The Family of Man
The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Matthew 8:27
Man – Do you remember a few days ago I said that Yeshua almost always acts as a man but there are exceptions? Well, this seems to be one of those exceptions. Did you notice that Matthew does not record any answer for this question? I am not sure there is an answer. Perhaps it isn’t the right question, although it is certainly the kind of question that men would ask. After all, if you were on that boat in the middle of a storm and one of the men in your company got up and commanded the wind and the waves to stop – and they did! – what would you think? Twentieth-century, Hollywood sci-fi, Marvel comics people like we are would probably look for Lex Luther or the Silver Surfer or one of the X-men. We have been anesthetized to the truly miraculous. Our special-effects technology wizards make us think it is all just digital manipulation. We can’t appreciate the overwhelming impact of such an event in our digital fantasy world. But sail out on Lake Michigan or Lake Victoria and get caught in a storm. Then things will seem very, very different.
Now, what about this question? Potapos estin outos? Literally, what kind is this? The assumption that the question is about a man is implied but not explicitly stated. Maybe Matthew’s question is a bit more accurate. This isn’t a question about a kind of man. This is a question about the kind of being who commands the wind and the waves. In the world of Judaism, only one being has such control – and that being isn’t a man!
Put yourself in the boat. You’re sailing on a large lake, just as you have many, many times. A storm rises, just as storms often do. Your boat begins to sink, just as boats sometimes do. Who you gonna’ call? Not Ghostbusters, that’s for sure. But why call on the only one in the boat who has no seafaring experience? Why call on the only one who apparently doesn’t have a care in the world? Do you call him simply because he is the rabbi? What would the normal rabbi do? Probably tell you to get the boat under control and get to the shore. After all, rabbis were not sailors. So why do these experienced voyagers call on Yeshua? Could it be that they leaned on his tranquility? If he could sleep during this threat to life, maybe he knew something they didn’t. So you wake him and plead for help. What do you think he is going to do – start the outboard engine? What could a rabbi do in the middle of a storm on the lake? Pray? Well, yes, pray, or maybe be thrown overboard. Do you remember Jonah? The story is vaguely familiar, isn’t it? But Yeshua neither prays nor jumps. He commands the winds to stop and the waves to calm down. Would you have expected that? Never!
And if this one who was asleep in the back of the boat can command the wind and the waves, then is he really human? He’s not like any human being anyone has ever known. Well, maybe there’s that one case of Elijah who stopped and started the rain. But instantly? No, no one has ever done that. You thought you were in the boat with your friends and your teacher, but you discovered that something else was in the boat. Maybe the question doesn’t have an answer because it is an expression of fear.
When we really brush up close to Yeshua, we may find that He isn’t quite what we thought. When we catch a glimpse of the power of God in His words, we may be a bit more cautious around Him. He just might scare us. Maybe that’s a good thing. Yeshua is my friend. He said so. But He is also my God, and that makes me tremble and cower before Him. If I lose sight of either aspect, I am not likely to know Him at all. And when the next storm comes, maybe I’ll be the one who is almost afraid to ask, “What kind is this?”
Topical Index: man, what kind is this?, Matthew 8:27
For me, this is one of the most frustrating parts about re-learning about God. All my life I’ve only known the friend bit. Remembering and knowing the God part is harder because it’s been so ignored. Also, since we don’t live in a world saturated with belief in and worship of gods and goddesses I think our view and awe of the supernatural has shrunk.
I liked when Skip wrote that they thought they were standing in the boat with a man, a rabbi, but suddenly realized it was something else. It made me think of those alien movies where they thought it was a person until the disguise was dropped and it turned out to be an alien like Predator or something (side note: I don’t actually watch alien movies, except for Star Wars and Star Trek – yes, I’m a nerd – because they scare me to death, and since I like to sleep I don’t watch them… but I hear stories). That mental image gave me a little bit of an idea of how abruptly and frighteningly their world might have shifted.
This is one area I wish I could wrap my head around – how He can be both friend and God. I still don’t think I fully understand or comprehend the magnitude of the God part. That’s the part I wish I could really be more fully aware of and know. I suspect if I could do that, if I grasped the reality of God (not in myself, but the true greatness and power of God in Himself) that I would really see things differently. Right now I feel like I’m seeing everything through a fog. Grrrr.
