In Matthew 8, we read a very familiar passage in which Jesus performs a very familiar miracle. The disciples are on a boat on the Sea of Galilee. A storm arises, and the disciples fear for their lives. They cry out to Jesus for help, and Jesus calms the sea.
Matthew 8:23-27 – 23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
Keep what I have said in mind as you ponder the question that the disciples ask. Just what kind of man is Jesus. They come to him. They ask for his help. He speaks a word and calms a raging sea. Who can do such a thing?
In Psalm 107, we find the answer. Take a look. The text describes our scenario quite well.
First, men go to the sea and encounter a great and frightening storm. The psalmist lets us know that this encounter will show them something of the glory of God.
Psalm 107::23-27
23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits’ end.
Sound familiar so far? It certainly reads like our passage in Matthew. But, of course, in Matthew, Jesus is there, the disciples call on him, and the sea is calmed.
Psalm 107:28-32
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress. 29 He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
What does the psalm show us? In this song, we see that the frightened men on the sea cry out to the Lord, to God himself, and the Lord saves them. How does the Lord save them? The Lord calms the sea and guides them to their destination. And the result of this action is that this should lead to men worshipping the Lord.
It looks here like the psalmist, under the inspiration of the Lord, is writing a prophecy of what the Savior would do. Jesus, on the Sea of Galilee, hundreds of years after this psalm was penned, would be on the boat. God would send a storm. Men would cry to Jesus. Jesus would calm the storm. And then the men would ask what kind of man Jesus is.
What kind of man is Jesus? The psalm tells us. the Lord calms the sea. Jesus calms the sea. Jesus is the Lord. Jesus is God in the flesh. And thus, Jesus is worthy of worship.
Pastor Travis Peterson 