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Oftentimes when we read or hear sermons about Jesus calming the storm, the emphasis of these sermons is usually how Jesus calms the storm in your life. While our Lord Jesus can and often does calm the storms in our lives, this is not the focus of this article. In this piece, I seek to explore the theological significance of the miracle account in which Jesus rebukes and stills the storm as an example of what the many miracles documented in the gospels say about who Jesus is.
I recently read yet another challenge to the deity of our Lord Jesus as it pertains to the miracle of rebuking and stilling the storm mentioned in the gospels. This challenge went something like this: “Jesus’s rebuke of the storm cannot be evidence of his deity; after all, Elijah controlled nature too, for he commanded and there was no rain on the land for three years and six months and then later at his word the rain came! So Jesus did not do anything special.” As a follower of Christ, I am always wondering to myself: “Why do non-Christians so desperately try to disprove the divinity of Jesus? What is the reason behind this obsession?”
Most non-Christians around the world today believe that Jesus was a historical character and that he lived and taught in the land of Israel around the first century AD. Some of these groups believe that he was simply a good moral teacher. Others—Muslims for example—believe that he was a righteous prophet of God. So why are non-Christians ready to accept that he existed but are not ready to believe in his divinity? The answer to this question is quite simple: if you take away the divinity of Jesus, you take away the entire Christian faith and with it the efficacy of Christ’s redemptive work through his crucifixion and resurrection.
We as Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God—that is, God incarnate, taking the form and likeness of man. This is the most fundamental belief of Christianity and what sets the Christian faith apart from all others. Without the deity of Christ, there is no redemption, no forgiveness of sins, and no Christianity. According to the Bible, people do not go to heaven because they were “good people” here on earth and those who will perish in hell were not necessarily “bad people” here on earth either. Those who will inherit the kingdom of God will do so because their sins—however few or many—were forgiven by the blood of the Son of God. Those who will be cast out in eternal damnation will be those whose sins—again, however few or many—were not forgiven by Christ’s redemptive sacrifice.
But the ability of Jesus’s blood to forgive and atone for sins is not founded upon a good moral teacher or a righteous prophet dying for the sins of humanity. It is squarely built upon the Son of God dying on that cross. If Jesus were just a mere man—however righteous—his death (and even resurrection if so believed) would be simply ineffective and insufficient to forgive sin. Now it becomes easy to see why the deity of Jesus has been at the crosshairs of most attacks on the Christian faith since the dawn of Christianity to this day.
When we read the New Testament, we find many references to Jesus expositing the Scriptures to his disciples explaining to them how he was supposed to suffer and die and then rise from the dead (Luke 24:27, 44–49). We also read how Paul after his conversion was disputing with the Jews proving to them that Jesus was the Christ—the Messiah (Acts 9:22; 18:28). When I read passages like these I often wonder to myself: What exactly did Jesus explain to his disciples? How did Paul prove to the Jews Jesus’s identity as God’s Messiah from the Old Testament? Which passages from the Old Testament did he use? When I began to study the Old Testament for myself, paying close attention to certain details and nuances and cross-referencing them with the New Testament, I started to find answers to these questions. I started to see passages—like the one we will discuss here—that show that Jesus never did or said anything arbitrarily and that nearly everything in the gospel narratives squarely points to some hidden theological gem in the Old Testament.
God Stilling the Storm in the Old Testament
As we read through the New Testament narratives of the numerous miracles Jesus performed, we are tempted to think that they were just miracles to prove that Jesus—as God and the Son of God—had supernatural power that authenticates the message he was preaching. But this is rarely the extent of it. Rebuking the storm for example may be viewed simply as evidence that Jesus had authority over nature. While this is true, there is a much deeper theological aspect to this. As you study both the Old and New Testament further, you will see that there is almost nothing that Jesus said or did that did not have deep roots in the Old Testament. Let’s take rebuking the storm as an example.
In Psalm 107 we read about “those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters” (Ps. 107:23). These could be sea merchants, fishermen, or anyone else who travels via sea for business. The psalm goes on to describe how they—through their many journeys—see the wonders of the LORD and the work of his creation. When we read further, the psalmist tells us how the LORD raises up storms and high waves in the middle of the sea. At the sight of these storms, the hearts of those in the ships begin melting in fear and, as the NASB and the ESV put it, they reach “their wits’ end” (Ps. 107:27). They become helpless and desperate. Much like the mariners in the story of Jonah or anyone who is in the middle of a stormy sea, they cry out to God for help. Then comes the interesting part. When they cried out to God, says the psalmist, God “caused the storm to be still, so that the waves of the sea were hushed!” (Ps. 107:29). But the story doesn’t end here. After God quieted the storm, the psalmist tells us that those in the ship “were glad because [the waves] were quiet, so [God] guided them to their desired haven” (Ps. 107:30).
While many may read this psalm and don’t think twice about it, the deep theological notions embedded in it become evident when we compare the sequence of events here to what we read in the gospels. We will do that by examining the miracle of Jesus calming the storm, which is found in Matthew 8, Mark 4, and Luke 8. Let’s take a look at what Mark wrote for us.
