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What Manner Of Man
Is This?!
Luke 8:22-25 "Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him."
There are several things to note about this portion of Scripture. First the disciple's use of the word "man." It indicates their lack of understanding at this time of just exactly Who Jesus was. He is more than just a man - He is the God-Man.
1 Timothy 3:16 "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." See also, John 1:1, 14; 8:58; 10:30. These are just a few of the direct or indirect references to the deity of our Lord. The lost don't understand this great truth because they don't have spiritual eyes to see.John 3:3 "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
We who have been born-again by the Spirit of God embrace this truth wholeheartedly. Yes, He was and is the embodiment of God Himself. He is indeed, "God manifest in the flesh…" An interesting fact to note about the disciple's words is the use of the exclamation point instead of the question mark. This indicates the fear or passion of their feelings. If you have ever been in storm on the sea, then you can imagine the consternation of the disciples as they witnessed the calming of the waters. This truly was an amazing feat. No mere man could do this. Only the One Who controls the sea could. As the Gospel song says, "He's the Master of the Sea."
Yet, as a man He had a ministry to perform. In verse one of our chapter God reports on His ministry while here on earth.
Luke 8:1 "And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,…"His words and His works vividly declare and demonstrate the essence of His task here among us. Jesus was a preacher of the Gospel, and He backed up His words with His wonderful works. In this chapter we hear His word and see His miraculous works. They both testify to His character, integrity, honesty and courage and especially His power over all creation:
Luke 8:24 "And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm."He demonstrated His power over the demonic realm of nature:
Luke 8:33 "Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked."He demonstrated His power over disease:
Luke 8:44 "Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched."However, His greatest demonstration was when He raised the dead. Jesus Christ has power over death:
Luke 8:55 "And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat."You will notice that He did not do these miracles flippantly. Each one met the need of a person in crisis. He saw the need, and He met that need. He never backed down from doing what was necessary.
Even when He was hanging on the cross of Calvary He took time to respond to the needs of others.
Luke 23:43 "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."Nothing could demonstrate more clearly His love and compassion for those in need. Over and over again in the brief physical life span of Jesus here on earth, He did things that only God could do, and these acts of His openly demonstrated the love that He had for mankind. His ministry of a little over three years was filled with Him "preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God …"
The next thing that we notice from this chapter is that His message was always based upon the word of God.
Luke 8:15 "But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience."Jesus' message was/is that God can meet your need right where you are in life. What is your need?
Salvation? — John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.What a great Saviour! Do You know Him? Trust Him today before it is too late! Only Jesus can save. Good works, church membership, and water baptism will not save.
Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."After a person is saved there are still many needs in life that must be met. Jesus has the power to give you victory over the sins that seek to control and destroy you as you live in this sinful world. He demonstrates in this chapter the progression of a Christian's life. We see in verses 4-15 the power of the word of God in spite of the obstacles in life that seek to keep us in bondage. The devil tries to keep God's word from bearing fruit in our life followed by the temptations to do wrong. Then we see that riches and pleasures will tempt us and try to destroy us, but if we persist in following God and His word we will bear fruit that will last. In verses 16-21 we are admonished to let our light shine for the Lord and be obedient to the word of God. In verses 22-25 we are again reminded that our precious Lord Jesus Christ is always with us even in the storms of life. In verses 26-36 we are told that there is an unseen world of devils and that Jesus has control over them. People without Jesus are in serious danger. The Bible teaches us that men and women without Christ are under Satan's control. John 8:44 "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." This is one of the great truths of the Bible which the Devil tries to keep us from knowing and telling. People need the Lord in order to escape the control of Satan.
In verses 37-40 we see that we are to let the world know what great things Jesus has done for us. Then in verses 41-56 we see the healing power over disease and finally, over our greatest enemy death.
1 Corinthians 15:55-58 "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