Skip,
Your ‘one word’ commentaries either leaves me breathless, in awe, or with a huge question mark on my mind. Equally overwhelming sometimes are your ‘Titles’ . I hardly know what to expect when I see the morning’s offering. ‘The Family Man’ Yeshua … now that is a stretch I have to come to terms with. Family members: we either fear them, hide from them, owe them, learn from them, love them …
“me breathless, in awe”
Makes me think of my favorite director from the French New Wave, Jean Luc Godard.
And his movie, not to mention the American remake with the same tiltle, Breathless.
“And if this one who was asleep in the back of the boat can command the wind and the waves, then is he really human? He’s not like any human being anyone has ever known.”
A major sticking point with humanity. He is incomprehensible without the blessing of the Spirit to remove the veil/scales from our eyes. We may be able to read these passages and see through cognitive processes our own “personal Jesus”, the one we were raised with or the one we have created in our own minds, is the Yeshua we never truly knew! No ordinary human thinking could ever comprehend this Son of Man who is also the Son of God, Immanuel, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. The Jesus handed down through anti-semetic lenses is proving to be the Jesus of mythology. If one studies, even slightly, ancient myths, those gods had human traits with superhuman powers. These superhuman powers were often explanations for naturally occurring phenomena, but also these fables were man’s way of expressing what they could not comprehend and rationalize. Man has always inherently known of a power higher than themselves, as is expressed in mythology, however, Yeshua points us to El Elohim who is not like man, yet has called us to seek Him and call upon Him, and to be still and know He is. How amazing!
Skip, I’ve never written a response this long before but when I saw the passage you were highlighting today — what I call “Calming of the Storm…” I couldn’t help but expound. Sorry if it is really long but I just wanted to share with the “Community” what the Lord has revealed to me about this passage. It’s so germane for the times we live in.
I’ve always been fascinated with the account of the “Calming of the Storm” because in three short verses, a cogent message is given regarding the nature of God’s Spirit and the Kingdom of God. In this short passage, one sees how the physical and spiritual realm are intimately tied together. One clearly sees how Yeshua (Jesus Christ), as God in the flesh, engages with His own physical Creation to reveal a power unknown to His disciples, thereby exposing another aspect of His true identity.
Given this extraordinary backdrop, I think the “Calming of the Storm” event reveals many themes and messages. Being the consummate teacher, Yeshua was hoping His disciples would grasp what He was trying to reveal and show them — not only personally but missiologically. he main one being the Holy Spirit’s transformational role in God’s mission here on earth through Yeshua – the God / Family Man (as you put it Skip).
One aspect of God’s mission is to bring His world order to this world of disorder. Whenever I’ve meditated on the powerful account of Yeshua calming the storm, my thoughts always take me back to Genesis 1:1-2 where the elements of wind, water and Spirit are also present. It is a moment in eternity where God is reforming and fashioning the Earth because for some reason, it is in a state of darkness and confusion.
The imagery is power as one envisions the Spirit “moving” over the surface of the waters. The result of the Spirit’s movement is even more impressive (if we had been there). Darkness becomes light. Disorder comes to order. And that which is empty and desolate now teams with life. If God’s Spirit can produce this type of transformation in His physical creation, how much more in those He has created in His own image.
What is wonderfully revealed in Genesis 1:1-2 and Matthew 8:23-27 (Luke 8:22-25) is the fact that God’s Spirit, if allowed to live vibrantly within a fully submitted physical vessel, has the power to transform. Unlike any other spirit in the universe, God’s Spirit is a life-giving Spirit with a will and desire to bring life to that which is dead (spiritually and physically). Knowing this, the goal of the Holy Spirit directly links the Old and New Covenants together. We see God’s Spirit working in the hearts and minds of His children, bringing light to their darkness, order to their confusion and abundant life to their parched souls and spirit. We begin to see more powerfully how the spiritual realm is intimately tied with the physical (which the Greco-Roman mind has a hard time doing). In this regard, in the “Calming of the Storm,” I believe Yeshua wanted to specifically reveal how the Holy Spirit can bring shalom and “calm” to disquieted souls (which he knew the disciples had even before they got IN the boat!).
Once again, being the ultimate rabbi, Yeshua was always creating or finding teachable moments with his disciples in hopes they would “just get it.” Born and raised around Galilee, Yeshua knew the weather patterns surrounding the hills of Lake Gennesaret. He knew the time of year when gusts of cold air would sweep down the gorges and create storms on the lake. Knowing what He wanted to teach His disciples at this season of their faith formation, perhaps He specially arranged for this trip across the lake.