Jesus Stilling the Storm (Mark 4:35–41)
At the conclusion of teaching the crowds that gathered around him, Jesus told his disciples to get in the boat and go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Those who are familiar with the geography of Israel and the weather patterns in that area would know that—to this day—the Sea of Galilee is notorious for its sudden storms and high winds. One minute the weather may be calm with clear skies and moderate temperatures and all of a sudden storms start rolling in the area with little to no advance warning. We find this fact repeatedly in the gospels, showing the gospel writers were well familiar with the geography and weather patterns in the region. On this particular evening, Jesus—apparently exhausted from the day’s work of teaching and preaching—fell asleep in the stern of the boat on a pillow. As his disciples made their way across the waters, a great tempest hit the region causing water to start coming in the boat so that it began sinking.
Disheartened at the fact that Jesus was at the back of the boat sleeping, his disciples woke him up frantically saying, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38). We are then told that Jesus woke up and rebuked the storm and that “the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). Seeing what had happened, his disciples started wondering to one another saying, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41). The elements and details in this account remarkably resemble Psalm 107 which we just examined.
We know that the disciples were mostly fishermen who “do business on great waters” exactly as the Psalm 107 describes. As they sailed to and fro on the water, they got to witness the wonders of God’s creation. When reading Scripture, it is always important to notice not only what the Bible says but also what it does not say. In this specific account in the gospels it is important to notice what the disciples did not do when they faced the storm. In all the different versions of this event we do not find that the disciples cried out to God. Instead, they cried out to Jesus! Normally, in a situation such as this, it is natural to expect them to start crying out to God especially that they were Jews who believed in God and his dominion over nature. Although we later read that they marveled at Jesus’s authority after he calmed the storm, it is noteworthy that they went to him asking for help when they saw their ship sinking. The underlying significance of this act shows that they believed that Jesus could somehow intervene and save them. Had they known for sure that there was nothing Jesus could do, they would not have woke him up asking him for help. Whether they realized it or not at first, when they cried out to Jesus for help they were fulfilling what the Scripture says that those who are in the midst of a stormy sea cry out to God as they reach “their wits’ end” (Ps. 107:27–28).
What Jesus did next accurately aligns once again with what Psalm 107 says. In Mark we read: “And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). This is a nearly identical language to what Psalm 107 says that God does in the face of a storm: “[The LORD] made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed” (Ps. 107:29). Only God can command a storm to be still and nature obeys. By stilling the storm, Jesus witnessed to himself by his deeds that he was none other than God in human form.
Anyone can claim to be God, but not anyone can do the deeds of God. When Jesus claimed to be equal to God the Father (John 10:30), he was not making a frivolous claim or speaking empty words. Time and again he told his disciples and the Jews to believe in him because he did the works of the Father (John 10:25, 37–38; 14:11). While many challenge Jesus’s divinity because—as they claim—he never verbally said “I am God” with clear, straightforward, and unambiguous language, his claim to divinity was never based on words or verbal statements but was solidly founded in works and deeds. Doubtless, this is a far stronger claim to deity than mere words or verbal assertions. Just as we are commanded not to “love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18) our Lord proved his deity with deed and truth and not through words or assertions. It is easy to say that we believe in God, love him, and love others. But these words would be empty if, for example, we see one of our brethren in need and shut our hearts and minds against him or her and refuse to help (1 John 3:17). The testimony of deeds and works is far stronger and more meaningful than any words uttered. Thus, our Lord Jesus chose to witness to his deity by works and not by words!
I made a bold claim above. I stated that only God can rebuke a storm and nature obeys. But what about those who challenge this claim as I mentioned at the beginning of this article? But what about someone like Elijah? Was he not able to command drought and rainfall in Israel? I will answer these questions in the below.
What about Elijah?
Did Elijah have authority over nature? The short answer here is, No, he did not. But if that is the case, then how did he command the rain not to fall for three and a half years and then commanded it again and it came? Let’s examine what Elijah actually did.
The Elijah narrative shows that he never “commanded” nature but rather prayed and the LORD answered. In the New Testament, James makes this clear to us: “Elijah was a man of like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit” (James 5:17–18). There is no question that what Elijah did was through prayer and not by command or authority. But this is what the New Testament says. What about the original Old Testament account? Let’s take a look at the nuances of that narrative.
Elijah and Commanding the Rain
At the beginning of the Elijah narrative in First Kings we read that he said to Ahab, the king of Israel at the time: “As the LORD the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word” (1 Kings 17:1). Notice the opening statement of Elijah where he uses the name of God to affirm that what follows had been instructed to him and authenticated by the word of the LORD. Elijah did not command nature not to bring rain. He simply relayed the judgment that the LORD had passed over the land. A short time after this verse we read that the LORD instructed Elijah to go to Zarephath because he (the LORD) had commanded a widow to provide for Elijah (1 Kings 17:9). To show that he has no power to perform any miracle, right before Elijah told the widow that her flour and oil would not run out, he said this: “For thus says the LORD the God of Israel, ‘The jar of meal shall not be spent, and the cruse of oil shall not fail, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth’” (1 Kings 17:14). Again, the opening phrase shows that the miracle was ordained by the LORD. It also shows that Elijah did not know for how long there would be no rain on the land. He was waiting to hear from the LORD. The Scripture makes this clear to us, for after Elijah stayed at the widow’s house for many days we are told that “the jar of meal was not spent, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by Elijah” (1 Kings 17:16). Though it was Elijah who uttered the spoken words, it is was the LORD who commanded them.
