lives and wake Jesus to ask Him to save them. He asks them why their faith is so small and then immediately calms the storm with a rebuke to the wind and waves. The disciples marvel and wonder what sort of man Jesus is if even the wind and sea obey Him.

Matthew begins a series of stories revealing Jesus' authority over sickness, demons, and even the weather. Jesus heals a humble man with leprosy and great faith. He then heals the servant of a Roman centurion who understands that Jesus does not need to come to his home; He can just speak a word. Jesus praises the Gentile man's amazing faith. After healing many more, Jesus and the disciples get caught in a deadly storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus stops the storm with a word. Later, He casts demons out of two men and into a huge herd of pigs.

Matthew 8 follows the conclusion of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2). He turns to telling a series of dramatic stories to show Jesus' power and authority over every kind of disease, over demons, and even over the weather. Jesus also gives brief teachings about the hard road of following Him on earth. He calms a violent storm with a single command and casts demons from two violently possessed men. Matthew will focus mostly on miracles until shifting focus to Jesus' teachings and parables in chapter 11.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.