OCU C)OST C Devotion 03
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MATTHEW 8 – UNCANNY FAITH
“And Jesus said 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 does it. 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.“ Matthew 8:7-10
Wow, what an incredible story of a man who possessed uncanny faith. There is no doubt, this centurion believed in a way that leaves many of us professing Christians impressed. Impressed because many Christians who claim to have faith in Christ tend to demonstrate the lack thereof in their personal life.
When you accept Jesus as your lord, you are not only accepting Him as your God and savior but also the life He has predetermined in your life. In other words, as Christians, we are called to trust the Lord in whatever circumstance we may be in. Why you may ask? Because God knows our infirmities, our wants, and our future. It’s the saints calling to live our lives with “godliness and contentment” in whatever state He calls us to live in.
Therefore, it’s the believer’s duty to trust the Lord in whatever circumstance they may be in, and place whatever burdens we have right before the footstool of our God.
CHALLENGE
My friend, have you trusted in the saving grace of the Lord Jesus? If so, God has called us to trust the Lord, even in dark times. May we be like the centurion, one who exemplified uncanny faith and trust in the Lord, no matter what scenario we may be in!
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I love this passage. I think in another synoptic gospel it names the centurion as Jairus, but the faith displayed here is remarkable. It is fascinating that Jesus said in all Israel he hadn’t seen such faith. These are His people, the people who were supposed to have had the market or real estate on the one true God cornered, so if anyone should have had faith it should have been them. Much the same, since we are the body of Christ, and serve the true and living God it is interesting how we can have faith in the area of healing, but lack it in the area of finances, or job promotion. I think many things are a result of people not knowing, speaking and hearing the word. If we don’t know what his word says about Him becoming poor, that we thru His poverty might become rich, we can’t speak it, or believe it and the word tells us faith comes by hearing & hearing by the word of God, so we need to keep the word before us, in our mouth and believing what we speak when we hear it. We have to be like the centurion & whether or not someone prophetically comes to us, or picks us out in the congregation, or on the street to say speak a word over us, we have to be able to speak the word of God over our own lives and agree with the Holy Spirit in faith that God will do just what His word promises us today. Jesus said blessed are those who don’t see & yet still believe. I trust God to do exceedingly and abundantly above all we could ask or think, so any area that is lacking in my life I am praying with a spirit of expectation that God will prosper me in every area of my life even as my soul prospers. And I pray the same for you as well.
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The centurion’s faith in this passage is amazing, because even though he was not of the Jewish community, he trusted in Jesus, in His power, and in His authority. The centurion understood how authority worked because of his own experience and believed that Jesus had the heavenly authority to heal his servant.
The centurion was humble enough to ask Jesus for help, even though the Romans were the ones occupying the Hebrew land at the time. He was so humble that he felt he did not deserve to have Jesus come to his home.
Also, the centurion was kind enough to want his servant to get better and be healed. It is amazing that both Jesus and the centurion cared about a servant, who was considered as a lower status during that time period.
Later, Jesus tells him to go home because his servant is healed. When the centurion goes back, he finds out that the servant was healed at the time when Jesus told him. Jesus does have the heavenly authority, and because the centurion believed, he and his servant were blessed. -
This passage of Matthew is really interesting. Some of the key insights into this act of faith is the Humility and recognition. The centurion acknowledges his own unworthiness to have Jesus enter his home, which demonstrates the humility and respect for Jesus’ holiness. The authority and faith of the centurion understands understands that he knows Jesus authority and that it extends beyond physical presence and that His spoken word holds power. This reflects his faith in Jesus’ divine authority. I believe that the centurions faith is a reminder to all believers that true faith involves trust in Jesus word and authority. It’s a call to believe that He can accomplish His will in our lives, often in ways that transcend human understanding. May this faith inspire you in your own journey, trusting in the power and authority of Jesus, the One who holds all things together!
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To me, the verse illustrates the concept of believing without proof. The centurion’s faith should serve as a model for us today, urging us to reflect on our own faith. This verse demonstrates that if we have trust and confidence in Jesus, He will answer our prayers. I heard a testimony that relates to this verse on Easter Sunday. A church member had a heart attack around this time last year. The medical professionals and hospital staff said there was nothing more they could do for him. They called his family in to say their goodbyes. The family and doctors all prayed for this man, trusting in God’s plan. The man continued to improve and is still with us today. He is completely healed and has no side effects from his heart attack. He stands as an example of a medical miracle or simply the power of God.
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This verse is one that we always talked about in my youth group. We were always told, “faith is not about seeing miracles every day”. To this day I still hold that near and dear to my heart. As a child I was always asking God for miracles or crazy things that I wanted to happen. For example, like my parents to get back together. However, as I got older I realized it was for the betterment of not only them, but myself included. As I got older and grew into my own adult. I realized that God’s plans will never make sense to me. Nor will I ever understand what he does and why. All I have to do is trust him, and it will become apparent eventually. Even if I believe it will or not. So faith is simply trust. I trust in God to do to me or have a positive effect and know that even when it is negative. He will not give me more than I can handle.
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This is such a powerful reminder! The story of the centurion in Matthew 8 shows what real faith looks like. The fact that even Jesus marveled, a word that Jesus didn’t use very often, at the faith this roman centurion. The centurion understood that Jesus didn’t even have to be physically present to heal his servant. He trusted completely in Jesus’ authority and power. And what makes this even crazier is that this man wasn’t even a Jew, he was a Roman soldier!
You made a great point: real faith means trusting God even when life doesn’t make sense. It’s easy to say we believe when things are good, but true faith shows up when times are hard. Like the centurion, we are called to trust Jesus fully, knowing He sees our needs and has a plan for us.
Instead of holding onto fear and doubt, we are invited to lay our worries at His feet and trust Him. May we have faith that moves the heart of God, just like the centurion did!
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The faith of the Roman Centurion is a great testament to the power of pure faith in God. One thing that I have always found interesting about that story is the fact that we are given an example of great faith from the least likely of places, at least in that time. A Roman soldier who had no doubt committed atrocities against the Jewish people. He was a Gentile and may have very likely been considered a Pagan at one time. This is the example that the divine Word of God gives us to demonstrate great faith. If God can use the least likely to show great faith, what can he do through a Christian with just a little faith?
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