October 3 – Luke 8:22-25

Luke 8:22-25 - Lord of the Storm

In one of the commentaries I read regarding this passage, it was interesting to see how the author pulled out various sets of ‘three.’

First – there are three trajectories: Jesus, the disciples and the storm. It is as the three interact that the story grows. There are three behaviors that Jesus displays – toward himself … he sleeps, toward the elements … he commands, toward his disciples … he poses an important question.  The elements of wind and water act in three separate phases – they begin normally, enter into a crisis, then return to normal.  These three phases take us through the entirety of the story.

My father, a pastor, always said that he was trained to give three points in his sermon and then wrap it up. It seems like this is a point Luke took to heart as well.

Jesus and his companions get into the boat. You have to realize that it wasn’t only the twelve disciples. The women who traveled with them would have been part of this group (the women have not left the group since they were introduced in the beginning of chapter eight).  It was calm and Jesus went to sleep.

Then, came the crisis. A squall came up and it threatened the boat, so much so that they were in danger. Luke tells us they were in great danger. Think about this – if the disciples were afraid enough of the squall to wake Jesus, it had to have been quite a storm. Four of those men were fishermen and probably knew more about weather on a lake than anyone else.

The author of my commentary notes another set of three – the disciples went to Jesus, they woke him and they spoke to him. By calling him Master, they give him authority that is greater than that of a teacher. He wakes up, gets up and rebukes the wind and the waters and the elements return to normal.

When Jesus asks them about their faith, none of them respond with defensiveness or an answer. They are in awe of the amazing power found in the moment. Jesus is more than just a healer or great teacher, he is Lord of the universe.

Bovon, F., & Koester, H. (2002). Luke 1: A commentary on the Gospel of Luke 1:1–9:50. Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.