The Adventures of Jesus Christ
Episodes from the Life of Jesus for Young Readers
by Vincent Cheung
[ Contents ]
Chapter 16. Jesus Stopped a Storm
YOU WOKE ME UP FOR THIS?
One evening, after a long day of teaching and performing miracles, Jesus and his disciples decided to cross the Sea of Galilee in a boat. The sun was setting, and the water was calm as they set sail. The disciples were tired but excited to be with Jesus.
As they traveled across the sea, a sudden storm arose. Dark clouds filled the sky, and strong winds began to blow. The waves grew bigger and bigger, crashing against the boat. The disciples were terrified!
Among the disciples were experienced fishermen. Although they knew how to navigate the waters, they also realized how dangerous such a storm could be. They struggled to keep the boat steady, but the wind howled, and the waves tossed the boat around like a toy. The waves were breaking into the boat, so that it was filling with water. They shouted to one another, “We are going to drown!” Fear filled their hearts.
But where was Jesus? He was in the back part of the boat, sleeping on a cushion! The disciples were distraught. How could he sleep at a time like this? They hurried to wake him up. “Teacher! Teacher! Wake up! Don’t you care if we drown?” they cried.
Jesus opened his eyes and saw the storm raging. He stood up and looked at the wind and the waves. And he rebuked the sea: “Shut up! Be quiet!” The wind stopped quicker than it started, and the waves ceased with a whimper, like a puppy that had been scolded by its owner.
Then Jesus turned to the disciples. He did not comfort them. He did not say that he understood their fear, but that the danger had passed. He did not say that the storm was the will of God, and they should have accepted the will of God. But he said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Where is your faith?” Jesus was not afraid. He was annoyed that they woke him up because of such a small problem.
He thought that his disciples could have done better. Jesus said to them, “Where is your faith?” He was not amazed by the storm, but he was amazed that his followers still had so little faith after following him all this time.
But what did it have to do with their faith? What good would it have done if they had faith? Did Jesus think that if they had faith, they would not have reacted like they did even in the face of a deadly storm? Exactly. If they had faith, they would not have been afraid.
They should have been confident because Jesus was on the boat. They should have been confident because Jesus had taught them about faith and miracles. Based on the other teachings of Jesus recorded in the Bible, if they had faith, they could have stopped the storm themselves without bothering Jesus about it. By faith, all the followers of Jesus have power from him to perform miracles.
The disciples were shocked at what happened. The winds and waves were so strong, and the water was filling the boat. What could stop nature? But Jesus scolded nature, and it obeyed him. They said to one another, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and waves obey him.” He was indeed a special man, the very Son of God himself. But he came to teach his disciples to follow his example – his thinking, his character, and also his power.
There are many people who call themselves followers of Jesus who think that they can never reach this level. Instead of continuing to learn and to grow as much as possible, they pretend that Jesus never taught faith like this. They teach people a different doctrine. They try to stop other people from reaching for this kind of faith before they can even begin. This is very sad. If you never begin, you will never arrive.
They are dishonest with God and with themselves, and they are dishonest with you. They will never become good followers of Jesus Christ. They will always be a nuisance and burden to humanity instead of a solution.
Jesus Christ has high expectations for his disciples. He refuses to think that we can never learn and grow. He refuses to think that we must remain weak. He refuses to treat us like we are useless.
Faithless people dislike this. When they cannot seem to live up to these expectations, instead of admitting this in humility, they pretend they are already the best, and they claim that Jesus never had those high expectations. People like them are not good disciples. They are not good people, but evil people. Make sure you never become like them. Continue to learn and grow. Then encourage others to do the same.