Matthew 8:25

Friday, 21 March 2025

 

Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” Matthew 8:25

 

“And His disciples having come to Him, they aroused Him saying, ‘Lord, You save us! We perish!’” (CG).

 

In the previous verse, Jesus was sleeping in the boat as it crossed the sea despite the storm that raged around them. Matthew next records, “And His disciples having come to Him, they aroused Him.”

 

It is evident that the men, whether after a few minutes or an extended struggle, realized they had no other option but to wake the Lord. As noted in the previous commentary, a storm like this can arise quickly and in a very short amount of time the waters can go from a tranquil calm to a terrifying tempest.

 

Quite a bit is often read into these words. People think it is as if the disciples understood they could come to Jesus and suddenly be delivered from their peril. In just two verses, that will be proven an incorrect analysis. They were certainly not thinking, “If we wake up Jesus, He will get up and calm the sea.”

 

Rather, they were concerned about the right now of the situation. The waves were swamping the boat, and they needed another hand to help bail it out, row, or whatever they, as experienced shipmen, directed.

 

But more, they may also have thought, like the mariners with Jonah, that He would petition the Lord for deliverance –

 

“So the captain came to him, and said to him, ‘What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.’” Jonah 1:6

 

They had seen the miracles and knew Jesus had a direct and intimate relationship with God. Therefore, His prayer to them would have been heard. It seems this, too, may have been on their minds. Therefore, Matthew records that they were “saying, ‘Lord, You save us! We perish!’”

 

The word translated as save, sózó, carries various significations. It can mean to save from peril, to heal from a disease, to rescue from physical or spiritual disaster, etc. One instance in Acts has a similar taste to what is seen here in Matthew –

 

“And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, when they had let down the skiff into the sea, under pretense of putting out anchors from the prow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, ‘Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.’ 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff and let it fall off.” Acts 27:30-32

 

This account in Acts does not refer to salvation from sin, healing, etc. Rather, Paul is telling them that their lives will be lost in the storm if they don’t take the appropriate action. The disciples are asking for the same thing. Thus, whether through prayer to the Father or bailing out the water, they need Jesus’ ability in the matter to get them through the ordeal.

 

Life application: The commentary above is not intended to dismiss the nature and capabilities of Jesus. But we are looking back on an account of men being swamped in a boat, knowing that He is the Lord God incarnate. These men did not know this. They were about to die and needed Jesus to assist in their deliverance.

 

It is important to not take our later knowledge of a matter and insert it into what is being said. The prophets of old received the word of God and wrote it down accordingly, but they had no idea what was being conveyed to and through them. Peter explains this –

 

“Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.” 1 Peter 1:10-12

 

Likewise, the apostles had to go through the ministry of Jesus, experiencing each step of it to incrementally learn His nature and ability. Even as they stood at the cross, they were still without understanding. And even after the resurrection, and having been told what happened, one of them still couldn’t believe it –

 

“Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’
So he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’
26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!’ 27 Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’
28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” John 20:24-28

 

The understanding of Thomas only came after all of these things took place, including an actual, physical encounter with the risen Lord. Such accounts are all we need to see that we should not insert our knowledge of who Jesus is into what the apostles knew as they struggled in the ship as it passed across the Sea of Galilee.

 

Lord God, we are so grateful that we now have a full understanding of who Jesus is. We don’t have to struggle with the truth that is revealed in Your word. We know that You, O God, came in the form of a Man, having united with Your creation to return us back to Yourself. How great You are, our Lord and our God! Amen.