Faith never arrives fully formed in an instant. It awakens through one experience after another. So far in Luke’s Gospel, we have seen Jesus heal sick people of dread disease. We have seen him demonstrate power over demons. We have seen him exercise authority over the fishing industry. We have even seen him raise a dead man to life.

Each of these episodes grew and deepened the faith of his closest followers. Now their developing faith is put to the test. Like the sailors aboard the ship with Jonah when “the LORD threw a great wind onto the sea,” the disciples were terrified. (See Jonah 1.)

There were some skilled boatsman in that craft that day. However, they were no match for the elements. Wouldn’t you know it? Jesus, like Jonah, was fast asleep. Caught between their inability and their awakening awareness that Jesus could do anything when he was awake, they woke him.

When they did not know what to do, they knew who to go to.

Jesus always knew what to do and he did it. Here they demonstrated a wee tiny bit of hope and faith and a great deal of terror. “We’re going to die!” Jesus demonstrated that along with the other things he was lord over, the wind and waves were also subject to his command.

“Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves.
So they ceased, and there was a calm.”

No doubt the calm outside the boat took a while to take hold inside of it.

After calming the storm, Jesus asked, “Where is your faith?” Jesus did not ask, “Where is your faith?” and then calm the storm. Hollywood would have done it the second way. However, Jesus does not show off. Jesus rules. He rules over sickness, the spiritual world in rebellion, life and death, and the wind and the waves.

Jesus calmed the storm. Jesus calmed his disciples. Jesus gave them another reason to trust him for everything at all times.

It is always too early to panic when Jesus is in the boat.

Twelve men had their faith stretched that day. Once stretched, like a rubber band, it never returns to its original limits.

Who is this man? He was the best teacher they had ever heard. He spoke with authority. There was not a disease he could not heal, not a demon he could not cast out. There was not a dead man, woman, or coming soon, child he could not raise to life. There was not a storm or a disciple he could not calm with his words.

Who is this man? That is the question, isn’t it? In Luke 4:16-30, Jesus returned to his hometown and his home synagogue. As he spoke, “They were all speaking well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth; . . .” So far so good. “(Y)et they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” (Verse 22).

Who is this man? Is he Joseph’s son? A carpenter apprentice? A man whose conception was on the wrong side of his parents’ marriage? Or was he who Gabriel told Mary he would be when he said, “Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God,” (1:35)?

No pressure, but everything rides on how you answer this question. To you, who is Jesus?