Nature Obeys

May 21, 2025 |  Read and Think About Matthew 8:14-27

The main subject of the passage today is Jesus calming the stormy sea, a moment in time when nature obeyed Jesus and everything went utterly calm.  

In a larger sense, the passage shows us a number of miraculous healings performed by Jesus in the first few verses, followed by three short exchanges Jesus had with different people.

To the religious scribe who wanted to be His follower, He responded with “Foxes have holes …”  In essence, this reflected that Jesus had no home by this point, for his ministry was one of traveling to the towns.  He had places to go and a mission to fulfill. 

To the man intending to follow Jesus after burying his father first, I think this was a metaphor.  The situation reflects those instances where a person might say,  “I will follow … when my circumstances change.”  In today’s terms, the circumstance could be finishing school perhaps, or settling down, or reaching some other station in life.  Jesus is saying when the spiritual tap on the shoulder occurs, when the attraction to know Jesus and follow him is felt, don’t let circumstances be an excuse.

Finally, to the Apostles in the boat, He responded to their alarm first by miraculously calming the storm, then by saying, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid.”  Given that Jesus was in the boat with them, why were they afraid?  This teaches that storms of every kind are inevitable, and it is better to be “in the boat” with Jesus when they happen, than to face them alone. 

Taken together, Jesus’ statements teach that we are to live ready to adapt and follow where the Holy Spirit leads.  Our priority should be Him rather than our circumstances.  And we are to stay close to Him and can trust Him, especially when life gets stormy.