Matthew 8:18-27
Following through the Storm
Read the passage
18When Jesus saw a large crowd around Him, He gave orders to cross to the other side of the sea.
19And one of the scribes came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
20Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
21Another of His disciples requested, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
22But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
23When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.
24Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves. But Jesus was sleeping.
25The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
26“You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm.
27The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
As Jesus sees the crowds around him, a scribe says he will follow wherever Jesus goes. Jesus answers that the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. Another disciple asks to bury his father first, and Jesus tells him to follow Him and let the dead bury their own dead.
These sayings are intentionally hard. Jesus is not teaching that caring for parents is always unfaithful or that every Christian must abandon a funeral duty. His call places an urgent claim on the disciple. Matthew does not explain the father’s circumstances or the length of the requested delay; the words themselves demand that following Jesus take priority. The household should read the words with seriousness and wisdom, not use them to pressure someone into an unsafe or irresponsible decision.
When Jesus and the disciples get into the boat, a great storm arises. The disciples are terrified while Jesus sleeps. They wake Him and ask Him to save them. Jesus first asks why they are afraid and calls them people of little faith. Then He rebukes the winds and sea, and perfect calm follows. The men ask, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”
The passage joins the cost of following Jesus with his authority over creation. Discipleship is not a promise that storms will never come. It is an invitation to trust the one who is with them in the boat, even when his presence is not yet producing the outcome they want.
Their question directs us to Jesus Himself. The Son of Man who has nowhere to lay His head can command the sea. His lack of an earthly place of rest does not diminish His authority. Following Him means trusting the Lord whose word even the storm obeys.
How We Know
Psalm 107 describes sailors crying to the LORD in a storm and the LORD calming the waves. Matthew records the disciples crying to Jesus, who rebukes the winds and sea. The psalm provides a biblical setting for their astonished question about His identity. The calm displays authority associated in Scripture with the LORD’s rule over the waters.
Questions
1 What does Jesus say discipleship may cost?
AnswerJesus says the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. Following Him may mean giving up ordinary security and accepting a demanding, unsettled path.
2 Why are the cost of following and the calming of the storm placed together?
AnswerJesus says the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head, then rebukes the storm after frightened disciples wake him. The two scenes together show both the cost of following and the authority of the one being followed.
3 What can the storm teach us about danger and Jesus’ care?
AnswerThe disciples follow Jesus into the boat and still meet a storm. His authority over wind and sea shows that their danger has not put them beyond His care. Trust does not require pretending the storm is small.
4 What faithful responsibility have we been postponing?
AnswerName one faithful responsibility you have been postponing and one fear you need to bring to Jesus. Choose a safe, responsible next step rather than making a dramatic promise about the future.
What This Means for Us
Following Jesus may cost comfort, predictability, and public approval. The scribe wants to follow anywhere, but Jesus makes the cost visible. The other disciple wants to delay, and Jesus makes the kingdom's urgency visible. Neither saying should be used as a slogan to erase ordinary duties; both should challenge the ways we hide from obedience.
The storm shows a different kind of fear. The disciples are doing what Jesus told them to do and still encounter danger. Faith faces the wind with Jesus present. The disciples still have a real storm to endure, but they are not left to interpret danger without the Lord's authority.
Choose the next responsible act in a delayed obedience or current crisis. Ask for help if the task is beyond one person, and remember that seeking safety is not a failure to trust the Lord.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are with us in the boat and you are worthy of our whole allegiance. Give our household courage to obey without recklessness, wisdom to care for one another, and trust to call on you when fear rises. Amen.