The calming of the storm on the lake in the eyes of the first Jewish listeners

Photo credit_KUL Heschel Center

The story of the calming of the storm belongs to the initial core of tradition, so before it was written down in Greek, it had been transmitted orally in Hebrew or Aramaic to Jewish listeners in Israel. What the story of Jesus calming the waters of the Sea of Galilee meant to the first listeners, and how they might have interpreted it, writes Professor Serge Ruzer, lecturer in the Department of Comparative Religious Studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, in a commentary for Sunday, August 13 for the Heschel Center of the Catholic University of Lublin.

For Jewish listeners, the sudden weather changes on the lake some 130 kilometers from Jerusalem were a well-known reality. “The Lake of Galilee is known – then as well as today – for its unpredictable behavior with sudden outbursts of dangerous tempests,” – explains the lecturer.

When Jesus quieted the lake’s raging and life-threatening waters for the disciples, the fearful and surprised apostles called him the Son of God. For the Jews, this title was significant and evocative. In the Old Testament, the term “son of God” refers to the people of Israel and prominent figures like David and Solomon.

In his commentary, a lecturer at the Department of Comparative Religious Studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Professor Serge Ruzer draws on the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic tradition, pointing out some elements to help us better understand Jesus’ calming of the storm on the lake.

We publish the full commentary on the Gospel:

Greetings from Jerusalem, about 130 km from the Sea of Galilee, where the episode from Matthew took place. It stands to reason that the story belongs to the initial core of the tradition and, thus, before it was put in writing in Greek, it had been transmitted orally in Hebrew or Aramaic to Jewish listeners in the Land of Israel. What would draw their attention?

First, the convincing realities. The Lake of Galilee is known – then as well as today – for its unpredictable behavior with sudden outbursts of dangerous tempests. In such moments, waters that a moment before were shallow, could become treacherously deep.

Second, a Jewish listener might recall the narrative of Exodus from Egypt with the people of Israel safely trotting through the sea waters. This would be embellished in the rabbinic midrash with the motif of faith, trust in God, demonstrated by Nahshon, the leader of the tribe of Judah, who had bravely walked in the waves head-deep until the sea parted.

The passage in Matthew presents the daring faith as in principle expected from everyone, but it is Jesus who is portrayed as already endowed with faith and thus capable of both saving Peter and calming the storm. Jesus is addressed here as Lord, kyrios in Greek, which would be rav in Hebrew, thus meaning here “teacher” or “master” – the example of faith for his followers. Impressed by Jesus’ prowess as miracle-worker, the disciples proclaim him the son of God. Why such an appellation?

In the Hebrew Bible, the chosen people are repeatedly described collectively as God’s children/sons, as, for example, in Deuteronomy 14:1: “You are the sons of the Lord your God.” In such collective meaning – now applied to Israel’s blessed sub-group – it would feature also in Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

In the Hebrew Bible, the appellation is also used individually. Thus, the anointed kings of Israel are described as God’s sons – as David in Psalm 2:7: “I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, ‘You are my son, today I have begotten you’,” and Solomon in 2 Samuel 7:14, concerning whom God says: “14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son.” It is in that individual variation, Jesus, God’s chosen, having received the anointment of Spirit and being ready to answer his messianic vocation, is called the son of God in the baptism episode (Matthew 3:17 and pars.).

In all these instances, the appellation designates God’s chosen one(s), but in Matthew’s tempest episode, it is specifically connected to Jesus having power over forces of nature. Such meaning of “sonship,” is not spelled out in the Scripture but it does appear in some rabbinic traditions. A fascinating story – in all probability current already in Jesus’s times – is told about a first-century BCE Honi-the-Circle-Maker, who forcibly demanded from God to give rain in the days of harsh draught (and got it). There was an outrage about the sage’s too assertive approach to the Almighty, but the Pharisaic leader Shimon ben Shetach silenced the detractors, justifying Honi’s attitude by portraying him as being like a son in God’s household. This backdrop motif could provide the Jewish audience with necessary framework to understanding the link between the command over storm and “sonship” in our Matthean passage.

 

About Author:

Serge Ruzer obtained his PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1996, eventually becoming an Associate Professor at the Department of Comparative Religion and a Research Fellow at the Center for the Study of Christianity of that University. His research and publications pertain mostly to the Jewish background to nascent Christianity and early Syriac literature.

 

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