And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. The disciples follow Jesus into the boat and into the storm — the would-be disciples of verses 19–22 contrasted with the ones who actually get into the boat. Following Jesus wherever he goes means following him into the storm. The boat that crosses the sea is the community of disciples; the storm that threatens the boat is the testing that following Jesus into hostile territory produces. Psalm 107:23–32 describes those who go down to the sea in ships and encounter storms, who cry out to the Lord and are delivered — the pattern that Matthew 8 is enacting.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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