PASSAGE: Matthew 8:23-27

SERIES SUMMARY

As Jesus steps onto the scene of history, Matthew paints a picture of him that invites our participation in what Jesus is doing. The portrait is that Jesus is the True King who is bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth. This good news is not reserved for especially religious people in a distant future; it’s good news, right now, for ordinary people who come to Jesus in faith. 

And while Jesus inaugurated the kingdom among us through teaching and serving in dozens of ways, he ultimately brought heaven to earth by embracing the cross as his throne and wearing thorns as his crown. In doing this, he broke the powers of the kingdom(s) of this world and opened up God’s new world through his resurrection. Now, because of these things, discipleship to Jesus is about praying and living “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.” It is about whole-life transformation and embodying kingdom realities. It is about becoming people who naturally live out what Jesus taught. Today, because of Matthew’s witness and Jesus’ ministry, the kingdom is coming in our own lives, “on earth as it is in heaven.”

PASSAGE GUIDE

Matthew has been steadily revealing the authority of Jesus. After the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus taught with authority, He cleanses the unclean, heals the sick, and delivers the oppressed. Then, in Matthew 8:23, His disciples follow Him into a boat. They do not yet understand fully who Jesus is, but they have seen enough to follow. Almost immediately, a violent storm overtakes them. Their obedience has not protected them from danger or given them control over what happens next. Following Jesus does not guarantee comfortable or predictable circumstances. It brings us into the presence of the One we are learning to trust.

Matthew emphasizes the contrast: the boat is being swamped, the disciples are afraid, and Jesus is asleep. His sleep is not indifference. While the disciples see a situation completely beyond their control, Jesus remains unshaken. They wake Him with a desperate prayer: “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” There is something faithful in that response. Frightened faith still knows where to go. Yet their fear has also begun to treat the storm as though it has the final word over their future.

Jesus responds first to the disciples, not the weather: “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” He does not deny the reality of the danger or shame them for feeling fear. Instead, His question exposes a deeper issue. These men believe true things about Jesus, but the storm reveals a gap between what they believe about Him and how deeply they have learned to trust Him. That is part of discipleship. When life moves beyond our ability to manage the timing, circumstances, or outcome, what we know about Jesus is pressed into a deeper kind of trust. And Jesus is patient with imperfect faith. He does not abandon His disciples; He reveals more of Himself to them.

Jesus rises and rebukes the winds and the sea, and the “great storm” becomes a “great calm.” The disciples are left asking the question Matthew wants us to ask: “What sort of man is this?” Throughout Scripture, the raging sea often pictures forces human beings cannot master, while the Lord is portrayed as the One who rules them. Now Jesus simply speaks, and the sea obeys. The storm is not the great revelation of this story. Jesus is. The One in the boat is greater than the forces the disciples cannot control.

That does not mean Jesus promises to calm every storm in the way or timing we desire. Matthew will ultimately show this King entering suffering Himself, going to the cross, and rising from the dead. Sometimes Jesus stills the storm around us; sometimes He sustains us in it. His resurrection assures us that suffering, chaos, and death will not have the final word. Faith does not require pretending the waves are small. It means bringing our honest fear to Jesus and learning to see Him more clearly. When life is beyond our control, He does not promise us control. He gives us Himself.

*We are a church located in Greenville, South Carolina. Our vision is to see God transform us into a community of grace passionately pursuing life and mission with Jesus.

HIGHLIGHTS

• In the storm, Jesus reveals who He is; and as we see Him more clearly, we learn to trust Him more deeply.
• “What sort of man is this?” The storm turns our attention from what Jesus can do for us to the deeper question of who Jesus is.
• We follow Jesus before we fully understand Jesus.
• Jesus does not promise His disciples control. He promises them Himself.
• The storm exposes the gap between what we believe about Jesus and how deeply we have learned to trust Him.
• The storm does not get to tell us who Jesus is. Jesus tells us who Jesus is, and the risen King will have the final word.

SUGGESTIONS FOR COMMUNITY GROUP QUESTIONS    

Remember, these are “suggested” questions. You do not have to go through every single one of them.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (Read Matthew 8:23-27)

*Remember the text is the focus, the sermon is a commentary, discuss and apply in the group.

1. What stood out to you from the passage?
2. Verse 23 says that Jesus got into the boat and “his disciples followed him.” What does that simple detail tell us about discipleship before the storm even begins?
3. What details in verses 24–25 communicate the seriousness of the storm and the disciples’ fear? What stands out about the contrast between their panic and Jesus sleeping?
4. The disciples cry, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” What is right about their response? What does their prayer reveal about both their faith and their fear?
5. Before Jesus addresses the storm, He asks, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Why do you think He speaks to the disciples first? What might His question reveal about the relationship between fear and trust?
6. What do the “great storm,” the “great calm,” and the fact that the winds and sea obey Jesus reveal about His identity and authority?
7. The disciples end by asking, “What sort of man is this?” How does that question move our attention beyond simply wanting Jesus to change our circumstances?
8. When circumstances are beyond our control, we may want to calculate, rehearse, and imagine every possible outcome. Where do you recognize that tendency in yourself? What makes surrendering control so difficult?
9. Jesus has authority over the storm, yet the gospel shows us that He also entered suffering, died, and rose again. How do His cross and resurrection shape the way we trust Him when a storm does not end as we hoped?
10. Where might you be letting a storm tell you who Jesus is? What truth about Him from this passage do you need to receive again, and how can this group pray for and encourage you as you trust His grace this week?

Life on Mission This Week: 

• Pray: Ask God to show you one person to intentionally encourage this week with the hope of the gospel.
• Serve: We have a foster/adopt program, HALO, happening at FG this fall for families with foster/adoptive teens. Gather your family or Community Group to provide a meal for one of the nights (make it or cater it) or "adopt" a HALO family by partnering with them in prayer and practical support.