Event New Testament
The calming of the storm
Also known as Peace, be still
Crossing the Sea of Galilee by night, the disciples were caught in a violent storm while Jesus slept. They woke Him in fear, He rebuked the wind and the sea and it became perfectly calm, and He asked why they still had no faith. They asked one another who this could be, that even wind and sea obey Him.
Why it matters. The question the disciples ask in the boat is the question of the whole chapter: who is this?
- Primary passages
- Witnesses
Chronology confidence: medium
All three Synoptics record the event on the Sea of Galilee; Matthew places it earlier in his arrangement than Mark and Luke.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
Connections
The parables of the Kingdom precedes The calming of the storm
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceMark and Luke record the crossing and the storm on the same day as the parables.
The calming of the storm precedes The raising of Jairus's daughter
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceAfter the storm and the Gerasene healing, Jesus recrosses the lake and Jairus meets Him.
Jesus participates in The calming of the storm
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceJesus, asleep in the stern, wakes and rebukes the wind and the sea.
Evidence:The calming of the storm occurs at Sea of Galilee
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe storm strikes while the disciples cross the lake by boat.
Evidence:The calming of the storm develops the theme Faith
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceJesus asks the frightened disciples where their faith is.
The calming of the storm echoes Psalms 107:23-30
Strong allusion or echoMedium confidenceThe psalm describes sailors crying to the Lord in a storm and the Lord stilling it to a whisper; the disciples' cry and Jesus's word to the sea follow that pattern, and their question about who He is points the same way.
Evidence:Other responsible views
- A general Old Testament theme: The power to still the sea belongs to God in many passages (Psalm 65:7, 89:9, Job 38:8-11); Psalm 107 is the closest in shape but not the only background.