The first time I recall being truly amazed was July 1969. Along with most of the rest of the country, I was glued to my black & white TV set watching the Apollo 11 spacecraft land on the moon. Neil Armstrong climbed out of the lunar module, stepped foot on the moon for the first time, and said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Amazing!
A few years later, Barbara said yes when I proposed marriage.
Amazing! (Friends who knew us both were even more amazed!)
I have been amazed a number of times in my life.
Jesus, on the other hand, is recorded as being amazed only twice.
Jesus Amazed in Nazareth
The first time Jesus was amazed, he was in his hometown of Nazareth. He taught in the synagogue and healed a few sick people. But the townspeople rejected him, saying they knew his family and he was just the carpenter’s son.
Despite His previous miracles, His healing of the sick people, and His teaching, His own people refused to believe Him. Jesus was amazed, saying He could do no mighty miracles there because of their lack of faith (Mark 6:1-6).
Jesus Amazed by Gentile Soldier
The second time Jesus was amazed He was in Capernaum. A Roman centurion, a gentile, had a servant who was sick and near death. The centurion asked some of the Jewish elders to ask Jesus to come and heal the servant.
Jesus was on His way to heal the servant, but before He could arrive, the centurion said he did not consider himself worthy of having Jesus help him. The centurion believed that if Jesus just commanded his servant to be well, he would be cured.
Jesus was amazed at the centurion’s faith, saying He had not found such faith in all of Israel (Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10).
Unbelief or Belief?
So, the first time Jesus was amazed, it was at the unbelief of His own people who, having heard and seen Him, rejected Him.
The second time Jesus was amazed, it was because the centurion demonstrated faith.
What kind of faith does Jesus see when He looks into your life? When Jesus looks into my life, I want him to see a demonstration of great faith like the humble Roman centurion.
But often, I find myself lacking faith. I behave more like the people of Nazareth, not accepting what is clearly right in front of me.
Jesus told the disciples if they had even a little faith, faith the size of a mustard seed, they could move mountains (Matthew 17:20-21). So, can we! With just a little faith, we can move mountains.
Christian leaders, we live in a difficult time. Persecution of believers is increasing around the world. People of faith are ridiculed in the public square.
There is much kingdom work to do. Jesus said if we have just a little faith, we can move mountains.
As Paul said, we must continue in our faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that we heard (Colossians 1:23).
If we continue, stable and steadfast in our faith, we will move mountains. Leaders, let’s begin each day with the faith of the Roman centurion. So, at the end of each day, Jesus will look into our lives and be amazed at our faith!
Even a small step in faith may be a giant leap for mankind!
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. What kind of faith does Jesus see when He looks into your life?
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Category: Personal Development | Character
