“Where else have we read about a man asleep on a ship that encounters a terrible storm only to have him wakened and the storm suddenly calmed? There are many parallels to the Jonah story here. And they become all the brighter when in Matthew 12 Jesus makes the bold claim that He is greater than Jonah.
In Jonah’s case, he was running from his mission to preach to non-Jews, so God sent the storm. In Jesus’ case, He was headed to preach to non-Jews, and it seems the devil was trying to stop Him.
Jonah chose his own death rather than repentance – “Throw me overboard and God will stop the storm.” Jesus calmed the storm Himself, because He is God.
When Jesus spoke to the storm, He literally said to it, “Shut up. Be muzzled.” The calm that resulted, scholars say, evokes the idea that the sea was so exhausted it had to lay down to rest.
In His sleepy exhaustion, Jesus was instantly, absolutely, totally more powerful than the satanic storm, with all it’s fury and strength. With a word, it was over. When the Lord speaks, it is done.”
