15. Great Faith

From: My Hearts Desire
Maynard Force

Great Faith
When Jesus heard these things he marveled at him, and said . . . I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." Luke 7. 9.

Scripture records two occasions when Jesus marveled. Once "He marveled because of their unbelief" (Mark 6. 6), and the second time "He marveled'' at the faith of the centurion.

What was it about the centurion that caused Jesus to "marvel" and say, "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel''? Was it that the centurion had faith that Jesus could heal his servant? It could not have been that, because many others also had faith in Jesus' healing power. Yet He did not marvel at their faith. Could it have been that the centurion came requesting healing for someone else, rather than for himself? But there are several incidents in Scripture where others did this, yet Jesus did not marvel or give a special recognition. Was it because of the humility of the centurion when he said, "I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof, wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee'' (Luke 7. 6-7)? Had it been that, Jesus would have commented on his humility, rather than on his faith. There must, therefore, have been something then about his faith that was different from the faith of others which caused Jesus to "marvel" and say, "I have not found so great faith, no, not in all Israel''?

The centurion had found a secret that all Israel had missed. In fact, he had found a truth that most people miss today. He had come to see the power of Christ's word. He knew that if Jesus would but speak "the word'' something would happen, for there was authority in what He said. Therefore he requested, "Say the word, and my servant shall be healed.''

God's blessings are wrapped up in His Word. All who were blessed during Jesus' ministry on earth received the blessing through His word. It was not until He had spoken the word that the cure was complete. When in simple faith they believed His word, the miracle happened. Their feelings of joy came after they had accepted in faith the words that Jesus had given them. Let us note some of the words that He spoke at that time. To the leper He said, "Be thou clean." To the man with the withered hand, "Stretch forth thy hand." To the one that was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, "Be opened.'' To the thief on the cross, "Today thou shalt be with me in paradise.'' To the disciples, "Ye are clean because of the Word which I have spoken unto You." In each case it was His word that brought the miracle.

In our day also, God's blessings come through the Word. That is why Satan makes it so hard for us to feed systematically on the Word. He knows only too well that "the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword'' (Hebrews 4. 12). He also knows that the Word of God has the answer to every problem that may arise in our life. Therefore he causes doubt, indifference, and neglect to keep us away from it. The need of the hour is to learn again the value of God's Word. Jesus said, "Is it not for this cause that ye err, that ye know not the scriptures, nor the power of God?" (Mark 12. 24). God's power lies in His Word.

The centurion's secret is worth knowing and putting into practice. Religious Israel missed it. A Roman soldier found it. He has passed it on to us. It is ours for the taking. With the Psalmist let us pray, "Give me understanding according to thy word'' (Psalm 119. 169).