NOTES for Mat 8:23-27
The disciples were ready to follow Christ wherever He went. They got into the boat after Him in order to accompany Him. But even while following Christ, the disciples for too long did not understand Him. It is noteworthy that, describing the disciples' reaction to Jesus calming the storm, the evangelist writes: "And the men marveled, saying..." For at the moment when the disciples do not understand the Teacher, they cannot be called disciples.
Christ's sleep in the middle of the stormy sea is striking not only because He preserves astonishing self-control amid the raging elements, while all the disciples are alarmed. Another meaning can also be seen in this image: it recalls God's rest after the completion of creation, when the world was already developing according to the course appointed for it. Even while at rest, the Lord remained the Creator and Lord of the moving universe. And here one can also discern His coming Resurrection, when, rising from the repose of the tomb, He will again bring the bewildered apostles to their senses.