This is a summary of the sermon preached on April 26, 2026.
- Date: Sunday April 26, 2026
- Venue: A Sunday service at Saitama International Church
- Title: "Who is Jesus?"
- Scripture: Luke 8:22-25 1
目次
Introduction
Even after becoming Christians, we still experience suffering and sorrow—just as we did before we came to faith.
And this can feel confusing.
After all, Jesus is always with us, guiding us and protecting us… so
The disciples in today’s passage faced the same reality.
They believed in Jesus.
They followed Him wherever He went.
And yet, they found themselves in a life-threatening situation.
But in the end, Jesus delivered them.
Today, we will first look at this passage—and the events that follow it—to rediscover
And then we will consider
The One who is God on Human Flesh
From Luke 8:22 through the end of the chapter (v.56), four miracles of Jesus are recorded in sequence.
First, He calms the storm (vv.22–25).
Second, He casts out demons (vv.26–39).
Third, He heals a woman who had suffered from a long illness (vv.40–48).
And fourth, He raises a dead girl to life (vv.49–56).
By placing these four miracles together, Luke is making something very clear:
And there is only One who has authority over all these things—the Creator God.
In other words, Luke is showing us that
The One Who Rests in the Peace of God
In Luke 8:22, Jesus says to His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.”
This lake is the Sea of Galilee.
Up to this point, much of Jesus’ ministry had taken place on the western side of the lake, where many Jewish people lived.
But the eastern side was largely inhabited by Gentiles.
So when Jesus said, “Let us go over,” He was essentially saying,
For Jewish people at that time, this would not have been a comfortable idea.
Because of religious and cultural reasons, they generally avoided close association with Gentiles.
So the disciples were likely filled with uneasiness—perhaps even fear—about where they were going.
And yet, as they set out,
Now think about that.
When we are anxious about the future, when we are uncertain about what lies ahead, we often cannot sleep.
But Jesus slept peacefully.
Why?
Because He was not ruled by fear.
The One Who Delivers Us from Our Distress
Then suddenly, a storm came down on the lake.
The boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger (vv.23–24).
Already uneasy about going into unfamiliar territory, the disciples now found themselves facing a life-threatening crisis.
Their fear must have intensified.
So they went to Jesus and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters. The storm subsided, and all was calm (v.24).
This expression—“He rebuked the wind and the waters”—is striking.
What this shows is that
And
In the Old Testament, only God has the power to command the wind and the waves (Psalm 107:23–30).
So what we see here is unmistakable:
And yet, at this moment, the disciples still did not fully understand who He was.
That is why Jesus asked them, “Where is your faith?” (v.25).
Conclusion
From Luke 8:22 to the end of the chapter, we see four miracles: calming the storm, casting out demons, healing disease, and raising the dead.
Through these, Luke shows us that
And
And yet—even when we believe in Him and follow Him—our troubles do not simply disappear.
The disciples followed Jesus into Gentile territory—a place they would not have chosen on their own.
And on the way, they faced a storm that threatened their lives.
But in the end, Jesus delivered them.
In your life as well, you may encounter suffering even when you are sincerely trying to follow God’s will.
At times, you may wonder,
Sometimes, when we follow God’s leading, things go smoothly.
Other times, we encounter obstacles and hardship.
But the key question is not whether life is easy or difficult.
The key question is this:
When anxiety keeps you awake at night, when stress overwhelms you,
There may also be times when, in the midst of suffering, you feel that God is absent.
You may think,
The disciples may have felt the same way as they saw Jesus sleeping while they were in danger.
But the truth is, Jesus was with them the entire time.
And when they cried out to Him, He answered and delivered them.
Even death—the greatest and most final problem for us—has been overcome through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In this world, we cannot avoid suffering.
But we walk with the One who has already achieved ultimate victory.
So whatever you face,
Amen.
Bibliography and Notes
- Bock, Darrell L. Luke 1:1-9:50. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Bk House, 1994.
Darrell L. Bock, Baker Academic (1994/12/1) - Edwards, James R. The Gospel According to Luke. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2015.
James R. Edwards, Eerdmans Pub Co (2015/5/1) - France, R. T. Luke. Teach the Text Commentary Series. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2013.
