Luke 8:22-25: A Lesson in Faith

There is often a big difference between that first faith by which we are saved and the ongoing faith of the Christian life. Because unbelief is more natural to us than faith; because we are prone to feel first and not to think first; because we often walk by sight and not by faith we stumble at those trials that test our faith. We can be grateful then that we serve a Savior who is both the author and the finisher; the founder and the perfecter of our faith. As we come to this famous portion in Luke 8:22-25, where Jesus calms the storm, we will see Jesus giving His disciples a lesson in faith. Luke chapter 8 is a chapter all about faith in Jesus. The first part of the chapter is all about hearing, believing and obeying His teaching; the rest of the chapter will be acts and demonstrations of power affirming the identity of Jesus. Jesus has called people to hear and believe His word; to shine as lights for Him; and set Himself as the benchmark for inclusion in God’s family, as the fulcrum around which the family of God is defined. Who does this man think He is, the rest of this chapter will demonstrate with acts of power exactly who He is. He is the one with power over nature as He commands the winds and waves, v22-25. He is the one with power over the angelic realms as He exorcises demons, v26-39. He is the one has authority over sickness, v40-48. He is the one who has authority over death, v49-56.

The disciples have believed, they are after all disciples of Christ. They have faith but their faith remains untested. This portion is going to us that when the storms come they often reveal that our faith is inadequate. There are various lessons about faith that we will learn from this portion. We will look at it under two headings, our faithlessness; His faithfulness.

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