Matthew 8:5-13;23-27
The Faith of the Centurion
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
Jesus Calms the Storm
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Time and time again, Jesus preached about Faith. The Centurion knew the power that he had as a leader and recognized the superior power that Jesus had. He also saw the superiority that Jesus had over him and knew he was unworthy. He believed what he had heard about Jesus and had faith that He could heal his servant. I think the Centurion had the right idea. Can you imagine if we all had faith like that of the Centurion, of whom Jesus said, "I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith."? Even the disciples doubted, though they had seen so many of Jesus' miracles. They were stuck in a storm and Jesus was on the boat, yet they were afraid! I catch myself thinking, "Why did they doubt?" But then I realize I do the exact same thing. I have seen the work and wonders of God's hand. I have felt the power of His presence, yet I am afraid. I worry. I forget that all along Jesus was there. He never gives up on us! He is waiting for us to call out to Him to stop the storm.
