Matthew 8: 23-27

 (Matthew 8: 23-27)

『And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! 』

Jesus Christ is God in the kingdom of God. He came to the land of Israel as the Son of God to save all the sinners of this world. So he preached repentance, but the Pharisees and scribes did not believe. Even though, God comes directly to the world in the flesh, but if anyone preaches God's Word, will there be many people to believe?

『Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.  Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 』 (John 10: 24-27)

The saints preach the word of God, but unbelievers are not the sheep of Christ. Jesus was born in the land of Israel for human salvation, but the Israelites crucified him. Israel is not the sheep of Christ.

『I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?』(Luke 18: 8) The Bible tells us that there are very few lambs of Christ in the world. In the land of Israel, the sheep of Christ were publicans, widows, and sinners. What happened in Israel means what happened in the world. In this world, those who hear the voice of God are those who hear God say, "Repent and come back." Those who are good in the world do not hear the voice of God. God is saying, "Come back with my Son, Jesus." The word "With Jesus" is done on the cross. It is united with Jesus. Those who hear the words "Repent and come back" realize that they have left God.

The disciples knew that Jesus was the Messiah, and they were with him, and they were afraid because there was a storm in the ship. was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. (Matthew 8: 24-25)

The disciples woke Jesus up. The disciples thought they would be safe if they awoke Jesus without faith. Jesus told his disciples. "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?". The Messiah is the Savior. The disciples believed that Jesus was the Savior, but it is a faith that can be trusted only by seeing with their own eyes.

『In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.』(Genesis 1: 1-2)

Here we must understand darkness and depth. Depth means water. There is darkness on the water. "The land God first created" is expressed in water. the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Water represents the word of God. The Word contains the Word of Heaven (water above the firmament) and the Word of Earth (Water below the firmament).

『the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 』 The word "move upon" is expressed in Deuteronomy 32:11.『As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: 』 The Holy Spirit does it. Jeremiah 23: 9 tells us about the moving the Holy Spirit.『 Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness. 』

『 the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 』 In order for us to understand and understand God's Word, it is impossible without the moving of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says in Genesis (1: 6-7).『 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 』 So, the Spirit of God is in the water above the firmament. There is no Holy Spirit under the firmament. Thus, the water under the firmament is the word of the earth, and the water above the firmament is the word of heaven.

 The water under the firmament became the sea. The exposed dry land was called land. The land in Genesis 1: 2 is expressed as including water and the dry land. It is divided into water above the firmament and water below the firmament, in which all things of the world are made, which are confined in the kingdom of God. In Galatians 3:22, 『But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.』 Being in the water below the firmament means that everything is locked up in sin.

In John 2: 9,『 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 』 Jesus made wine from water. The water under the firmament (the word of earth) turned into the water above the firmament (the word of heaven). The promises contained in the land have been fulfilled. The promise is Christ. The word of earth is the law, and the word of heaven means the gospel (wine). When Jesus speaks with Nicodemus that a man cannot see the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Holy Spirit, water is about dying to the law. That is why only those who are born again by the Holy Spirit can be saved.

In John 4:10,『 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 』 Living water means the word of life.

『But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 』(4:14)

The water with Jesus Christ becomes the water of heaven. The water on the earth is hidden by Christ, so people do not know it. The word of heavenly life came down to earth, and it is Jesus Christ. To realize this, there must be the work of the Holy Spirit.

『And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves 』 (Matthew 8:24) A great tempest occurs because of the wind. The wind means the Holy Spirit. The wave was caused by the wind. So a big wave hit the ship. In the boat were Jesus and his disciples. The ship is an ark. The ark symbolizes Christ. The disciples are aboard.

 The sea means the law. The great wave of the sea is the work of the Holy Spirit in the law, so that people are forced to die by the waves. That is why the disciples discover Christ and wake him. Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?
The word "Why" here means "something." Though disciples had long lived in the law, their minds to keep law would have been terrifying.

Jesus said, “he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. The term "rebuke" here means "epitimao," which is a combination of the preposition epi (e) and the verb timao (set price, blame).

The Bible says in Zechariah (11: 10-13).『And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.  And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD. And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.』 In order to break the covenant (law) that God had made with Israel, the covenant was broken by cutting the stick of grace (New Covenant: Christ). weighed for price is the word timao.

Judas sold Jesus to the priest for 30 silver. The word epitimao here is people weighed for 30 silver, and that is the Son (Savior). The Bible tells us that the Savior was revealed in the wind and the sea. As Jesus came, the wind and the sea were silent.

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