0108 WHEN JESUS WAS AMAZED

WHEN JESUS WAS ASTOUNDED

Today we have read Matthew 8, which is filled with miracles and signs and wonders that Jesus performed. He cleanses a leper, heals someone with just a word, heals Peter’s mother-in-law and whole crowds of people, calms a storm and casts demons out of two men. Everyone was amazed at his teaching in chapter 7, and now they are amazed that he calms a storm at sea. But in the midst of all this amazement, we find Jesus himself being amazed. It is a man’s faith that astounds our Lord Himself. He marvels and says, “I tell you the truth, I have not found such faith in all of Israel.” Let’s explore what marked that man’s faith.

The man’s background does not cause us to expect such great things. He is an unnamed Gentile. In fact, he is a Roman, that oppressive nation that rules the land of Israel. Even more, he is part of the Roman army, so he would be one of the most unlikely of heroes to the king of the Jews. But nationality and station in life do not dictate a person’s faith. Here is his story:

He is a centurion, which means he is somewhere in the middle management of the Roman military–perhaps being similar to the rank of a lieutenant or a captain in ours. A centurion has about 100 soldiers under him. Plus, this centurion has a servant, who apparently is important to him, because the officer travels a distance to find Jesus and ask him to heal his servant.

Jesus offers to go to the man’s house and see him, but the centurion gives this humble and faith-filled reply: “I don’t deserve to have you under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant shall be healed.” That phrase is used in the text of several Christian liturgies to this day. As we confess our sins, and tell the Lord, “only say the word, and your servant shall be healed.” It is a powerful statement of faith, to know that He does not need to come into our house, or to lay hands on, or to anoint with oil, but only declare it, and it will be done. In any case, it is that statement that causes our Lord to be amazed and to declare this man’s faith to be greater than any He has seen in the whole nation of God’s chosen people.

How did this Roman centurion come to such amazing faith? He explains it himself. It has to do with his understanding of how spiritual authority works (We just talked about that subject yesterday!). He has been trained in how the military must function if it’s to be effective: if he tells someone under him to do something, that man will receive it as an order and carry it out with the same zeal as if it were his own idea. His superior officer simply says the word and can move on to other things while his orders are being taken care of. That’s how authority always works, you know. The person in authority is the “author” of an idea, and his word is unquestionably followed. And so, the man says, Jesus needs only say the word, and whatever happens in the spiritual realm is carried out. Proximity doesn’t matter. Jesus needs only to declare it, and it will happen.

Interestingly, there is one other time that Scripture says Jesus was astonished. But this time it was for a LACK of faith. He was in his hometown of Nazareth, and the people there were asking one another where Jesus got all that wisdom and power from. They had known him since childhood, they knew his family, and it just didn’t add up, so they were offended by his spiritual authority. Jesus said that a prophet is not without honor, except in his own hometown, among his relatives and in his own house. So he was amazed at their unbelief. He was unable to work miracles there, so he moved on.

There’s an old saying, “Seeing is believing.” Yet, faith is, by definition, in something that you cannot see. Otherwise, it would be called sight, don’t you know. So maybe the opposite of faith is doubt. But maybe the opposite of faith is sight. If we need verification and proof, it is not faith, whatever we might want to call it. It is the scribes and the Pharisees, whom Jesus calls a wicked and adulterous generation, who seek after a sign. Jesus refused to answer their request. That conversation happens in Matthew 12, so we will see it soon.

I would like to amaze the Lord of the universe by showing him something that he does not find in most people. But if given a choice, I think I would rather amaze him with my faith than to amaze him with my disbelief. How about you?

Let’s pray: “Lord Jesus, you need only say the word, and your servant shall be healed. When I confess my sins to you, I choose to leave them in your hands, lay them on the altar, and trust that you have fully cleansed me, according to your powerful word. In you will I put my trust. Amen.”