How's the Weather?

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Matthew 8:27

And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"

...............

If you are feeling awkward in a social situation, there is always the weather. This is especially so in Louisville, KY. Now, I know many cities claim the axiom that we use here, but it is still appropriate: "If you don't like the weather, just wait (a day or 10 minutes or whatever)." This is par for the course here in River City, where the weather can be light flurries of snow in the morning and sweltering hot in the afternoon, no joke. And this past year has been exceptionally freakish, giving yet more fodder to the awkward socialites like myself. An earthquake, a hurricane, and an ice storm, the last two of which caused record-breaking power outages and no shortage of grief. There is always the weather.

So, it is quite appropriate to be flabbergasted by someone who has control over the weather. This guy is something to talk about. Matthew 8 records many amazing things that Jesus did, which drew crowds and caused exclamation among the people. But, it was this calming of the storm which brought his closest followers to the end of their logical ropes. This is no ordinary Messiah. He's not just a healer and teacher and potential political leader. He might be the King. The King of Kings Himself.

A couple other things about this chapter bring verse 27 into stark relief. The chapter begins with crowds of people following Jesus down from the mount, after a sermon that would forever be ingrained in their memories. He cleansed a leper, he healed the centurian's servant with a word, he (almost casually) healed Peter's mother-in-law from a fever.

And then the cost.

Verses 18-22. Talk about disillusionment. I have a feeling that when the disciples got into their boat, many people in the crowds were ready to turn back anyway. This points us to the end of the chapter where we find a stark contrast to how the chapter begins. "And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region" (8:34). After yet another astonishing miracle, cleansing the two demon-possessed men, Jesus finds himself kicked out of town. It wasn't the healings that had changed. It wasn't the person that had changed. People were starting to realize that this guy was no ordinary revolutionary. If you followed this guy, it would be no use talking about the weather anymore. Daily life would never be the same.

I'm going to try to be more amazed at Jesus than I am about the weather. Ask me how it's going and we'll see how I respond. :)