When it was time for the rain to return to the land, we read that Elijah went up to Mount Carmel and crouched on his hands and knees, placing his face between his knees (a posture of intense prayer and complete surrender between the hands of the LORD). As he prayed, he asked his servant to go back and check for even a single cloud moving into the area. He did that not once or twice, but seven times and there was none. Finally, the LORD answered his prayer and sent a small cloud (the size of a man’s hand), which later turned the sky black with heavy cloud cover and strong wind, causing a heavy shower on the land at last (1 Kings 17:41–46). It is evident from this narrative that Elijah never commanded the rain to stop or to return to the earth. All he did was to relay God’s word and pray. This is starkly different from the absolute authority our Lord Jesus displayed in commanding nature with a single word from his mouth!
I will close by briefly examining one other account that shows Jesus’s dominion over nature, where Jesus stopped the raging sea not by speaking to it but by his mere presence!
Jesus Walking on Water (Mark 6:45–52)
In this intriguing narrative we read of yet another instance where the disciples of Jesus were rowing across the Sea of Galilee from one side to the other. This time they were alone in the boat, for Jesus had asked them to go ahead of him while he stayed behind to pray. It was about the fourth watch of the night (shortly before dawn) and they were battling strong winds and high waves. As their boat was battered by the waters, they saw Jesus coming to them, not in another boat but walking on the water. Terrified at this sight, they thought it was a ghost and started to cry out in panic. Mark writes in his gospel, “Then [Jesus] saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by”(Mark 6:48). Though this story is written in Matthew and John, the gospel of Mark is unique in relating this small detail to us, that Jesus was about to pass them by. That is, he had not planned to get in the boat but had wanted to keep walking on the water. Now why do you think Mark cared to document this small detail for us? Amazingly, the answer to this question lies in the Old Testament, and more specifically in the book of Exodus!
God Passing by Moses
Shortly after their exodus from Egypt, the Israelites were taken to Mount Sinai to worship the LORD and receive his commandments. While there, one day Moses says to the LORD, “Please, show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18). Because no man could see the face of the LORD and live, the LORD tells Moses that he would show him his glory as he passes by, but his face he could not see. The LORD also tells Moses that as he passes by, he would place Moses inside a cleft in the rocks and cover him with his hand until he is passed so that he does not see his face. The LORD goes on to say, “Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen” (Exodus 33:23). This amazingly small detail helps us understand the theological significance of Jesus’s intention to pass by his disciples in the boat so that they would be able to see his back. This curious detail which Moses recorded for us long ago became equally true of our Lord Jesus as he intended to pass by his disciples in the middle of the raging sea so that they would see his back as Moses saw only the back of the LORD and not his face. Being more privileged than Moses, however, the disciples were able to see the face of God in his Son Jesus—something Moses could not.
As the Lord Jesus was manifesting his glory by walking on water, he intended to show his divinity by doing the same thing that the LORD did with Moses centuries earlier in the wilderness—that is, allowing them to see his back only as he walked by them. Jesus not only claimed to himself the titles of God and did the acts of God, but also behaved as God did in the Old Testament. To those who read and study Scripture attentively, the theological significances of such details put the reality of Jesus’s deity beyond dispute.
We learn later in the story that Jesus agreed to join them in the boat. As soon as he came into the boat with them, the storm ceased and the sea became calm. Noticeably, this peace and calm came about without Jesus even speaking to the storm as he did in the previous miracle we discussed above. This time his mere presence calmed the wind and stilled the stormy seas.
Conclusion
So why am I painstakingly taking the time to point out all these details to you? To provide evidence that Jesus is God through these miracles? That is part of it, but there is more. I am trying to demonstrate to you the importance of not only being generally familiar with the Old Testament but also studying it. Many 21st century Christians (and even teachers and preachers of the word of God) believe that the Old Testament is not really relevant to us anymore. The gospels and Paul’s letters are much more worthy of our time and study—so they believe. If you so believe, let me tell you that you have been deceived! What did Paul use to preach Jesus to the Jews and the Gentiles alike? What did the gospel writers quote to show that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ? What did Jesus himself use to fend off the attacks of the devil and to show his divinity in the gospels? The answer to all the above is, the Old Testament scriptures!
I am also trying to illustrate by using two well-known miracles of Jesus how some small subtleties may be missed or dismissed as unimportant or insignificant when in fact they are quite telling. The very reason these nuances may be overlooked is due to ignorance of Scripture, especially the Old Testament. Nothing explains the Bible better than the Bible itself. You must use Scripture to understand Scripture. But to do that, you must first study it and fill your heart and mind with it. And “Scripture” does not only include the New Testament but most definitely the Old Testament as well.
