Luke 8:24 and "rebuke the wind"

[michelleds]

this passage was puzzling to me. the phrase used is that Jesus **rebuked the wind **which seems to imply a sort of sentience to the wind. but that doesn’t make sense. Then I read Matthew Henry’s commentary stating:

Perhaps the devil, who is the prince of the power of the air, * and who raiseth winds by the permission of God, had some suspicion, from some words which Christ might let fall, that he was coming over the lake now on purpose to cast that legion of devils out of the poor man on the other side, and therefore poured this storm upon the ship he was in, designing, if possible, to have sunk him and prevented that victory.*

and

Christ’s business is to lay storms, as it is Satan’s business to raise them. He can do it; he has done it; he delights to do it: for he came to proclaim peace on earth. He rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and immediately they ceased (Luke 8:24); not, as at other times, by degrees, but all of a sudden, there was a great calm. Thus Christ showed that, though the devil pretends to be the prince of the power of the air, yet even there he has him in a chain.

This makes sense to me in that Jesus was rebuking Satan and did so after the disciples asked him for help. Your thoughts?

 

[TimothyH]

Moving air is used throughout the Bible as a sign of God’s life-giving spirit. spirit.

Genesis 1:1 has a “Mighty Wind”, or as some translations put it, the “Spirit of God” blowing over the face of the waters. This spirit is what creates the universe. Genesis 2 has God blowing life into the nostrils of the first man. Ezekiel 37 has the prophesy of the dry bones, where the prophet is told the call the “Four winds”, the spirit from the four corners of the earth to breath life into the dry bones. Jesus breathes on the disciples and gives them the ability to forgive sins and bring people back to spiritual life.

The word spirit comes from the latin word “Spiritus” meaning breath. Wind and moving air is often the image used for the life giving breath of God.

When the Apostles cry, “We are perishing!” int he storm, it is an evil wind, that which takes life, which Jesus rebukes and quiets.

I think your commentaries are spot on.

-Tim-

 

[mcrow]

To be honest, I think this is a case of over thinking a verse.

Rebuking also means to repress or put down by force. It does not always need a sentient target.

In the context of the parable it’s simply an example of Jesus repeatedly needing to prove his divine nature.

I would say, at best, it’s inconclusive on whether or not that is the reference. Had he mentioned the devil or evil or something similar in the parable I would say yes but it was described as a simple act of nature. Jesus himself could have caused it, perhaps satan could have but neither is insinuated in the least.

I would say it’s a stretch. The larger, more improtant thing to learn here is that we shouldn’t doubt the Lord.

If there is a deeper meaning here it is probably that God was thought to be the one who controled the elements (minus a single verse that sort of hints that satan could). In fact, there are many quotes in the bible where God is in control of the elements. So, in Jesus showing power over the elements, he was proving that he IS God.

 

[Garyjohn2]

Well, I don’t think rebuking the wind implies sentience. If I stub my toe on a brick, I can rebuke the rock. However, if Christ rebuked a rock, it might melt. Remember, Satan requested that Christ change the rocks in the desert into loaves of bread. This does not necessarily mean the rocks have sentience.

I think it is just more evidence of Christ as Son of God, having authority over creation.

 

[MarcoPolo]

This is actually a theme of sorts throughout Luke’s Gospel. There are 3 versions of the scene where Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law, but Luke is the only one who uses the term “rebuke.”*Luke 4:39 So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. *You see again the “personification” of a fever here. Luke has a certain theological emphasis of Jesus’ divinity, his “command” over all things like “wind” or “fever.” The language does not demand sentience, but rather emphasizes Jesus’ power.