Today's Bible Study Lesson
“Why Are You Afraid?”
Aim: Consider
the
feelings of the disciples when a storm overtook their boat while
Jesus was asleep,
Identify
the
crises that cause adults to worry about themselves and their
families,
and Respond
to
the
promised
presence of Jesus in bad times as well as good times.
Background: Matthew
8:23-27;
Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25
Bible Lesson:
Matthew
8:23-27
Memory
Verses:
And
he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he
arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
Matthew
8:26 KJV
Some
Highlights:
-
Matthew
Chapter 8 begins with Jesus’ actions
after coming down from the mountain where His
teachings to
a multitude covered many topics. After leaving the mountain, Jesus
healed a man with Leprosy, provided remote healing to a Centurion’s
servant while in Capernaum, He healed Peter’s mother-in-law and
many others, and He expelled evil spirits from many. A
boisterous
throng
followed Jesus and His disciples for where Jesus was there was
healing and help. A
teacher of the law makes a bold statement that he will
follow Jesus wherever He goes.
Jesus addressed this statement with “Foxes have holes and birds
have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Another
states
he is willing to follow, but “I
need
to go bury my
father.” Jesus responds “Follow me and let the dead bury their
own dead.” Thusly, Jesus expresses the high cost of discipleship.
-
Our
focus passage, Matthew
8:25-27,
begins
with
Jesus getting into a boat and his disciples followed
Him. From out of no where a fierce storm arose
on the Lake of Galilee, which is the body of water that is believed
to be their location. The storm’s winds were so great that the
boat was tossed furiously and the waves swept over
the boat’s side bringing
water into
the boat.
-
During
this storm, where was Jesus? The scripture tells us that He was
sleeping in the boat. But the storm did not awaken Him. Instead,
it
was the disciples with
their
plea for Jesus to save them, because they
feared that they were
going to drown.
-
Jesus
first addressed their lack of faith for what did they have to fear
for Jesus, the miracle worker and
the One who spoke Creation into existence,
was onboard their boat. Then Jesus rebuked the source of their
fear,
the winds and the waves. And instantly, a great calm replaced the furious chaos! Can you imagine the reaction of the men of whom some were
experienced fisherman when the furious storm ceased at the command
of Jesus?
-
In
the final verse of our Study, Matthew, under the direction of the
Holy Spirit, allows us to read the disciples’ minds, when he
records their
thoughts, “What
kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Their
thoughts seem to exceed amazement.
Remember
they had witnessed Jesus heal the incurable disease of Leprosy
[Matthew 8:3] and remotely heal the Centurion’s servant with just
the words “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would”
[Matthew 8:13] They had now witnessed
that Jesus had power over even Nature!
Take
Aways:
-
Storms
can come into
our lives even though we are Christians; however, there is no storm
that cannot be calmed with a Word from
our Creator.
-
Even
when we have seen the Lord do miraculous things in our lives and
in the lives of others,
events of this
life
can shake our faith. We must hold fast to our belief and faith in
God which
makes
all the difference in
our survival.
-
As
believers in Jesus Christ, we never face life’s challenges alone.
He is always with us!
Bible
Verses to Keep in Mind:
“And
we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.” Romans
8:28 KJV
“And
Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto
you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto
this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and
nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew
17:20 KJV
“Jesus
said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to
him that believeth.” Mark
9:23 KJV
“Keep
your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you
have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will
I forsake you."” Hebrews
13:5 NIV
“Ye
are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater
is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” 1 John
4:4 KJV
“13
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
Philippians
4:13 KJV
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