Real Faith

Introduction

Amazement. Astonishment. A sense of wonder. Do you recall the last time you were amazed or astonished by something? For some of us it may have been this week following our president’s confession. We may have been astonished by his revelation, his confession, his lack of remorse, or the country’s acceptance of explanations without consequences. But what I have in mind goes beyond the political and ethical. What I am speaking about is amazement which leaves you speechless—it causes you to open your mouth and no sound comes out. It makes you take a step backwards, literally or figuratively, and rethink some things. This kind of amazement comes in the delivery room after watching your wife give birth and holding your child for the first time. That kind of drop your jaw and no words will come which adequately express emotions or thoughts.

Or it is the kind of astonishment when your family remembers your birthday just when you thought they had forgotten and there in front of you in a candlelit room with elegant surroundings is your favorite meal, a few gifts, and the warm smiles waiting in expectation for you to speak and all you can say is “I don’t know what to say.”

Or it is the amazement which comes on an October afternoon when you come to the top of a very large hill or mountain and as you come to the crest of that protrusion you look down into the valley below and see the vast colors of the fall foliage and you ever so slightly suck in air and say those words of amazement, “WOW!”

Do you remember the last time you were amazed and astonished? Did you know that Jesus was amazed at times? But he was astonished by different things. We are never told that he was amazed at God’s creation. After all, he was there when the whole show started. Nor was he amazed by a gift. While appreciative, he deserved the gifts. The Bible gives us two instances when Jesus was amazed. And both have to do with faith. The first is found in Mark 6:6. Here Jesus is amazed at the lack of faith among those who knew him best. The other is in our text of Luke 7. In this particular instance he is amazed and astonished by the great amount of faith that a person has.

I want you to know at the outset that the kind of faith which astonished our Lord is the kind of faith we need to have. I want us to be encouraged this morning to strengthen our faith and to come to a better understanding of that which made Jesus take a step back and say those words of astonishment: “I can’t believe it.” But this type of faith means nothing unless it is placed in the one who alone is worthy of such faith. Let’s begin with songs which speak of faith and our determination to place our faith in the Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

The Scene

Jesus is in Capernaum. He has just finished his sermon in chapter 6. In the city he is met by a group of Jewish leaders. They ask him to heal a particular individual. He is a slave. He is a slave of a centurion. He is a slave of a centurion who is a Gentile. Notice verse 3—it is the centurion who has sent this delegation to Jesus. A Gentile has asked the Jews for help. This would have been unusual. But the delegation tells us why they make this request. This centurion has been quite benevolent to the city. The Jews are favorably disposed to help the centurion because he has been so good to them. Jesus is persuaded to go with them.

Obviously word gets back to the centurion that Jesus is coming. The centurion sends a second delegation requesting that Jesus not come to his house, but to just speak the words of healing and that would be enough. The centurion says that he does not deserve for Jesus to come to his house. The centurion recognizes something about himself in comparison with Jesus. Jesus is a far greater man than the centurion. According to verse 3, the centurion had heard about Jesus. He had obviously heard of his ability to heal. The centurion considered Jesus a far more important person than he. It wasn’t necessary for Jesus to come to his house. If Jesus would just say the word, then the servant would be healed. In fact, Jesus walking toward the house was proof enough that he was willing to help. Just speak the word and it will be done.

Such a view amazes Jesus. It is this type of faith which causes him to stop and express great pleasure in the depth of understanding. Jesus sends the delegation back to the house. Upon arrival they discover that the slave is well.

What About Faith

The centurion demonstrates real faith. A faith which causes Jesus to be amazed. Jesus himself confesses that he has not found such faith in his experiences in Israel. What makes the centurion’s faith so different?

First, recognize the humility of the centurion. This is real. The centurion would have been a real soldier. He would have been in charge of 100 men. He knew greatness when he saw it or heard of it. Jesus was a great man. Certainly greater than the centurion. The centurion has an extremely high view of Jesus.

Second, recognize the principle of authority. The centurion knows that if he tells a soldier to do something it will be done. He doesn’t have to be physically present to give an order. When he says jump, the soldier asks how high. The spoken word by a person of greatness is authority enough. Jesus is far greater than the centurion. Just say the word and it will be done. The centurion recognized the authority of Jesus. This verifies Luke’s initial point in 4:18-19. Jesus came to fulfill Isaiah 61. Only Jesus has the authority to do that.

Third, recognize a principle at work here. There are spiritual forces at work here. Physical forces obey the centurion. Spiritual forces obey Jesus. And spiritual forces can be dealt with from a distance. Stick with me for just a moment. We are limited by our senses. What we see, touch, smell, and hear verifies much of what we believe in this world. It is rare indeed for someone to think beyond this world to another realm—a realm which is not bound by space and time as we are. Our science is based completely on this world which is why it often sees any organized religion as being backwards and without foundation.

The centurion’s faith is unique because he understood that Jesus didn’t have to be present in order to heal. Jesus was not limited by time and space. He was physically living in a very physical world, but his words carried authority beyond this world. Jesus has authority and power which are not limited by the bounds of this world. Just say the word and my servant will be healed. That’s real faith.

Wouldn’t you like to have seen the faces of the delegation when they returned and saw the slave well? How would you describe your faith? A recognition of our lowered position in relationship with Jesus. A recognition of authority. A recognition that there is a spiritual world which is not bound by this world. Unique faith says unique things. “Just speak and it will be done. You don’t have to be touching him. You don’t even have to come to the house. Just say the word and the spiritual forces will hear and obey.” Would your faith be like that? Or do you need proof? If God would just come down and show me exactly what he wants me to do, then I would believe? Do you try to bind God by your world or do you trust in the world beyond this one? A centurion shows us an amazing and real faith. Only Jesus generates that kind of faith.

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