Faith Is A Noun: "Great Faith

"When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." (Matthew 8:10)

Hello To All:

When approaching the King's Book (the Bible); and when seeking the revelation of the truth that it contains: one of the essential principals, that must always be embraced, is this: Context is everything! It is when a text is pulled from its context, that we often get into trouble, regarding the truth of the text.

Our opening verse, from Matthew 8:10, is a good example of such a text. As we look at the verse, in its stand alone condition, we might be inclined to think that there are different kinds of faith. Clearly our Lord Jesus Christ makes reference to a faith that is spoken of as a "great faith." Does this then mean that there is a faith that is less than great? Or does this mean that there is a faith that is not great at all? Clearly there are opportunities for confusion, as we seek to comprehend the truth of this stand alone text!

Throughout the letters/postings of this site (this is posting #138), one of the recurring themes, is that every person who is able to identify, that the reality of who they are is Christian; is also a person who can have the confidence of knowing, that the faith that they have - this faith that we whose lives belong to Jesus of Nazareth - this faith that brings us eternal life: this faith, that we have, is the faith that is sufficient to move mountains!

Having often referenced the truth that we all have the gift of faith; it should be noted that the Apostle Paul makes reference to a gift of faith, amongst the list of the various gifts that the Spirit of God gives to the church (1 Corinthians 12:1-11).  This Elder cannot make any claim to having a complete and full understanding of every portion of the King's Book. At this point in my journey with Jesus Christ, I must confess that I do not know what Paul is saying to the church when he writes: "To another faith by the same Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:9).

But, without hesitation, I embrace the faith that is common to all believers: the faith that is sufficient to move mountains - the faith that is a gift to me (and every believer),  from Jesus of Nazareth!

The time is at hand to put our opening text back into its full context. We find the following written at Matthew 8:5-11:

 5. "And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,"
 6. "And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented."
 7. "And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
 8. "The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof:        
       but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed."
 9. "For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me; and I say to this man, Go, and he
      goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it."
10. "When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have
        not found so great faith, no, not in Israel."

As we look at these 6 verses, the question we must ask is this: When Jesus makes the statement - "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel" - Is He referencing the faith of the centurion? - Or, is He referencing the centurion's response to his faith?

This Elder, is compelled to take the position, that Jesus is referring to the centurion's response to his faith. We can see the validity of this position, by first looking to verses 8 and 9. We should see, in these two verses, the centurion's testimony regarding his absolute recognition of; and his absolute
submission to: the absolute authority of Jesus Christ!

We find further evidence of this position at verse 10, where we find written: "When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed." What is it that Jesus heard? It was the testimony of the centurion. This testimony should be rightly understood as his response to his faith.

This position is also evidenced at verse 13, where we find written: "And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour." Believing is a verb; and believing is made possible by faith that is a noun.
Believing is our response to the gift of faith. The centurion's response was called great because of his absolute submission to the authority of Jesus Christ. It was the greatness of his believing, that caused Jesus to marvel at "so great faith."

The question, that we now need to ask, is this: When Jesus "marveled" at "so great faith," was this the reason that the centurion's servant was healed? Another question, that should be asked, is this: If we are to be healed from our sicknesses and infirmities, do we also need Jesus to marvel at "so great faith?"

By returning to the importance of context, we will find our answers. Earlier, in chapter 8 of Matthew's gospel account, we find another instance of healing recorded. We find written at Matthew 8:2-3, the following:

2. "And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make
     me clean."
3. "And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his
      leprosy was cleansed."

First, we must understand, with absolute certainty, that the faith of the leper was sufficient for his healing! Just as the faith of the centurion was sufficient for the healing of his servant! But, the faith of the leper was not proclaimed, by Jesus, as "so great faith." Jesus "marveled" only at the centurion and not at the leper. Why the difference?

Both the leper and the centurion had an absolute understanding regarding the authority of Jesus Christ. They both believed that Jesus was and is capable of healing; and they both found the healing that they were seeking. But, they each had vastly different responses to their individual faith. The centurion was fully committed to Jesus and His authority. The leper was not as fully committed; he held back by first saying: "If thou wilt?"

Throughout the gospel accounts, everyone who came to Jesus for healing - was healed! Let it be stated again: Everyone who came to Jesus to be healed - was healed! The faith that they had, in every instance, was sufficient! We must also understand that our faith, even though it may not warrant the reference of being "so great faith," is also sufficient for healing! Why then,  are so many of us not being healed?

Even though, the leper was tentative in his approach to Jesus; he was still healed! Why was the tentative approach of the leper, to Jesus, successful? - when our tentative approaches, to Jesus, most often do not find success. How often do we pray and wonder why there seems to be no answer? The leper said - "if thou wilt" - and was healed. We say - if thou wilt - and most of the time, we find nothing. What is the difference between the leper and ourselves? Why was the leper successful in his approach to Jesus; whereas, we, His present day followers, find it so difficult to be healed?

The answer can be found in our understanding of authority; or perhaps in our lack of understanding, regarding authority in our present day assemblies; and in our lack of understanding, regarding authority in our present day relationships with Jesus Christ.

The leper's tentative response to the authority of Jesus Christ, did not diminish the sufficiency of his faith; and he was healed! The centurion's absolute response to the absolute authority of Jesus Christ, did not diminish the sufficiency of his faith and his servant was healed. If our faith has the same sufficiency as the faith of the leper; and the same sufficiency as the faith of the centurion: why, then, do we find it so difficult to find the victory that is possible through Jesus Christ?

Throughout the letters posted on this site, the reality of authority is often examined. The leper and the centurion were not compromised, in any way, regarding their understanding of and their submission to the absolute authority of Jesus Christ. While it is true that the leper was tentative in his approach; it is also true that he was not compromised in his approach to Jesus Christ and His authority.

When the elders of Israel approached Samuel (please see series of letters beginning with: "Make Us A King To Judge Us" - with a starting date of 5/7/2015); and asked Samuel to "make us a king to judge us, like all the nations," their submission to the absolute authority of God became compromised. Most of us are in the same position as those ancient elders of Israel: our absolute submission to the absolute authority of Jesus Christ has become compromised because of our divided loyalties.

Our God, The One and The True and The Living God, is also a jealous God. When our loyalties are divided, He will not receive all of the glory that He is entitled to. If we have bowed the knee to some other authority, and thus, have divided our loyalties, we cannot expect that our Lord Jesus Christ will bring victory into our lives. If our tentative "if thou wilt," is because of divided loyalties: we shall not find the healing that the leper did.

Our faith is still sufficient, even with divided loyalties; but our ability to respond to our faith, as the leper and the centurion responded is compromised because of our divided loyalties! We are robbed of victory because of our confusion over authority. Jesus of Nazareth is our King and He will not share the throne with anyone or anything.

My beloved brethren, this Elder is not in a position to tell you what specific compromises that you might have made in your journey with Jesus Christ. Whatever divided loyalties that are part of your life, can only be revealed to you by the Spirit of God. You must do, as I do; together we ask our Lord Jesus Christ to show us where we have bowed the knee to someone else or to something else, other than exclusively to Him! Then, once we recognize our compromise, we must repent of it and ask for forgiveness; and then with Jesus Christ, we move into a place of "Victorious Discipleship In Jesus Christ."

Until next time, my beloved brethren, I continue to be:

Your servant and fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus