Tempests Without And Within
TEMPESTS WITHOUT AND WITHIN
MATTHEW 8:23-34
Every “accident” has the potential to increase our estimate of Jesus.
Matthew describes this storm on the lake by a very strong word, literally meaning “earthquake” (8:24), and it is a pity that translators have not given it its proper force, for Matthew intends its proper force to be understood. The stilling of the tempest, recorded by the three Synoptists, not only portrays Jesus as Lord of wind and wave, but does so in such a way as to recall the ancient Near Eastern motif of the Creator’s victory over the unruly sea, portraying the forces of chaos. Matthew’s choice of the word “earthquake” deliberately emphasizes this aspect of the matter: the upsurging of the deep—the “abyss” of Luke 8:31—symbolizes all the demonic powers which rise to overthrow the kingdom of God but which are overthrown by that kingdom.
The lesson which this incident teaches in the realm of nature is taught again by the following incident on the human level. It is the spirit of man that is the principal target of demonic hostility, as is shown in the description of the two possessed Gadarenes. The multiple schizophrenia and complete loss of personal identity from which they suffer have their counterparts in contemporary society, where one’s capacity for responsible decision can so easily be killed by the trend-setting legion. “If it is true that we are the contemporaries of Christ, as the gospel of the resurrection teaches us, then we can see how he moves through our consumer society and asks the anonymous member of the mass, ‘What is your name?’ A ring at the doorbell; and an indistinct murmur of voices from within: ‘We are many, we are many …’” (Olov Hartman). The juxtaposition of the “consumer society” with demon-possession is seen in the reaction of the Gentile population, more concerned about the loss of their pigs than about the healing of souls. A strange story in modern ears, no doubt; but it is our modern predicament that it uncovers.
Note There is considerable variation between Gadarenes, Gerasenes and Gergesenes in the manuscript tradition of this passage and its parallels in Mark and Luke. Gadara was 7 miles south-east from the lake, separated from the area indicated here by the Yarmuk gorge. The best-known Gerasa was modern Jerash in Transjordan, nearly 40 miles south-east of the lake. The readings Gerasenes and Gergesenes apparently preserve the ancient name of the modern village of Kersa or Kursi, on the east shore of the lake, at the only point on that coast where the steep hills come down to the shore. The incident should probably be located there.