many of the stories we tell about Jesus take place around the sea of galilee
the sea of Galilee wasn't really a sea at all
but a huge deep blue lake because of this some people called it the lake of Gennesaret
on the shore of the sea of galilee were little villages
where families lived and fishermen worked catching fish
some of Jesus's disciples like Peter Andrew James and John were fishermen from the banks of the sea of galilee
they lived in the fishing village of Capernaum
the town of Nazareth where Jesus grew up was also near the sea of galilee
Jesus and his disciples came from the west side of the sea of galilee
on the east side there lived lots of people who didn't follow god and worshiped other things instead
the sea of Galilee was so big and wide it was hard to cross in little fishing boats
it would take many hours and be quite dangerous
the sea of galilee could sometimes throw up sudden terrible storms
where the rain and wind would batter down on the surface of the lake
and the waves would grow huge and towering over the little boats
one evening Jesus's disciples were surprised when Jesus asked them to travel with him to the other side of the lake
he said let us go over to the other side of the lake
the disciples were confused and scratched their heads why did Jesus want to go to the east side of the lake
they knew there was nothing there apart from people who didn't believe in the word of god
why did Jesus want to speak to them or see them?
still, they knew that to follow god's word and his teachings
they should not question Jesus and do whatever he asked of them
the twelve men got into the fishing boats that sat on the shores of the sea of galilee
the boats were so small that only three men could fit in each boat
and so in four boats they sailed off away from the west shore of galilee
taking turns at rowing stroke by stroke they slowly made their way across the lake
for many miles they rode and rode and the last rays of the day's sun still warm beat down on them
the sky turned from a beautiful orange and pink color to a deep blue as evening turned to night
the moon rose and the waters sparkled and rolled gently beneath their boats
as the journey went on Jesus laid his head on a cushion and began to slip into sleep
the disciples continued to row the boat in the moonlight
as Jesus slept the wind began to blow a little harder
the disciples felt a chill in the air and dark clouds rumbled across the moon
they felt a storm was on its way
as we know some of Jesus's disciples had been fishermen for their whole lives before they knew and followed Jesus
they had rode their boats through storms before
and they felt confident that they could keep rowing the boats and get through this storm to the east side of the sea of galilee
the wind started to rock the boats from side to side
on and on the disciples rode into the deepest parts of the sea of galilee
the water was so deep it turned black beneath the boats
and huge waves started to wash over the disciples filling the boats with water
now the wind howled blowing their hair and beards back and making their eyes water
some of the disciples began to feel fearful and afraid
the rain began to pelt down and the waves only grew bigger
by now the disciples were soaked through and they were all feeling full of terror
even the disciples who were fishermen were frightened and some began to cry out in fear
the biggest wave they had ever seen rose up out of the darkness in front of them
and crashed into the four boats filling them right up with water
they felt the boats begin to sink beneath them and thought this would truly be the end of them
they tried to cup the water in their hands and throw it from the boat
but the rain was so heavy it filled up even quicker than they could throw it out
the two disciples in the boat shook Jesus awake and shouted in terror
Jesus sat up and felt the rocking of the boat and saw the water beginning to rise
but he simply shook his head Jesus was not scared or shaken
he knew that everything that happens is part of god's plan
the two disciples saw no hint of fright or terror in Jesus expression and Jesus said
Jesus stepped past the two disciples and faced the storm
the other disciples in the other boats were cowering and screaming in fear
their robes soaked through from the rain and the waves
Jesus lifted his arms and said
quiet be still
the disciples watched in amazement
almost immediately the wind began to die down the waves got smaller and smaller
until the sea of galilee was calm and still as a pond
the fat droplets of rain shrank to the tiny spots of a drizzle and then to nothing
the disciples used their hands again to cup the water and throw it from the boat
soon the boats were empty of water and the sky was a clear cloudless night stars winked and sparkled down from the sky
and the light of the moon showed them their clear path to the east side of the sea
Jesus was disappointed in his disciples he looked across the four boats and said
why are you so afraid? do you still have no faith?
the disciples looked at each other and asked in amazement
the disciples felt ashamed
although they knew that Jesus had been sent from God to show them his teachings and spread his word
they hadn't understood just how powerful and special Jesus was
their faith in God and Jesus hadn't been as strong as it should have been
now they knew that if they were afraid or didn't know who to turn to they didn't need to carry fear around with them
they could talk to god or ask Jesus
and he would show them how to solve their problems and keep their faith strong
in their journey across the water the disciples had learned to trust in God and Jesus
and know that God would protect them whatever happened
after the storm the four little boats sailed onward to the east bank
where they landed in the town of Gergesenes
on the east bank of the sea of galilee jesus would continue his teachings
and the disciples would keep helping him spread the word of god