People surprise us all the time. Our police officer friend has a passion for riding horses. A teacher friend enjoys refurbishing furniture. We were surprised to learn that of our various pastors, one played in the NFL, one was an excellent soccer player, and one competed in ice hockey in Canada.

The more time you spend with someone, the more you learn about them and get to know them.

In the gospels, I find that the disciples were regularly surprised by Jesus. Let’s jump into the story where Jesus and His disciples were caught in a storm on the Sea of Galilee.

Jesus was sound asleep while His disciples were frantically trying to save the boat from being swamped! They actually feared they might drown so they cried out to Jesus. As Jesus rebuked the wind and water, all calmed down and Jesus asked the men, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25).

Now that had to hurt! But basically, Jesus was wondering: Why are you panicking? Don’t you know Who I am? Don’t you understand what I can do? Don’t you grasp how much I love you? Don’t you know that I have a purpose and plan for your life?

The disciples clearly did not know that when Jesus said, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake” (Lk 8:22) that they would actually arrive on the other side of the lake.

We learn more about the disciples when we hear their response, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him” (Lk. 8:25b). Even though the disciples had witnessed numerous miracles, Jesus continued to surprise them.

And He will do the same for us. As we spend time with Him, we get to know Him better. But there will always be more to learn. Knowing Jesus is a life-long pursuit.

Spend time with Him and be surprised!

Be encouraged, my friends!