Throughout the Bible, we see God intimately connected with His Creation. Specifically in the gospels, He frequently compares humanity’s ability to read signs in nature and how they should the spiritual condition of the times. In Luke 12:54, Yeshua stated that people knew when it was going to rain or be hot depending on the atmospheric conditions but they didn’t know how to interpret the age they lived in. In Mark 13:28, Christ spoke to signs surrounding His second coming and analogized the event to careful observation of a fig tree. When its twigs would become tender and its leaves would start to come out, then summer was near (Isaiah 34:4; Rev. 6:13).
In the Calming of the Storm, Yeshua also worked with nature to communicate powerful messages about the age in which His disciples lived. In many respects, the nature of the storm reflected the socio-political climate of the times. Notice that wherever the Word of God was preached powerfully, there was great opposition, especially from the Jews. We read in Acts 13:44-45, 49-50, the word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jews “incited” the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. Another expression used is “stirred up.” The Greek word is “parotruno” and it means to arouse intensively beyond measure (to hostility). In Acts 17:13, the Jews are seen to agitate and stir up the crowds when Paul comes into town preaching the Gospel. The greek word used in this context is “saleuo,” which also means “to stir up” or “shake (agitate, topple, disturb, incite).
Whenever God’s Word makes headway or whenever God’s divine order starts penetrating the present world of chaos and disorder, the enemy forces in the spiritual realm will use any tool or means to threaten and hinder its progress by creating an atmosphere of fear, havoc and confusion.
In many respects, the intense squall or storm on Lake Gennesaret could have represented the disturbed minds/souls of the times. They were minds/souls tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine causing great spiritual instability. Yeshua’s disciples were a product of this environment. Their reaction to the “storm” revealed their mindsets and vulnerabilities.
In contrast, Yeshua was in a state of rest or “calm.” He was not affected by the principalities and dark spirits in the cosmic realm. He did not succumb to the religious and political power struggles of His time. He merely moved to the helm of the boat and “commanded” the howling winds and tempest to subside. The Greek word for “command” in this passage is “epitasso” and implies “to put in charge.”
Yeshua was always trying to train and prepare His disciples for their future responsibilities and His emissaries here on earth. He needed to reveal to them what it meant to be fully “human” (in the Hebraic sense) and the kind of authority and power that was available to them in “every” circumstance. In so much as He did everything in the fullness of the Spirit, they could too.
Yeshua’s command “Silence. Be still….” tamed the tempest and the lake became quiet and calm. Interestingly, the Greek word used for “calmness” here is “galene.” It implies “a cheerful calmness” or what Greek poets would metaphorically express as a “smiling ocean.” This reflects another aspect of God’s Spirit . Through Yeshua, who was God in the flesh, a negative situation isn’t just brought to a neutral state. In other words, most readers read this passage envisioning that when Yeshua told the storm and turbulent waters, “Peace. Be still” that it became like Lake Placid. Totally serene and flat. No. The nature of the waves went from being violent and tumultuous to “happy waves.” The kind you see around Hawaii on a beautiful, sailing day. In other words, the gospel writers specially chose the word “galene.” God’s Spirit is one that can transform any death-threatening and “fear-stricken situation to one that is life-giving and positive. He doesn’t take you from “reverse” and but you into neutral (otherwise you would just be standing still). He moves you forward by taking you into “drive” and sometimes “overdrive!” If the lake had just been still, the boat wouldn’t have been going anywhere.
In this regard (and I know this is getting long but just to conclude with a point that reveals how awesome God is when teaching and inspiring us as He did His disciples)….one has to reflect on how God is tying the whole message of the “Calming of the Storm” with the very next event in the story line-up — the Geresene demoniac.
The aspect of God’s transforming nature as revealed in “Calming of the Storm” is immediately followed by the story of Yeshua “commanding” a legion of demons to exit an extremely tormented man. Soon after, the man is found sitting at Yeshua’s feet dressed and “in his right mind” or at rest / calm (Luke 8:35).
Luke loves to sandwich stories together to get even greater mileage with what Yeshua is trying to get His disciples to grasp about Himself and the Kingdom realm. Interestingly, the story BEFORE the “Calming of the Storm) is one where Yeshua reveals whom His true family members are. Why? Because Yeshua wants His disciples and future believers to know that His TRUE mother and brothers are those who OBEY Him. And as we have been continually learning through Today’s Word, Obedience ties directly with Faith.
