In a Place of Unbelief — Jesus Creates Belief

Church family:
Sometimes the person we least expect to believe is the very person Jesus holds up as an example of genuine faith. And sometimes those of us who have heard the gospel for years can become so familiar with Jesus that we hear His Word without responding, know the truth without living it, and sit near Christ without truly following Him.
That is the surprising scene we encounter in Matthew 8. Jesus is in Capernaum, a place where He will teach, heal, and reveal His divine authority. Yet in the midst of all this revelation, Jesus finds something remarkable, not in one of Israel's religious leaders, but in a Roman centurion. He was a Gentile. He was a Roman officer. He represented the occupying power. He had authority over soldiers, but he could not command the sickness that had brought suffering into his home. So, this powerful man comes to Jesus with nothing but a need. And what Jesus finds in this unlikely man is faith.
The centurion's story forces us to ask an important question: What does genuine faith in Jesus look like? And even more importantly, Who is this Jesus in whom he believes?
The centurion understood authority. His word carried the authority of Rome. But Jesus' word carried something infinitely greater. The centurion knew that when he gave a command, his soldiers obeyed. Jesus speaks, and disease obeys. Jesus commands, and creation responds. This is ultimately not a story about the greatness of the centurion's faith. It is a story about the greatness of Jesus.
And what kind of faith did Jesus commend?
It was humble faith: “I am not worthy.”
It was compassionate faith: He came to Jesus on behalf of someone who was suffering.
It was courageous faith: “Only say the word.”
And it was faith in Jesus' authority: confidence that Jesus could accomplish by His word what no human authority could accomplish.
Then Jesus makes the application even more personal. He says that many will come “from east and west” and recline at the table in the kingdom of God, while some who assumed they belonged will be cast into outer darkness (Matthew 8:11–12).
That should make us stop and examine our hearts. Being around Jesus is not the same as belonging to Jesus. The surprising thing is that the outsider believed, while those who thought they belonged discovered that religious privilege is not the same as saving faith.
So, the question is not simply, “Have I been around Jesus?”
The question is, “Have I come to Jesus?”
The centurion came with nothing to offer but his need. He pleaded for nothing but mercy. And he trusted the One who stood before him. That is still the way we come. And Jesus' promise remains:“Whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).
In a place of unbelief, Jesus creates belief. And the faith He creates rests not in the strength of our faith, but in the authority, mercy, and saving power of Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. Who around you is God working in to create faith?

See you Sunday, Steve