Matthew 8:27

What this episode covers

Sunday, 23 March 2025   So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Matthew 8:27    “And the men, they wondered, saying, ‘What kind, He is – this – that even the winds and the sea, they obey Him?’” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus reprimanded the winds and the sea. In doing so, a great calm came about. Now, Matthew continues with, “And the men, they wondered.”   The word translated as wonder has already been seen in verse 8:10 when Jesus wondered at the great faith of the centurion. Now, the word is applied to the attitude of the disciples toward Jesus. The word signifies a sense of admiration, but it must have been much more than that in the case of the disciples.   They surely admired His power to control the elements through His word, but that is something otherwise unheard of. Because of this, Matthew next notes that they were “saying, ‘What kind, He is – this?’”    A new word is introduced here, potapos. It is a word coming from pote, when or what kind, and pou, where or in what place. Together, they give the sense of “what possible sort?” Today, we might say, “What on earth?” or “Who on earth?”   It is a question looking at the broadest scope and conveying the idea of “Out of everywhere and every place, I can’t think of anything comparable!” This was because, as they next say, “that even the winds and the sea, they obey Him?”   Searching the sum of their lives’ memories and all of the cumulative things they had been taught or heard over the years of their lives, they were at a complete loss of knowing another instance of such an event taking place.   The only time such things ever occurred in all of their knowledge base would be the hand of the Lord effecting such an event as recorded in their Scriptures, such as –   “So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows.” Jonah 1:15, 16   The disciples would have known this story as well as the other miracles of the Lord, but this did not extend to the power of mere men. And so how could Jesus have effected such a wondrous miracle as He did?   Life application: It is again evident in the words of the apostles that they had no idea of the true nature of Jesus’ character. It is true that they would have considered Him the Messiah, but the Messiah was just a man who would be sent to deliver Israel!   How could He also be a man who could calm the raging seas? The disciples are being schooled on the nature of Jesus, and yet they continue to fail to understand who He truly is. This continues on today.   People read the word, and if they have been told that Jesus is not God, blinders remain firmly fixed over their eyes. It is as if the words their eyes alight on are soaked with water and have turned to blobs of ink, impossible to decipher.   It is proper to come to the Bible without presuppositions and to search out what it says by laying aside what we want the word to say or what we have been told it says. Until we have checked out what we have been told, let us be sure to let the Lord speak to us through His word.   By doing this, along with prayer for Him to reveal His word to us, we will be allowing Him to speak. This is how it is intended to be when we read His word.   Lord God, we pray for Your word to be revealed to us as You intend. Help us to put aside our presuppositions, biases, and desires concerning Your word and instead look for what You intend to convey through what You have spoken as is recorded there. May it be so, O God. Amen.

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