Matthew shared, “when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow you wherever you go. And Jesus said unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has not where to lay his head. And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” Matthew added, “And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him”, and in chapter eight and verse twenty-four of his book, Matthew shared how, “there arose a great tempest in the sea” where we read:
And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea,
insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
The verse reads, “And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, ...” Matthew began with the words, “and behold” or “and lo and see”, “there arose” which means “there appeared, became and happened” “a great tempest” or “a massive and large shaking, commotion or earthquake” “in the sea” which refers to “within the large body of water in which the boat navigated”. Matthew shared how there was a “great commotion or earthquake” that shook the body of water in which the boat Jesus and His disciples were sailing.
The verse goes on to say, “... insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.” Matthew added the words, “insomuch that” or “in which therefore and wherefore” “the ship” which means “the sailing vessel or boat” “was covered” or “was hidden and veiled in such a way as to hinder the knowledge of a thing” “with the waves” which refers to “with the swells, impulses, restlessness and raging which tossed them to and fro”: “but” or “nevertheless, notwithstanding, moreover and” “he was asleep” which means “Jesus was completely and fully asleep”. Matthew shared how there was such a “great” tossing and “raging” that the boat was “covered” by the waves, but Jesus was sleeping through it all.
When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see the peace Jesus had during a storm. Though the “waves” were covering the boat in which they were sailing, Jesus was asleep. This demonstrates both the humanity and the divinity of Jesus because He needed physical rest, and He had no worries concerning the outward conditions of the boat. God is always on His throne and in control, and even when He appears to be “asleep” while the “waves” are crashing in around us, He fully knows what is going on. May all who feel like they are experiencing “waves” that are tossing them to and fro in their lives know that Jesus, who may appear to be asleep, is able to contend with whatever “raging” suddenly appears.
Next time Matthew shares how, “his disciples came to him, and awoke him”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
No comments:
Post a Comment