Amazing Faith (Luke 7:1-17)
Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Monday, March 14)
Read Luke 7:1-17 
What did it take to amaze Jesus? We are told of two instances. In the first, he is amazed by the unbelief he witness in his hometown of Nazareth. In the second, he marvels at the faith of a Roman centurion in Capernaum.
Consider the contrast between these two episodes. In both cases, faith – or its lack – is what amazed Jesus. In today’s reading, Jesus marvels at the great faith of a Roman centurion. Concerned for his servant's health, he asks some Jewish elders to request that Jesus come to heal him. While Jesus is on his way, and knowing that Jesus would defile himself if he were to enter a Gentile home, he sends some friends with this message: “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.... But say the word, and let my servant be healed."
We can see why Jesus was amazed. We are too. In the first place, the soldier’s concern for his servant’s health shows him to be an incredibly compassionate man. In addition, we are surprised by the officer’s concern that Jesus not defile himself. In a culture where most Romans despised the Jews and their taboos, this centurion demonstrates great respect. Finally, as a man under authority, he has the temerity to suggest that it is not necessary for Jesus to be physically present in order to heal the servant. He was right, of course, as Jesus’ subsequent healing of the man proved. But what faith! No wonder Jesus was impressed.
In contrast to his faith, we have the unbelief of Jesus’ hometown people, as we’ve seen already in Luke. But Mark’s account has this to add: “He marveled because of their unbelief” (Mark 6:6). He had a right to be amazed. These were not Gentiles like the Roman soldier. They were supposed to be the kind of people who exercised faith. But instead of responding to the work of God among them, they rejected it. Although they were astonished at his wisdom and at the mighty works he had done among them, rather than responding in faith, they took offense at him.
As we reflect on these two responses to Jesus we can’t help but wonder: why is it that those who should know better are sometimes so resistant to God’s work? And how is it that some who seem to us very far from God can be so responsive to him?
It’s a mystery, to be sure, and certainly worth pondering. We wonder if we are guilty of choosing a predictable god that never surprises us, as Jesus’ hometown seems to have done. Do we want a god we can manage? Or are we willing to take the bold risks of faith that we see in the Roman centurion, whose sensitivity, humility, and faith surprised even Jesus?
“Lord, protect me from the predictability and faithlessness that comes from trying to put you in a box. Help me instead to embrace the adventure that comes from living a life of radical love and incredible faith.”