Great faith! That is an aspiration of mine, and I hope for you, too! Great faith has many benefits. It will control our fears because we completely trust that God is in control and that He knows what is best for us. There are also great health benefits from not worrying all the time. It will give us peace, joy, and comfort and allow us to be a good example to others. Our witness will be stronger when others see the difference in us.
The character of the lesson today is a man of great authority in Capernaum. He was a Roman centurion, that is a man with at least 100 soldiers under his authority. He was a believer, yet he was a Gentile, not a Jew.
Matthew 8:5-6 “And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
He comes to Jesus not for himself but for a sick servant at home. He shows that he is a man of compassion and not a proud Roman. Where he was from and the job he had lent themselves to a world where sin is all around. He shows us it is possible to live in a world where sin is rampant and not allow it to affect our faith.
He shows humility when he proclaims he is not worthy of Jesus coming to his house. Note that he does not say his servant is not worthy; it is himself who is not worthy. This also shows us he has a very high view of God. His faith is so great that he tells Jesus, “Speak the word, and my servant shall be healed.” Verse 9 shows that he has authority and respect from others, but that is not enough. He needs Jesus’ help.
Matthew 8:7-9 “And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.”
Jesus is very impressed with this man’s faith. Note in verse 10 that he has not found faith this great. The word “found” in this verse means he is looking for faith! Verse 10 makes a proclamation using the word “marveled.” This word is only used by Jesus to speak about people two times in the Bible. In Mark 6:6, he uses this same word to describe the people of the city where he is now, Capernaum. However, this time he is marveling at their unbelief!
Matthew 8:10 “When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”
Because of this man’s great faith, his servant was healed.
Matthew 8:13 “And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.”
God is still moved by great faith and longs to see it in us. It is not our great abilities that he is looking for; it is our unwavering faith in him. This is why it is so important to stay in the Word. The beginning, progress, and strength of faith, are by hearing. Our faith will only be as strong as our knowledge of our God and his word. You must know him to trust him, you must trust him to love him, and the more you know, the more you trust, and the more you trust, the more you love, and it just keeps on getting stronger as you keep repeating that process.
Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
