Matthew 8:24

‘And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, in so much that the boat was covered with the waves, but he was asleep.'

Once in the boat the experts took over and Jesus went to the rear of the boat where He could lie down. And there, probably totally exhausted, He fell asleep, even though the trip would not last long. The journey was in His Father's hands and so He had no fear.

But as will often happen for those who follow Jesus a huge storm arose, at least partly caused by the winds that regularly funnelled down through the surrounding mountain ranges. These winds were due to the very hot atmosphere around the Sea, which was over six hundred feet (two hundred metres) below sea level, which caused a vacuum that sucked in the winds. For it was fed from the source of the River Jordan, a River which flowed through the deep Jordan Rift valley and ended in the self-contained Dead Sea with no outlet to any other Sea. That the Dead Sea did not overflow its banks was due to the rapid evaporation of the water due to the powerful heat, which was what also left the Dead Sea highly saline. But that did not affect the Sea of Galilee which was a fresh water sea, full of fish.

These sudden storms could be very fierce, and very deadly. But they were commonplace on the Sea of Galilee, small though it was. All aboard had memories of friends who had perished in such storms. But this one is described as a cataclysm (earthquake). And as the winds tore their sail to shreds, and the huge waves began to pour over and fill the boat, even these hardened fishermen began to panic. It may even be that the storm was literally accompanied by an earthquake, for here that is the literal meaning of the word translated ‘tempest (Matthew 24:7; Matthew 27:54; Matthew 28:2). It would help to explain the particular severity of the waves. Thus there was, in Matthew's words, the idea of a great cataclysm. Perhaps, like Peter later, he had in mind another boat which in Genesis 7:11 had also faced such storms and tempests in bringing God's chosen ones through to deliverance, for Peter will later use that as a picture of salvation (1 Peter 3:20) and there too they had entered the boat at God's command, and there too there is a connection with a testimony made to evil spirits which follows after (1 Peter 3:19). Compare the contrasting lesson in Matthew 24:37. Certainly there is here a beautiful picture of what it means to be in Christ (Matthew 18:5; Matthew 25:40), and to have Him with us whatever life may bring (Matthew 28:20).

It was the fiercest storm that any there could remember, and they had experienced many. It seemed to them that hope had gone. Its battering was tearing their boat to pieces and totally swamping it. And yet, as the water poured in over the sides, their Master lay in the stern of the boat, fast asleep and seemingly unaware of what was happening. He was doing nothing to help them save the boat, and themselves.

‘Covered with waves.' The vivid testimony of an eyewitness. It was as though they were being buried alive.