Luke 8:23

Or, it was not His disciples, but the sailors and others in the ship who wondered. But allegorically, the sea or lake is the dark and bitter tide of the world, the ship is the wood of the cross, by help of which the faithful, having passed the waves of this world, reach the shore of a heavenly country. His disciples also, when summoned, enter in with Him. Hence He says, If any one will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Mat. 16:24.) While His disciples are sailing, that is, the faithful passing through this world, and meditating in their minds the rest of the world to come, and by the breath of the Holy Spirit, or also their own exertions, eagerly leaving behind them the unbelieving pride of the world, suddenly our Lord fell asleep, that is, the time of our Lord's passion was come, and the storm descended. For when our Lord entered the sleep of death upon the cross, the waves of persecution rose, stirred up by the breath of the devil, but while the patience of the Lord is not disturbed by the waves, the faint hearts of the disciples are shaken and tremble. They awoke our Lord lest they should perish while He slept, because having seen His death they wish for His resurrection, for if that were delayed they would perish for ever. He rises therefore and rebukes the wind, since by His sudden rising again He put down the pride of the devil who had the power of death. (Heb. 2:14.) But He makes the tempest of nature to cease, since by His resurrection He baffled the rage of the Jews, who plotted His death. In like manner, when He appeared after His death to His disciples, He upbraided them with their unbelief, (Mark 16:14.) and thus having calmed the swelling waves, He made plain to all the power of His divinity.

As they were sailing, He fell asleep. Christ fell asleep while the disciples were sailing because, as the faithful tread the world and contemplate in their minds the rest of the future kingdom, and, either by the favorable breath of the Holy Spirit or by …

And a storm of wind descended on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. As the Lord was ascending the stern of the cross, where He would embrace the sleep of death, the waves of blasphemous persecutors, stirred by demonic …

Spiritually, however, there is expressed here the liberation of the penitent soul from the temptation of the devil through the grace of Christ. Whence three things are to be spiritually noted here: the first is the conversion of the soul, which is signified by the …

And when Jesus came into the house of the ruler, and saw the musicians and the multitude making a noise, 24. He saith to them, Withdraw: for the young woman is not dead, but sleepeth: and they ridiculed him. And when the multitude was put out, he entered and took hold of her hand, and the girl arose.

), as if it were there, and no where else; and presently their ship was so tossed that it was filled with water, and they were in jeopardy of their lives.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens

But as he sailed he fell asleep,.... On a pillow, in the hinder part of the ship, as in Mar 4:38 and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; see Gill on Mat 8:24. and they were filled; with water: not the disciples, but the ship in which they were; and so the Ethiopic version renders it, "their ship was filled with water". The Syriac and Persic versions render it, "the ship was almost sunk", or immersed: and were in jeopardy; of their lives, in the utmost danger, just ready to go to the bottom.

Thus he will try their faith and patience, and quicken them by prayer to awake, and make their deliverance the more welcome when it comes at last. A complaint to Christ of our danger, and the distress his church is in, is enough to engage him to awake, and appear for us,

There came down a storm of wind - and they - were in jeopardy - This is a parallel passage to that in Jon 1:4. There was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken: the latter clause of which is thus translated by the Septuagint: και το πλοιον εκινδυνευε του συντριβηναι, And the ship was in the utmost danger of being dashed to pieces.

The event in our Lord's life described in these verses is related three times in the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke — were all inspired to record it. This circumstance should teach us the importance of the event, and should make us "give the more heed" to the lessons it contains. We see, firstly, in these verses — that our Lord Jesus Christ was really man as well as God. We read that as he sailed over the Lake of Gennesaret in a ship with his disciples, "he fell asleep."

filled--literally, "were getting filled," that is, those who sailed; meaning that their ship was so. DEMONIAC OF GADARA HEALED. (See on Mt 8:28-34; and Mr 5:1-20).

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

The event in our Lord's life described in these verses is related three times in the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke — were all inspired to record it. This circumstance should teach us the importance of the event, and should make us "give the more heed" to the lessons it contains. We see, firstly, in these verses — that our Lord Jesus Christ was really man as well as God. We read that as he sailed over the Lake of Gennesaret in a ship with his disciples, "he fell asleep." Sleep, we must be all aware, is one of the conditions of our natural constitution as human beings. Angels and demons require neither food nor refreshment. But flesh and blood, to keep up a healthy existence — must eat, and drink, and sleep. If the Lord Jesus could be weary, and need rest — then He must have had two natures in one person — a human nature as well as a divine nature. The truth now before us is full of deep consolation and encouragement for all true Christians. The one Mediator, in whom we are bid to trust — has Himself been "partaker of flesh and blood." The mighty High Priest, who is living for us at God's right hand — has had personal experience of all the sinless infirmities of the body. He has himself hungered, and thirsted, and suffered pain. He has himself endured weariness, and sought rest in sleep. Let us pour out our hearts before him with freedom — and tell Him our least troubles without reserve. He who made atonement for us on the cross — is one who "can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities." (Hebrews 4:15.) To be weary of working for God is sinful, but to be wearied and worn in doing God's work is no sin at all. Jesus himself was weary, and Jesus slept. We see, secondly, in these verses — what fears and anxiety may assault the hearts of true disciples of Christ.