After Yeshua commands the lake to a state of “happy waves” that help them get to their destination, He asks His disciples, “Where is your faith?” Mesmerized by the miracle they’ve just seen, they don’t answer the question but interestingly, their response reflects an intellectual awareness of Christ that their spirituality has not yet reached. They answer, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they OBEY HIM.” (Luke 8:25). Even the invisible forces obey Yeshua since they know who He truly is, yet His disciples have Yeshua right there amongst them and in a natural crisis, they lack the faith to act on their beliefs. Based on Yeshua question to them, I think he expected more of them. “Where is your faith?”
I believe that Yeshua wanted His disciples to experience in the Calming of the Storm, the fact that there was a power available to them if they would only have faith and obey. Reason being, as “seeds” to His future Church, their witness would not only be to the world but also to the principalities and powers in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 3:9-12).
Given these biblical accounts of how the Holy Spirit works, what is the present status of the Body of Yeshua? Is it tossed to and fro by the tempest of our times or is it withstanding the winds of change and staying centered amid the storm?
Many theologians, missiologists and Christian sociologists would concur with what Dr. Tan and Dr. Gregg state in their book, “Disciplines of the Holy Spirit” — “….where is the Christian church and how is it doing? By and large we are saying that the church has become conformed to the surrounding culture and no longer gives evidence in the life of its members to the teaching, lifestyle, ministry and passion of Jesus. OUr churches are filled with cultural Christians driven by materialistic values who are defining success in the world’s terms. We have been seduced by media images of beauty, achievement, and power. Christians are no exceptions to the general tendency to seek instant gratification for different needs, including spiritual ones. We therefore have tended to seek shortcuts to achieving spiritual growth and have been left with a veneer of superficial spirituality.”
Reading C.S. Lewis’ classic, “The Screwtape Letters,” one begins to see how the Enemy works towards creating a climate where modern day Christians still believe they are Christians although they’re clearly drifting off course. They have all the examples from the Bible that give account of how the Holy Spirit works but still find themselves in the midst of today’s postmodern culture with the same reactions as Yeshua’s disciples in the boat. “Where are you God? Do something! Are you awake? Make your power and presence known.”
Perhaps the truth is, “God is speaking. We just aren’t listening in the midst of the storm.” God speaks to the heart of those who keep silent in order to listen. Yeshua silenced the storm not only to save their lives but also so they could learn how to TRULY LISTEN and therefore OBEY.
In conclusion, this whole passage is awesome and deep with meaning at many different levels. I believe it speaks directly to us and the times we live in as well. In the spiritual cacophony and confusion of today’s world, we must learn how to pray and listen to God’s gentle voice. The whole question of Yeshua asking us, “Will I find faith on earth when I return” essentially can mean, “Will I find anyone on earth who will recognize MY voice and genuinely be living with My Kingdom authority and power when I come back? I pray we all will.
I’m so grateful for “Today Word” where we can engage and share with one another what the Lord is speaking to us. I’m always blessed by the comments and insights of “God’s Table’s Community.”
Christine, I am “entranced!”- I had to come back again for a “second read.” May I have your permission to “repost” this? (I will include your name as the source..)
Also several additions I would like to add to this “story!” This day started as any other (thou knowest not what a day may bring forth-Proverbs 27.11) According to Luke 8.22-“One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and started out.” If I may, “what were His words to the talmudim? “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake..” Did you hear that? Do we need to repeat? No. We heard. “He said.” Notice what He did not say.. Hey, let’s all go out to the middle of the lake and drown!- No, He said, (are we listening?)- “Let us go over to the other side.”
Also, I find it very human that Yeshau was sleeping. He was worn slap out. (anyone that can sleep during a storm like that is gifted!) Weary in well-doing and needing some rest. Quite human.
Also, think on this.. “Who was in the boat with the disciples during the storm?” Humor me and give me an answer. It was Yeshua (Himself) Son of man, and Son of G-d, there He was sleeping. My friends, if that boat would have capsized and sank to the bottom, who would have also possibly perished in the waves? Now let me remember, what were His words before we left? Oh yes, now I remember- “let us go over to the other side.” I guess I just didn’t pay attention..
And does this “story” have merit or meaning to us today? Oh, friend!– Hallelujah!- What a Savior! How many times has He “rescued” me? (Only every day!– lol!)
And Christine, as for the next “story”of a man, peacefully sitting and in “his right mind..” We see there are storms external and storms internal, and Yeshua is the Eternal ONE who is the “Peace” Speaker.
Hi Carl,
I just got back home so sorry for the delayed reply. No problem on reposting what I shared. You can get my email from Skip because as you said, “There’s more to the story…” as there is with every scripture or series of passages. That’s what is so beautiful about God’s Word. It just keeps getting deeper and more divinely dimensional. As you read and engage with the Spirit that inspired it, you can’t help but be transformed because the Ruach (Spirit) which inspired it lives within you!
