The Meaning of Matthew 8:23 Explained

Matthew 8:23

KJV: And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.

YLT: And when he entered into the boat his disciples did follow him,

Darby: And he went on board ship and his disciples followed him;

ASV: And when he was entered into a boat, his disciples followed him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  when he  was entered  into  a ship,  his  disciples  followed  him. 

What does Matthew 8:23 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Matthew"s first group of miracles ( Matthew 8:1-17) demonstrated that Jesus possessed the messianic power (authority) to heal physical ailments. His second group ( Matthew 8:23 to Matthew 9:8) shows even greater powers over the fallen creation, namely, over nature, demons, and sin. All the beneficiaries of these miracles needed peace, and Jesus met their need.
"The miracles Jesus performs in Matthew"s story divide themselves rather neatly into two groups: (a) therapeutic miracles (miracles of healing), in which the sick are returned to health or the possessed are freed of demons (cf. esp. chaps8-9); and (b) nontherapeutic miracles, which have to do with exercising power over the forces of nature....
"The nontherapeutic miracles are less uniform in structure and differ in thematic [1]. Here the focus is on Jesus and the disciples, and the characteristic feature is that Jesus reveals, in the midst of situations in which the disciples exhibit "little faith," his awesome authority.... The reason Jesus gives the disciples these startling revelations is to bring them to realize that such authority as he exercises he makes available to them through the avenue of faith. In the later situation of their worldwide mission, failure on the part of the disciples to avail themselves of the authority Jesus would impart to them will be to run the risk of failing at their tasks ( Matthew 28:18-20; chaps24-25)." [2]

Context Summary

Matthew 8:18-27 - Leader Of Men And Ruler Of Nature
Christ winnows men. Before any enter upon His service, He places before them the inevitable trials which they must meet, among which loneliness and homelessness bulk large. See that in your heart Christ has a home. Where, however, there is lethargy, the Savior stirs the soul to follow Him. Do not mourn about the grave of the past; leave it and enter the life of resurrection and ascension.
Storms must sweep over all our lives. The Master's sleep indicates the peace and security of His nature. What a contrast between our impatience and His infinite serenity! Our Lord was sure that the Father was with Him, John 8:29. Near though the enemy may be, the Father is nearer. The everlasting arms are beneath you. You are beset behind and before, but no boat can sink when Christ is on board. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 8

1  Jesus cleanses the leper;
5  heals the centurion's servant,
14  Peter's mother in law,
16  and many others;
18  shows the cost of following him;
23  stills the storm on the sea;
28  drives the demons out of two men possessed;
31  and tells them to go into the pigs

What do the individual words in Matthew 8:23 mean?

And having entered He into the boat followed Him the disciples of Him
Καὶ ἐμβάντι αὐτῷ εἰς τὸ πλοῖον ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ

ἐμβάντι  having  entered 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: ἐμβαίνω  
Sense: to go into, step into.
εἰς  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
πλοῖον  boat 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: πλοῖον  
Sense: a ship.
ἠκολούθησαν  followed 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἀκολουθέω  
Sense: to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him.
μαθηταὶ  disciples 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: μαθητής  
Sense: a learner, pupil, disciple.
αὐτοῦ  of  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.

What are the major concepts related to Matthew 8:23?

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