What Sort Of Man? (Matthew 8:27)

 


Saturday, 27 September, 2025


Psalm 68:1-20

1 Kings 15:25-16:7

Matthew 8:23-34


Observance: Vincent de Paul, priest and worker with the poor (d. 1660)


What Sort Of Man? (Matthew 8:27)


And the men marvelled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”


Our Psalms this week seem to have been preparing us to today’s second lesson. There has been a little here and there spread throughout of the relationship between the God of heaven, and the waters of the earth. Now we read about Jesus, and his authority over the winds and the sea.


We might be tempted to get carried away and start thinking about all the different imagery associated with water. The depths of the ocean are like physical death; the placing and removing of water is a sign of God’s providential sovereignty; watery storms are like the ups and downs of life; and plenty more besides.


It might not be such a bad thing to give in to that temptation. The story of Jesus calming the storm just sort of sits here, as part of his movement down from the mountain and into the daily lives of men and women. St Matthew is painting a picture of who Jesus is, and it is part of the joy of a Christian to keep going back to these stories and seeing how everything is so wonderfully connected.


Where are you in life right now? Do you need the Jesus that brings peace in the storm? Do you need the Jesus that has all authority? Do you need the Jesus that moves out of death and into life? What other symbolism can you think of in the story of Jesus calming the storm?


Jesus, our many-faceted jewel of heaven, given to us that we may be given to you: be to us comfort in our affliction, peace in our strife, courage in adversity, and health in illness.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

For The Sake Of Ten (Genesis 18:32)

Image
  Monday, February 3, 2025 Psalm 78:16-38 Genesis 18:22-19:11 Luke 2:1-7 Observance: First Anglican Service at Sydney Cove, Conducted by Richard Johnson, Sydney, 1788 For The Sake Of Ten (Genesis 18:32) From this wonderfully pastoral tableau, of the old man and his wife entertaining three divine guests, comes a dark shadow. Approaching from the valley below them comes the cries of iniquity of the cities of the plain: Sodom and Gomorrah. Rising from their feast, the three men turn from blessing Abraham and Sarah to executing divine judgement. And the story just gets darker from here. But Abraham, in his boldness, has this immortal conversation with God, a conversation that uncovers for us whispers of Jesus’ words about people who are “salt” and “light”. God desires that none should perish, but that all should turn from their sins and live. And for the sake of just ten righteous people, the disaster about to befall Sodom and Gomorrah could be turned away...
Read more

Monday, July 25, 2022

  Monday, July 25, 2022 Psalm 62; 63 Hosea 1 Romans 4:1-12 He only is my rock and my salvation: my strong tower, so that I shall not be moved. The prophecies of Hosea are rich with vivid imagery. Look at these names: firstly, “Hosea” means “salvation”. So too do the names Joshua and Jesus. Then Hosea has three children: “God scatters”, “Not pitied”, and “Not my people”. This is because the children are part of the marriage between Hosea and Gomer, which is an image God is showing to the nation. It is to our profit that God has used real-life events to communicate spiritual imagery and divine truths. We find it very easy to understand our relationship with God as being a faithful wife to a loving husband. We can reconcile this message with what Paul has to teach us today in Romans. He makes the very important observation that Abraham was given God's righteousness as a result of his faith before, not after, his circumcision. Again, this is God using real-life events...
Read more

We are all the work of your hand.

  Tuesday, January 2, 2024 Psalms 5; 6 Isaiah 64 Ephesians 2:1-10 Observances: Basil of Caesarea (d. 379) and Gregory of Nanzianus (d. 389), bishops and teachers; Eliza Hassall (d. 1917), pioneer of missionary training and CMS (Australia) We are all the work of your hand. If you know nothing about statues, you will at least know of Michelangelo's David . It seems strange that a piece could hold public fame for so long, but if we think about it theologically, then it’s endurance makes sense. Consider what the artist intended it to be: a display of pure Renaissance ideology. An era when men began to imagine themselves as artists and engineers, and their own being their life’s work. Anyone could be anything, and this is what Michelangelo is saying with his statue. Behold, the perfect man, formed from rough rock by the hands of a self-driven man. The irony here is the subject. While Michelangelo may have called his statue David simply to ensure prompt payment ...
Read more