Jesus sleeping

One day Jesus was in the boat with his disciples and a great storm arose. Jesus was sleeping like a baby.

I'll bet those fishermen knew what to do. This couldn't have been their first squall, and they must have followed protocol-perhaps they tried at first to outrun the storm, or to run perpendicular to it, or to trim the sails, or lighten the vessel by throwing things overboard.

Jesus was still sleeping like a baby.

Finally, the men did what I would have done: They went to wake Jesus. It seems to me that was the right thing to do, but Jesus said "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 8:26)

I am asking myself: When Jesus rebukes their faith, is He rebuking them for the unbelief that caused them to wake Him in the first place? Or is He OK with the waking part but rebuking them for the fear they showed once He was awake and they had His ear? I will assume it is the former, though I am instructed by the latter possibility also: When I pray to God, I should never pray in an anxious, He-loves-me-He-loves-me-not way, but with confidence and anticipatory thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6; Hebrews 10:22).

I can imagine the story having gone the other way and promoting a different moral. I can imagine the disciples waking Jesus and Him saying, "How great is your faith! You have done well to wake me because you know that I alone am the One who can save you."

But no. Jesus rebukes their "little faith." Now I suppose their faith was merely "little" and not "nonexistent," else they would never have woken Jesus at all. After all, why would a seasoned sailor in time of emergency ask help of a carpenter unless he believed that carpenter was a very special Person?

Nevertheless, it seems that we are meant to ponder the idea that Jesus asleep is better than any other god awake. Jesus asleep is better than you on your best day. The fact of the matter is that Jesus is never ever asleep. But the point of the story is that even if He were, you would be at no risk whatsoever entrusting your life and limb to Him.