Title: Jesus Calms the Storm
Contents
Luke 8:22-25
One day he and his disciples got into a boat and said to them, "Let's cross over to the other side of the lake." So as they set out and set out, Jesus fell asleep. Just then, a gust of wind struck the lake, and the boat was full of water, and it was in danger. They woke him up and said, “Lord, Lord, we are going to die.” Jesus awoke and rebuked the wind and the waves. And he said to his disciples, "Where is your faith?" They were afraid and marveled, and said to one another, "Who is this that he commands the wind and the water, and they obey him?"
(Introduction)
In the Bible, we can clearly see the groaning of a human being. I will read it in a colloquial joint translation to give it more liveliness.
“The day I was born is cursed. It would have been better if my mother had not given birth to me and this day was not blessed. I said to my father, 'Son, son. Cursed is he who made his father happy with the good news, saying, ‘You have a son.’ If that man had become like a city that the LORD mercilessly tore down. I wish he had heard the cries in the morning and the cries of war by day. Why didn't God kill me in the womb? If I had died in my mother's womb, it would have been my tomb. Why do I spend my days in shame after I came out of the womb and suffer such suffering and sorrow?”
(Jeremiah 15:18) How can my pain continue, and my wounds are so severe that they do not heal?
(Jeremiah 20:7) Because you persuaded me, O LORD, I was persuaded; for you were stronger than me and overcame me, so I am a mockery; everyone mocks me all day long.
Why are human groanings and grievances against God written so explicitly in the Bible? It is proof that God is not ignoring human suffering, and the Bible gives the answer to despair. A God you can trust in any despair. It was Jesus who showed it.
The theme of today's sermon is 'Esu-nim who can be trusted in all dangers and storms'. In the text, the disciples are crossing the lake with Jesus in a boat.
The lake is the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is a large sea-like lake, 13 km wide and 21 km long. It is said that a sudden typhoon blows on the Sea of Galilee due to a sharp difference in atmospheric pressure when the seasons change. Today, while crossing the lake on a boat with the disciples, a storm suddenly broke out. Here is what we have to learn
1. Even if Jesus is with you, there will be storms and waves in your life.
The storm did not escape the disciples of Jesus. It wasn't because the disciples were sinful. It wasn't because I made a mistake, or because I didn't have enough spirituality. In verse 22, on the contrary, they get into the boat after hearing what Jesus said to them to go to the other side of the lake.
There are things that happen to the world, whether believers or unbelievers. It is the storm of life. Ecclesiastes 9:2 teaches us that wind and waves do not separate believers from unbelievers.
Everything that happens to everyone is common. The righteous and the wicked, the good and the clean and the impure, the sacrificer and the non-sacrificing person are the same.
But why was Jesus sleeping at that moment? In a storm, the ship would rock like a viking. Was it because Jesus was so nervous that he was so tired that he could sleep in the midst of a storm? He must have been tired of ministering to a multitude of people or praying all night long.
But what does it mean to sleep on a very shaky boat as a result?