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Matthew 8 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Jesus marveled. It’s a strong phrase.
What was it like for Jesus to marvel? What did it take?
It was definitely a rare event. The only other time we read that Jesus marveled is in John 6:6 when He is dealing with the unbelief of the people in Nazareth. In that case, the situation was gloomy, but here, there is a celebration. The faith of the centurion was something to marvel at. After he demonstrated his faith with an amazing statement, Jesus responds to his heart.
“Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.”
Matthew 8:10 NASB
Faith doesn’t mean that if you believe, Jesus will do something. This is a common misunderstanding of faith. True faith involves trusting that He can do it. So the statement Jesus makes here to the centurion goes a long way. The centurion believed wholeheartedly that Jesus did not have to be present for the healing to take place. By Jesus’ own words, no one up to this point has demonstrated that they trust He can do something like this. Jesus marveled.
When you read this chapter of Matthew immediately following the Sermon on the Mount, you get a good grasp for why the miracles were essential to His ministry. He had just talked about the Kingdom of Heaven, and what it means to live in that Kingdom. Now He was showing that through Him, all that is possible.
The centurion demonstrated that he not only had faith, but he had humility as well. He understood authority and he acknowledges Jesus’ authority over sickness and disease in his profession. This is an important lesson for us. Humility and faith are two attributes Christ exalted in the individuals He interacted with. Self-righteousness and hardened hearts were two attributes He despised.
When we came with only faith, we can come selfishly, with our own motivates at the forefront. When we come in only humility, we miss out on the power of Christ in our lives. Both are essential for a Spirit-filled life so we must pray that the Spirit gives us both in abundance!