Matthew 8:26 (ASV)

Passage

And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

Nearby Context

Matthew 8:24 And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the boat was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

Matthew 8:25 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Save, Lord; we perish.

Matthew 8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

Matthew 8:27 And the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?

Matthew 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, there met him two possessed with demons, coming forth out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man could pass by that way.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "saith", "fearful", "little", "arose", "rebuked", "winds", and "great". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "saith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "And they came to him and awoke..." into verse 27's "And the men marvelled saying What manner...", so "faith" and "saith" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "faith" and "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.