Want to Amaze Jesus?
Did you know that Jesus was “amazed” two different times in the Bible?
“When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’”
Both times it had to do with faith.
These two contrasting situations give us a picture of Jesus’s heart, his delights and disappointments…and what issue is at the center? Faith.
Luke 7:1-10 is about the Roman Centurion’s faith, and Mark 6:1-7 is about the faith found in Jesus’ hometown.
I was reading about the faith (actually the LACK of faith) in Jesus’ hometown and I was struck by the word amazed (or marveled in the ESV translation) in verse 6. In His home context, Jesus wasn’t taken serious as a teacher, prophet and leader.
“And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.’
And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.”
The people actually listed his accomplishments of healing miracles, authoritative teaching and even reports “many who heard him were amazed”… yet the conclusion was that they didn’t believe Him.
This really struck Jesus—he was amazed.
I picture Jesus shouting:
“WOW!! I can’t believe…you don’t believe!! Of all people, you are the closest to me and have perhaps seen the most…shouldn’t faith come easiest to you?”
Shaking his head, walking away disappointed, Jesus probably really wanted to engage with these people he grew up with. Sad.
In Mark 6, we see Jesus amazed (or marveled in the ESV translation) at a foreigner, the Roman military leader who barely has even heard of Jesus, let alone grown up with him.
He has enough faith to even tell Jesus that a command from afar is good enough for healing, no need to be physically present.
This time, I imagine Jesus exclaiming:
“Wow! I can’t believe…you DO believe”
Jesus was so thrilled to engage with this man and praised his faith as greater than anyone in Israel. Fantastic.
What about you today?
Do you want to amaze Jesus?
How might Jesus respond to your faith today?
I know I have chances throughout each day to take Jesus at His word,
To trust Him, follow Him, serve Him and simply put…to have faith in Him.
I picture Jesus being amazed when I go for it in faith,
But sadly I can also see Him amazed at when faith in Him is clearly the path…and I choose unbelief.
Let’s amaze Jesus — the right way — by believing with all we’ve got
In who He is, what He is doing, and how much He loves us.
“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
