“When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!’” (Matthew 8:10 NKJV)
It would seem unlikely that the Son of God could ever truly have been surprised. After all, it seems He knew the path laid out for Him from a young age. Part of the serenity exhibited by our Savior likely came from the fact that He could often say, “It must be so, that the scriptures may be fulfilled.” Knowing from whence He came and whither He was to go must have contributed to that sense of calm.
Yet here, as in few other places in the Gospels, Jesus is said to have marveled, saying of the Gentile (likely Roman) centurion, “In all of Israel I’ve not seen such faith.” (paraphrased) Imagine being the one to have been so commended by the Lord! What was it which caused such a reaction?
Pleading for his servant to be healed, the centurion came to Jesus (or sent close friends to Jesus: see Luke 7:1-10) to plead with Him. Luke’s version tells us he had built a synagogue for the Jews in Capernaum. Two things come to mind immediately: 1) it would have been incredibly unusual for a centurion to request anything from a Jewish rabbi, much less plead; and 2) it was amazing that such a one would care enough for his servant to make such a plea. Clearly, this was an uncommon and well-respected man, yet still a Gentile and off-limits,according to Jewish tradition.
Jesus, however, was unfazed by any of this. He was accustomed to unusual situations and requests. Contrary to custom and even Talmudic law, He ate with the lowly (“sinners”), and tax collectors, he touched lepers and spoke alone to a Samaritan woman of ill repute. Agreeing to go to the centurion’s house would have been right in His wheelhouse.
The centurion, however, did something quite unexpected. He demonstrated his humility in stating he was not worthy for Jesus to come to his house. More than that, he exhibited faith in the authority Jesus had by describing the authority hierarchy within the Roman cohort. He knew that if Jesus simply spoke the word, it would be done. The disciples of Jesus didn’t even have a good handler on this. After He stilled the stormy seas, they, “feared exceedingly,” asking one another, “‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’” (Mark 4:41 NKJV)
With the examples from scripture and in the lives of others we know, have we not seen enough from Him to trust in His mighty power? If so, it is most likely because we have not given Him opportunity to work on our behalf. What is there which without Him we can but fail? When facing a situation beyond our ability, may we find ourselves, “casting all (our) care upon Him, for He cares for (us).” I Peter 5:7 NKJV) Once we understand His authority over all, committing to Him our all should be a simple thing.
Related Scriptures
“And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.” (Mark 6:6 NKJV)
“When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, ‘I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!’” (Luke 7:9 NKJV)
“‘Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?’” (Matthew 6:30 NKJV)
“But He said to them, ‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?’ Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” (Matthew 8:26 NKJV)
“And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (Matthew 14:31 NKJV)
“But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, ‘O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?’” (Matthew 16:8 NKJV)
“Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.’
“And Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’
“The centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, “Go,” and he goes; and to another, “Come,” and he comes; and to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.’
“When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.’ And his servant was healed that same hour.” (Matthew 8:5-13 NKJV)
“Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, ‘for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.’
“Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, ‘Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, “Go,” and he goes; and to another, “Come,” and he comes; and to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.’
“When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, ‘I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!’ And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.” (Luke 7:1-10 NKJV)
