Matthew 8:26 (KJV)

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 ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

Matthew 8:25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: 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 But 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 Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might 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 his disciples came to him and..." into verse 27's "But 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.