What Amazes Jesus? | Luke 7:1–10

What Amazes You?

Have you ever experienced something that truly amazed you? Something that just really surprised you and didn’t really fit within the context of logical and rational thinking?

I remember the very first time I saw the Grand Canyon in person. I was studying a church plant in Las Vegas for a college assignment during the summer of 2007 and I had an unexpected free day and decided to do a bus trip to the Grand Canyon. I had seen pictures and videos of the Grand Canyon before so I thought I knew what to expect - a big whole in the ground. I mean we live in the city and are used to big holes in the ground! Have you seen the size of the potholes we can grow here in our city? It seems that we are on a trend of making vehicles smaller and lighter for the sake of efficiency but whoever is coming up with the concepts and designs needs to consider how big pot holes get in the city!!!! Anyways, I digress. Once we arrived at the Grand Canyon we were at a stop that allowed us to walk up almost to the edge of the rim and I remember standing there and looking down, over and across and just being amazed at just how massively beautiful and mysterious this natural wonder really was. I had never seen anything like this before in person and therefore had no mental point of reference so it was just a mind-blowing, memorable experience. I was truly amazed and awestruck.

What Amazes Jesus?

Did you know that there are two instances in the Scriptures whereby we find that Jesus is amazed? Both encounters has to do with one thing....FAITH.

In one instance we find Jesus to have been amazed is found in Luke 7:1-10 (NIV). Jesus’ reputation and fame has spread throughout the land as He went about healing the sick and teaching the truth of God. A high ranking military official has a servant who is sick and knowing Jesus’ ability to heal, sends messengers to request Jesus to visit his servant and heal him from his sickness. Just as Jesus was about to arrive at the official’s house, friends of the official come out to meet Jesus saying…

Luke 7:6–10 NIV

So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 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.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

In this instance we read that Jesus is amazed at the level of faith that the official displayed in his belief that Jesus has the power and authority to heal simply with His words. That, my friends, is great faith.

The other instance we find Jesus to have been amazed is found in Mark 6:1-6 (NIV). In this situation, Jesus is ministering in His hometown of Nazareth. The residents began to question among themselves as to how it is that Jesus could teach with such wisdom and authority and how He could perform miracles. Their questioning was based upon the fact that they knew His earthly mother, father, brothers and sisters and simply could not believe that somebody so mighty could come from their own town. Due to their disbelief we READ MARK 6:4-6 (NIV).

Mark 6:4–6 NIV

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.

Prayer that changes things begins with faith to believe.

As we experience this 21 DoP together, my prayer is that we will be people who pray bold and powerful prayers reflective of the faith in God that the official in the Book of Luke displayed. Let us pray believing that God can and will change things. Let us pray believing that God can and will heal sicknesses. Let us pray believing that God can and will repair broken hearts, broken marriages, broken homes. Let us pray believing that God can and will turn the hearts of our friends and loved ones to Him in salvation. Let us pray believing that God can and will do immeasurable more than we can think of imagine.

Let us pray believing.....