Why did the disciples say, “Truly you are the Son of God” after He calmed the storm (Matthew 14:33)?

Response

Throughout His ministry, Jesus revealed His deity through His actions. He healed many people with diseases (Matthew 8:14-17), calmed a raging storm (Matthew 8:23-27), and expelled demons (Matthew 8:28-34). After feeding the 5,000, Jesus calmed another storm. In response, the disciples exclaimed, “Truly, you are the Son of God” and worshiped Him «Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. », (Matthew 14:33). Jesus’ actions revealed that He is truly the Son of God, and the disciples responded accordingly. Recognizing Jesus for who He is leads to a life of faith and worship.

After the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, Jesus sent the disciples away by boat while He went to pray (Matthew 14:22-33). Throughout the night, the wind and waves raged, and the boat was “buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it” (verse 24). Shortly before dawn, Jesus walked to the disciples on the water. Mistaking Him for a ghost, the disciples were terrified. Even though the disciples had been with Jesus throughout His ministry, they did not recognize Him. There are times when we, too, fail to recognize the Lord’s presence in the midst of our storms, though He is right there with us. Fear clouds our vision, whereas trusting in Him leads to peace. Isaiah 26:3 tells us that He “will keep in perfect peace all who trust in [Him], all whose thoughts are fixed on [Him]!” (NLT).

Fear also heightens our attention to our circumstances rather than increasing our trust in the God who is.In control. After Jesus assures the disciples that it is He and not a ghost, Peter walks to Jesus on the water and is able to do so until he becomes fearful of the wind and starts sinking «But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. », (Matthew 14:30). When we focus on our circumstances instead of trusting in God, we, too, become overwhelmed by what we see. Jesus is the One who calms the storm. Jesus takes Peter by the hand, and they climb into the boat. Seeing the storm calm when Jesus enters the boat, the disciples respond by worshiping Him and saying, “Truly you are the Son of God” (verse 33). When we recognize Jesus for who He is, the proper response is worship—acknowledging God in all His power and glory—and praise—joyfully recounting what He has done.

On a previous occasion, the disciples had seen Jesus calm a storm (Matthew 8:23-27). At that time, they were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” «But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! », (Matthew 8:27). This time, the disciples know that Jesus is not a mere man, and they exclaim, “Truly you are the Son of God” «Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. », (Matthew 14:33). This declaration reveals that the disciples had grown in their faith to realize that Jesus is truly God. His actions revealed His identity. Only God could walk on water, and only God could make the wind and waves obey Him. This is the first time of many that the disciples address Jesus as theSon of God (Matthew 16:16; Matthew 26:63; Matthew 27:40, 43, 54). When the disciples referred to Jesus as the “Son of God,” they were affirming His divinity; identifying Him as having the same essence as God.

Jesus is undeniably the Son of God. He is the Almighty God who has authority over the wind, waves, and the storms in our lives. Our reaction to Jesus should mirror that of the disciples: relying on Him, extolling Him for His true nature, and dedicating our lives to worshiping Him. By fixing our gaze on Jesus rather than our circumstances, we can declare, “Truly, you are the Son of God,” just as the disciples did when He calmed the storm.