Who Is This Man?

By Pastor Mike Fox

The following is also available as an audio podcast you can listen to here.

” One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” (Luke 8:22 – 25 NIV)

There have been many sermons preached on this passage. There are several different lessons for us in these words – “facing your fears”, “Jesus sleeping during the storm”, “the storms in our own life”, and many more. All of these are good lessons, but there is one lesson I have never heard before and it seems it is very appropriate for the times we live in.

Notice the last sentence in this passage, particularly the first part of that sentence – “In fear and amazement they asked one another…”. The disciples are in the boat WITH JESUS, the source of all Truth, yet they don’t pose their questions to Jesus, they instead talk to each other.

We humans love to make up our own version of a story. It is more fun to embellish and exaggerate than it is to tell the literal truth. Sometimes the retelling is so exaggerated that it no longer even resembles the truth. We love gossip, both hearing and spreading gossip. The crazier the story the better.

We live in a world where more and more people are listening to conspiracy theories. Have you heard about “space lasers starting forest fires in California” or “that democrats are pedophiles that eat babies” or “that the school shootings aren’t real”. These are so crazy that they are laughable. Unfortunately, some people actually believe them. Even more unfortunate is that some Christians believe them. It is unfortunate. It is sad. It is scary. As Christians we believe that Jesus, the source of all Truth, lives in us. We have the Bible, which contains the words of Truth, at our fingertips via our phones and tablets. Yet, we prefer lies to Truth, conspiracy to logic, intuition to science.

I don’t know why this is. Maybe the truth is too hard to face. Maybe it is easier to blame all of our troubles on space lasers than it is to face our troubles head on. Maybe we are so starved for recognition that we will say anything for one more “like”. I don’t know.

But here is the really wild thing…the Truth is actually crazier than fiction. The truth is that 2000 years ago God, the creator of the universe, came to live among us. He experienced the same temptations, trials, and choices we experience. And, after seeing the ugliness we are all capable of, He still chose to sacrifice Himself for us. It is because of this sacrifice that we have direct access to the Truth. It is because of this sacrifice that we can live in hope rather than fear.

Don’t follow the disciples’ example in this passage and seek Truth in gossip, rumor and conspiracies. Turn to the source of Truth. Turn to Christ.