The Man Who Amazed Jesus

Introduction

Is your faith marvelous? Do you ever think about that? If Jesus were physically here with us, right now, would He marvel because of your faith? That’s not something we generally consider Jesus doing… And what kind of faith would make Jesus amazed? Tonight we’re going to discuss what it looks like to have such a faith that is amazing to behold, as we consider our passage:

Luke 7:9 “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.””

This is the word of God.

Who Is This Man?

In order to understand what this passage means, we need to understand the man Luke is describing. The Gospels offer us two examples of Jesus marveling, once at unbelief and once at belief.

Regarding unbelief, this is recorded in Mark 6:6

Mark 6:6 ESV

And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.

where Jesus meets with unbelief in His own hometown.

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First, we see the obvious: he is a Gentile, not a Jew. This is in itself shocking.

Over Many, Cares about His Slave

His Conduct is Commended by the Elders of the Jews

He Was Humble, Did Not Consider Himself Worthy (Luke 7:6-7)

“But say the word...” (Luke 7:7)

A Man With Authority Understands Jesus’ Authority (Luke 7:7-8)

Christ’s Authority (Luke 5:20-24)

Jesus Did Not Need to Come (Luke 7:7-8, John 11:1-44)

John 11:21 “Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

John 11:32 “Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.””

John 11:14–15 “Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.””

John 11:43 “When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.””

How He Was Amazing