But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.” ~Matthew 8:8 ESV
Is it possible to amaze Jesus? After all, He is God in human form and fully omniscient. He knows our every thought and every word before we even speak (Psalm 139). You’d think there would be no room for surprises. We are certainly immune to them. Our world is inundated with Photoshop and special effects, and we’re used to lightning-fast service, from our food to our Internet speed, leaving little room for amazement in our lives.
However, Matthew 8:5-13 tells us a story of a faith so big and bold, that it warranted Jesus’ amazement.
A Roman Centurion went to Jesus to ask Him to heal his servant. When Jesus said He would go to the man’s home, the Centurion surprised Jesus and said no. He told Jesus, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
At these words, the Bible tells us that Jesus marveled. In verse 10, Jesus says, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.”
The extraordinary faith of the Roman Centurion continues to amaze. This is the faith Jesus wants us to demonstrate. The amazing kind of faith that makes all things possible through Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:13).
However, because we are hard to impress, we also tend to be cynical and doubtful. And there’s simply no room for doubt when it comes to faith.
Jesus told the disciples, “O you of little faith.”(Matthew 8:26). Like the disciples, we look at our storms and assume they are too big for God. We see our problems as insurmountable. We make our issues more powerful than the all-powerful Jesus Christ.
What kind of incredible wonders could we enjoy if we adopted the faith of a Roman Centurion? An amazing faith that empowers us confidently to call on Jesus to work in our lives, fully trusting in His ability to handle things.
Scripture tells us that God wants to lavish good things on His children. Jesus says in Matthew 7:11, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
But asking requires faith that God will answer. And then, trusting in whatever answer our Heavenly Father gives us.
The Roman Centurion’s faith was rewarded when Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.”
If we’re going to tell our mountain how big our God is, we must first believe it ourselves.
And by doing so, we give Jesus the opportunity to marvel at amazing faith in action.
