Great Faith

Introduction

When Jesus talks about “Great Faith” what is He talking about? In both Matthew’s Gospel and in Luke’s Gospel we have an account that appears to take place soon after the Sermon on the Mount. It involves the faith of a Centurion. A Centurion that Jesus said had great faith. Turn over to Luke’s Gospel chapter 7.

Luke 7:1-10

Luke 7:1–10 NKJV

Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.” Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.

Background (Verse 1)

Luke who is the Gospel writer who tries to write in a chronological order puts this event soon after the Sermon on the Mount (Luke 6:20-49). The Mount of the Beatitudes is near the city of Capernaum where this next event takes place and it is the adopted hometown of Jesus.

Matthew 4:13 NKJV

And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,

After the Sermon on the Mount He and the many of the multitude come down to the City of Capernaum and enter it

Background Part 2 (Verses 2-3)

Luke 7:2 NKJV

And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.

Luke 7:3 NKJV

So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.

We are introduced to a Centurion who is physically not there, but has sent elders of the Jews to Jesus. This centurion has a slave, from the Greek it appears that he is a young slave. In Matthew’s Gospel it says he is paralyzed and in a lot of pain.

Matthew 8:6 NKJV

saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”

This man is a centurion. We see the word (Cent) in the word. When we say one cent it means one penny out of 100. The Latin word Cent means 100. In the Roman Military a Centurion was in charge of 100 soldiers. This was not something that came easily. It was not something handed it out, it was something earned. On top of having 100 men for training they would have had slaves to be at their beck and call. Yet, here we have a man’s man of the Roman world who has compassion on a young slave.

Luke 6–10: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Context of the Centurion’s Amazing Faith

A Roman legion at full strength consisted of 6,000 men, and was divided into ten cohorts of 600 men each. A centurion commanded 100 of these men, and a legion therefore had 60 centurions, each of whom reported to one of the legion’s six tribunes (cf. Acts 22:25–26). The Roman historian Polybius described centurions as “not so much venturesome daredevils as natural leaders of a steady and sedate spirit, not so much men who will initiate attacks and open the battle as men who will hold their ground when worsted and hard pressed and be ready to die at their posts”

Luke 6–10: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary His Great Love

Aristotle described a slave as a living tool (Ethics, 1161b). The legal scholar Gaius noted that it was universally accepted that masters possessed the power of life and death over their slaves (Institutes, 1.52). The Roman writer Varro insisted that the only difference between a slave, an animal, and a cart was that the slave talked (Agriculture, 1.17). Slaves were often abused, young boys in particular, since pedophilia was not uncommon.

Yet, there is a deep and genuine compassion for this slave boy from the Master.

Verses 4-5

Luke 7:4–5 NKJV

And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”

Verses 6-7

Luke 7:6–7 NKJV

Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

Verses 8-10

Luke 7:8–10 NKJV

For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.

Luke 6–10: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary His Great Trust

When Jesus heard this remarkable expression of the centurion’s humble faith, He marveled at him. Here is a glimpse of Jesus’ true humanity, since as God He is omniscient and cannot be surprised by anything. But just as in His humanity He became tired (John 4:6), hungry (Matt. 4:2), and thirsty (John 19:28; cf. 4:7), so also could He be astonished at the faith displayed by this Roman soldier.

Hearing the centurion’s words, Jesus turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” On the one hand, the Lord’s statement affirmed the centurion’s great faith. But on the other hand, the sad reality that not even in Israel could the Messiah find that kind of faith was an indictment of God’s chosen people. Matthew records that the Lord added the sobering warning, “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 8:11–12). Trusting in their self-righteousness and external ceremonialism, the Jewish people lacked genuine, saving faith. Even Christ’s disciples possessed only weak, “little” faith (Matt. 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8). That a Gentile set the example for genuine faith was a rebuke of the Jewish people, who had missed the truth in spite of all their privileges (Rom. 9:4–5). As the apostle Paul would later write, “For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God” (Rom. 10:2–3).