Matthew 8:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

NIV: The men were amazed and asked, 'What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!'

NASB: The men were amazed, and said, 'What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?'

CSB: The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him! "

NLT: The disciples were amazed. 'Who is this man?' they asked. 'Even the winds and waves obey him!'

KJV: But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

NKJV: So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Through the entire length of Jesus' earthly ministry, His disciples were continually amazed to learn more about Him. Learning that He could immediately calm a storm by telling it to stop causes them to marvel and ask, "What kind of man is this?" They were shocked to learn that even the wind and waves of nature obeyed His voice.

Mark's report of this same event (Mark 4:35–41) makes it clear that this marveling at Jesus was less about wonder and more about fear. As the disciples realized that this man in their boat could command the sea and the sky, they may have been afraid to be near so much power.

The fact that they asked this question shows that the disciples did not yet understand Jesus to be the Son of God with all of God's authority at His command. They may have believed Him to be the Messiah in the sense that He had real power and was destined to be king over Israel, but they had not yet grasped who He truly was.

They were about to see yet another demonstration of His authority over demons. Once again, Jesus' power and the cost of following Him would inspire others to fear.

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.