Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 8:26

"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." — Matthew 8:26 (ASV)

Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

"A great calm." No ordinary stillness of the sea; but it was a great calm, as the tempest that preceded it had been great.

What! And all of a sudden too? Storms sob themselves to sleep through lengthened intervals of fretfulness, but when Jesus gives the word of command, the storm is gone at once. "There was a great calm."

He spoke to the men first, for they were the most difficult to deal with. Wind and sea could be rebuked afterwards. He questions the disciples. Alas, they had questioned Him in an unworthy sense! There is no reason for our unbelief. That Why? is unanswerable. If we are right in having any faith, we must be wrong in having any fear. Little faith, from one point of view, is most precious, but from another perspective, it is most unjustifiable. Why little faith in a great God? It is well that it is faith; it is ill that it is little.

See the Lord rise from His hard couch. In royal dignity, He raises Himself. A word makes a calm. As it was a great tempest, now He gives a great calm. There was nothing little in the whole business, except the disciples’ faith. When our Lord rebuked the winds, He did in the best manner rebuke their unbelief. He has very gracious ways of correcting us through the greatness of His mercy to us.

My soul, you know what that great calm is. From now on, exercise a great faith in the great Peace-maker. Be sure to have that faith when you are caught in a great tempest.