Your point about Yeshua saying, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake” is great. He always finishes what He starts.
Christine- you leave me flat (as in “run over by a bulldozer!”)- I’ve never met you, (maybe never will, but “wow!”) Flat out awesome! “Grace” has a grip on you!, no doubt in this man’s mind..
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1 John 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1 John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
2 John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
We all need to come to terms with this (somehow, someway..) Jesus was (and is) a man. Born to a human mother, living among us as a carpenter’s son. And yet.. These are the two words that make Him totally unique, totally like no other that has ever been, totally unlike any that will ever be. This is so hard to “wrap your brain around- other than what has been revealed “in G-d’s book.” That’s all we have to go by and all we need to go by. Please, come to realize and recognize (according to “it is written”- “The Word became flesh and lived among us.” Yeshua is the human face of G-d.
If you can “accept” the virgin birth of the Savior. Wonderful. But don’t stop here.. Keep going. There’s more.. (always more..). The manner of His life, the perfection of His words. Yes, never a man spoke like “this man”. This man, the second Adam, this Son of G-d and son of man. Was He deity? Absolutely. Born in humanity? Absolutely. 100% G-d, 100% man, – Jesus Christ, – the G-d/man. How do I know these things? (I don’t mind telling..) “It is written.”
Would I ever have loved to have “been there”.. -“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself. (Luke 24.27)
Yes, this was something new, indeed. Nothing like the Jews ever expected. Not the Greeks in their wildest imaginings.. G-d wrapping Himself in flesh. The very next question, I’d like to ask is “why?”
If we can figure out the “why?” we’re on our way.. Actually we don’t have to “figure it out” (very Greek thought going on here..) because once again, “it is written.” (Don’t you love those three words?).
Listen again to these three… “G-d SO loved”. Got a grip on it yet? Still confused? Still baffled? Still amazed? Yeshua has “disturbed” and “disrupted” my life.. He really has..
He has “turned” my night into day. He has “turned” my confusion into clarity. He has “turned” my need into supply. He has “turned” my lack into abundance. He has “turned” my shame into singing.. “This man”- the man Christ Jesus. Yeshua HaMashiach, Savior, Redeemer, Brother, Father, Shepherd, King, Priest, Friend. Jesus- the G-d/man. -Do you know Him?
Your comments remind me of this video I saw at a church I once attended (or actually, I think it’s one I tried to get them to play when I was in charge of the sermon graphics/lyrics/ppt/etc. Here’s the link to the YouTube video (it’s really good and about 3:20 in length)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzqTFNfeDnE
Skip,
You stated, “Yeshua is my friend.” Could this word friend have other meanings beside just the word friend? Sometimes we think of it meaning companion or even a neighbor, could this word philos have a more intimate meaning and be interpreted as beloved, loved or even dearest? This would be brought out in James 2:23 where Abraham is called GOD’s friend. This verse is a quote from II Chr. 20:7…Abraham your friend. In this verse it uses a very intimate word, meaning beloved or even having the meaning of lover. So Abraham was a lover of GOD not just a companion or a neighbor. So could we say Yseshua is my beloved and portray a fuller meaning of what Jesus was referring to in John 15:15 where Jesus referred to the disciples as his friends?
One of the things we have discovered, as we have listened to the rabbis teach and as we have read from the Hebrew writings not included in the closed canon, is that Hebrew literature records stories of tzaddikim doing many of the things that Yeshua does. The longer stories of the life of various tzaddkim mentioned in the Bible accounts make for fascinating reading. Please note: we record this so that folk are informed – not to diminish what Yeshua did.
Shalom,
The commentary brings to mind some basic truths of YESHUA our LORD and instrument of all creation! It boggles the mind that mainstream Christian belief systems overlook Paul’s warning to work out salvation in “fear and trembling”!
So often there is this totally false notion that YESHUA is like this man in whom G_D has worked tremendous signs and wonders through. Sort of like the notable prophets of old!
It certainly seems (to me) that most believers have not fully grasped YESHUA as G_D! If such were the case then we would understand that our true relationship with HIM is that of Mary … who cried tears of repentance and gratitude upon HIS feet and proceeded to clean up with her hair! So yes … our hope is to approach HIM shameless and in confidence … not so we can be HIS buddy but so that we can worship and adore HIM as EL ELYON!
How scary is being put in front of an all consuming FIRE without the gift of being reborn to Spirit and FIRE already?