Why are you fearful?
Why are you fearful?But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. Matthew 8:26
The question may have struck the disciples as a little unfair. We are told that a tempest arose and the boat was covered with waves. Who would not be fearful in the midst of the danger of sinking?
The situation was not of their making. To add to their feeling of helplessness Jesus was fast asleep in the boat. Mark, in his gospel, captures their frustration, as they wake Him asking, “Do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus chides them for being fearful, pins their fear as lack of faith, and rising up, He calms the winds and the sea, and they marvel and ask, “who can this be that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
By calming the winds and the sea Jesus demonstrated that He was sovereign, and He did care. The lack of faith of the disciples was precisely their inability to fully grasp the sovereignty of the Son of God on one hand, and His love on the other. In the first question “Do you not care we are perishing?” they showed that they had not quite grasped the love of God. In the later, they showed that they had not understood His sovereignty. The sovereignty of God and the love of God is the basis of all genuine confidence in God, and the sure antidote to all fear.
I am convinced that real faith is directly proportional to how much we grasp this doctrine of sovereignty, and how much we understand God’s love for us. Of all the prophets, I believe, Isaiah, uses the term, “fear not” more times than any other, and most times what forms the backdrop for these comforting words is the ultimate sovereignty of God, and His love for His people. For instance in Isaiah 43, God establishes the comforting thought, “Fear not”, in the first verse, and then follows it with the reason why. “I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name” – this is His testimony to His love. Then He adds, “rivers shall not overflow you, fire shall not burn you” – a promise that cannot be true unless He was sovereign. God is saying, fear not because I love you, and I am sovereign. Faith is often misconstrued as believing in the “promises” that God makes. I think that is a consequence of faith. Real faith is simply believing in the ultimate sovereignty of God, and the infinite love of God.
Friend, are you fearful? Are you dismayed at the turn of events? Circumstances that were not your doing? Then may I urge you to meditate on this wonderful doctrine of the sovereignty of God, and deliberate on the love of God. And if these words are not enough, may I point you to two days in history. On the first day, Good Friday, with Jesus on the cross, God displayed His love for all who would believe. On that other day, Easter Sunday, with an empty tomb, God displayed His sovereignty. The One who could love a rebellious humanity to die for it, and the One whom the grave could not hold is the sovereign God who loves you! Why are you fearful? O ye of little faith!
Danesh Manik
The question may have struck the disciples as a little unfair. We are told that a tempest arose and the boat was covered with waves. Who would not be fearful in the midst of the danger of sinking?
The situation was not of their making. To add to their feeling of helplessness Jesus was fast asleep in the boat. Mark, in his gospel, captures their frustration, as they wake Him asking, “Do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus chides them for being fearful, pins their fear as lack of faith, and rising up, He calms the winds and the sea, and they marvel and ask, “who can this be that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
By calming the winds and the sea Jesus demonstrated that He was sovereign, and He did care. The lack of faith of the disciples was precisely their inability to fully grasp the sovereignty of the Son of God on one hand, and His love on the other. In the first question “Do you not care we are perishing?” they showed that they had not quite grasped the love of God. In the later, they showed that they had not understood His sovereignty. The sovereignty of God and the love of God is the basis of all genuine confidence in God, and the sure antidote to all fear.
I am convinced that real faith is directly proportional to how much we grasp this doctrine of sovereignty, and how much we understand God’s love for us. Of all the prophets, I believe, Isaiah, uses the term, “fear not” more times than any other, and most times what forms the backdrop for these comforting words is the ultimate sovereignty of God, and His love for His people. For instance in Isaiah 43, God establishes the comforting thought, “Fear not”, in the first verse, and then follows it with the reason why. “I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name” – this is His testimony to His love. Then He adds, “rivers shall not overflow you, fire shall not burn you” – a promise that cannot be true unless He was sovereign. God is saying, fear not because I love you, and I am sovereign. Faith is often misconstrued as believing in the “promises” that God makes. I think that is a consequence of faith. Real faith is simply believing in the ultimate sovereignty of God, and the infinite love of God.
Friend, are you fearful? Are you dismayed at the turn of events? Circumstances that were not your doing? Then may I urge you to meditate on this wonderful doctrine of the sovereignty of God, and deliberate on the love of God. And if these words are not enough, may I point you to two days in history. On the first day, Good Friday, with Jesus on the cross, God displayed His love for all who would believe. On that other day, Easter Sunday, with an empty tomb, God displayed His sovereignty. The One who could love a rebellious humanity to die for it, and the One whom the grave could not hold is the sovereign God who loves you! Why are you fearful? O ye of little faith!
Danesh Manik
posted by Danesh Manik | 8:58 AM
1 Comments:
Enjoyed reading your views on this one - I've also written on this verse with a slightly different take on it if you're interested in reading it?
http://tikkiro.wordpress.com/2007/02/03/boats-storms-and-an-uncaring-saviour/
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