Obedient Belief Leads to Faith Exercise
Luke 8:22-25
Parallel accounts
- Matthew 8:23-27
- Mark 4:35-41
- Luke 8:22-25
Where they seem to disagree
- Matthew seems to place the event earlier in Jesus’s ministry.
- Luke is ambiguous as to the time of the event but records it in the same general area as Mark.
- Mark tells us the event happens in the evening on the day of Jesus’s seaside teaching (Luke 8, Mark 3 & 4 and Matthew 12 & 13).
Purpose of Luke’s Recording
- The next three stories in Luke serve to answer the question “Who is this Jesus that he should be obeyed?”
- This particular event parallels Psalm 107 where God’s power to help his people in times of distress is revealed.
- This event provides the answer. “Jesus is God!
Basic Elements of the Story
- Jesus commands and the disciples obey.
- Disciples get into a precarious situation while obeying.
- Disciples respond negatively.
The Responses of the Disciples
- Tempted to despair and believe all was lost (Luke).
- Tempted to accuse Jesus of not caring (Mark).
- Tempted to turn to Jesus out of fear (Matthew).
- We will be tempted the same ways!
Applying It to Ourselves
- Jesus commands us and expects us to obey.
- When we obey we will get into precarious situations.
- The Enemy will be there using the situation to tempt us to respond wrongly.
Consequences of Such Responses
- Despairing and believing all is lost can lead to dismal hopelessness.
- Blaming and accusing God of not caring can lead to life without joy and peace.
- Turning to God only in times of fear reveals fickleness and contributes to its continuation.
- Problem is, all of these, if unchecked, lead to a turning away from God.
What We Can Learn
- Jesus wants us to live by faith.
- Jesus wants us to constantly move in obedient belief despite precarious situations.
- Jesus wants to use such situations as exercises that lead to greater faith.
- The faithful eventually discover that the “marvel” of God’s working becomes “common place.”
The Transformation Expectation
- Know God and live according to such knowledge.
- Stay aware of moments when the Enemy will tempt.
- Use every situation to build your faith instead of allowing it to contribute to its loss.