His mother and brothers showed up but couldn’t get through to him because of the crowd. He was given the message, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside wanting to see you.”

He replied, “My mother and brothers are the ones who hear and do God’s Word. Obedience is thicker than blood.”

One day he and his disciples got in a boat. “Let’s cross the lake,” he said. And off they went. It was smooth sailing, and he fell asleep. A terrific storm came up suddenly on the lake. Water poured in, and they were about to capsize. They woke Jesus: “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

Getting to his feet, he told the wind, “Silence!” and the waves, “Quiet down!” They did it. The lake became smooth as glass.

Then he said to his disciples, “Why can’t you trust me?”

They were in absolute awe, staggered and stammering, “Who is this, anyway? He calls out to the winds and sea, and they do what he tells them!” (Luke 8:19-25)

Without trust, there can be no obedience. Jesus’ mother and brothers didn’t believe him to be the Messiah. They looked at how Jesus lifestyle and all they could see was a problem. They believed that Jesus was behaving in an irrational way. They were concerned for his health and welfare. Jesus used their concern for him to point out that belief involved hearing and then doing God’s word.

But his disciples were not any better than his family at the doing of God’s word. Although they were obedient when it came to getting in the boat and heading across the lake, when a problem came up, they were as quick as his family was to doubt him. Neither Jesus’ family nor his disciples trusted him. Hearing God’s words and doing them depends upon trusting them.

There was no thought in the disciples’ minds, when they awakened Jesus about any hope, any way out. Instead, they merely informed him that they were doomed to drown. Their situation overwhelmed their ability to see who Jesus was. Of course, their inability to see past their situation did not prevent Jesus from doing what had to be done. The disciples had no faith, no expectation, no hope. Jesus acted anyway, because Jesus’ ability to save is not dependent upon our ability to believe that he can do it. Jesus does what is necessary regardless of our panic.

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