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MATTHEW 8:26 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
Matt 8:25Matt 8:27
“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.”
And he said to them, Why are you afraid, O you of little faith? Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. The rebuke before the miracle: little faith, then calm. The little faith is not condemned as no faith — they came to Jesus, which is the beginning of faith. But the terror in the presence of the Lord of the storm is the inconsistency that Jesus addresses. He rebuked the winds and the sea — the same language as exorcising demons in Mark 1:25, suggesting that Jesus treats the chaotic power of the storm as a hostile force to be commanded, not merely a natural phenomenon to be stilled. The great calm after the great storm is the peace that surpasses understanding.

Church Fathers on Matthew 8:26

Christ having performed many great and wonderful things on the land, passes to the sea, that there also He might shew forth His excellent power, presenting Himself before all men as the Lord of both earth and sea. 'And when he was entered into a boat, his disciples followed him,' not being weak but strong and established in the faith. Thus they followed Him not so much treading in His footsteps, as accompanying Him in holiness of spirit.

Pseudo-Origen · · Hom. in div. vii

He took His disciples with Him, and in a boat, that they might learn two lessons; first, not to be confounded in dangers, secondly, to think lowly of themselves in honour. That they should not think great things of themselves because He kept them while He sent the rest away, He suffers them to be tossed by the waves. Where miracles were to be shewn, He suffers the people to be present; where temptations and fears were to be stilled, there He takes with Him only the victors of…

Chrysostom · 4th century · Hom., xxviii

Of this miracle we have a type in Jonah, who while all are in danger is himself unconcerned, sleeps, and is awakened.

Jerome · 4th century
Read all 19 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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Matthew 8:26 — Community Reflections | HolyStudy