What is Great Faith?

(Luke 7:1-10)

I. The Sick Servant (Luke 7:1-2)

II. The Centurions Supplication (Luke 7:3)
III. The Synagogue Incentive (Luke 7:4-5)
IV. The Centurions Certainty (Luke 7:6-8)
V. The Saviors Statement (Luke 7:9-10)
I do not have great faith. Sometimes, I wonder if I little faith.
I was shocked a few weeks ago, to read in Matthew 14 Christs rebuke of Peter.
As the disciples cross the Sea of Galilee, a great storm comes up, and they fear
they are going to drown. Earlier, in Matthew 8, a similar storm had threatened
their lives, and Jesus had calmed the storm with a word. But now, Jesus is not
with them because He stayed on the shore to pray. So here they are, in a small
boat, on the stormy sea, alone. They are struggling for their very lives. A
careful reading of the text indicates they had been struggling with the wind
and the waves for about six hours. Thats a long time to be in the middle of the
storm.
But when Jesus is done praying, he gets up and walks on the water to them.
And when the disciples see him, some are afraid it is ghost. But some of them
think it is Jesus, and Peter says, Lord, if it is you, tell me come to you on the
water.
And Jesus says, Come.
o, Peter steps out of the boat, and walks across the water to Jesus. But after a
few steps, Peters brain kicks into gear, and realizes that what he is doing is
impossible. The wind is above him, the waves are all around him. The depths

of the sea are below him. It is impossible to walk on water. His logic and his
faith begin to war with one another, so he begins to sink. He cries out to Jesus,
Lord, save me!
And of course, Jesus does. But as Jesus stretches out his hand to Peter, Jesus
says to him, Oh you of little faith. Why did you doubt?
Peter? A man of little faith? Hes the one that got out of the boat!
What about the other disciples still holding on to the boat for dear life? What
about them? If Peter is a man of little faith, what are they? Men of no faith?
They must have some faith. Maybe they are men of miniscule faith?
Whatever kind of faith they had, Im in the same boat. Literally. I dont think I
would have gotten out of that boat. So I must not have great faith. I must not
even have little faith.
Furthermore, if Peters faith, which got him to step out of a boat into a howling
storm was little faith, then what in the world does great faith look like?
Then I came to Luke 7 in my study this week. In Luke 7:1-10, Jesus encounters
a man who had great faith. It comes from a shocking person, and produces
some shocking truths. Even Jesus is a bit shocked at first. As I studied the
passage, I came to a new understanding of what great faith is, how it is
developed and how great faith produces great results.

Do you want great faith?

Luke 7:1-10 will provide some help on understanding what great faith is and
how to get it. This passage comes right after the conclusion of Jesus
instructions to his disciples on how to be a disciple. Luke 6 contains Christs
discipleship manual. He has taught them with words what it means to follow

Him. Now, in Luke 7, 8 and 9, Christ is going to teach by example what it takes
to be his disciple.
He has taught the disciples with words. Now he teaches them by example.
The first lesson is about developing great faith. The scene is set in Luke 7:1-2
where we are introduced to a Centurion and his sick servant.

I. The Sick Servant (Luke 7:1-2)

Luke 7:1-2. Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing
of the people, He entered Capernaum. And a certain centurions
servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.
Jesus has finished the teachings in Luke 6, and he now enters Capernaum, a
small fishing village near the Sea of Galilee. This is where Jesus spent much of
His time, and performed many of his miracles. Luke 7:2 goes on to tell us that
in Capernaum was a centurion. Centurions were Roman Army officers who
generally commanded 100 soldiers. Most of them were Gentiles, though
sometimes they were half-Jews Samaritans, so the Jewish people tended to
despise centurions.
Not only where they symbolic of Roman rule, they often abused their power
and took unjust liberties. But such was not the case with this centurion. We
get a glimpse of his character in Luke 7:2, where we read that he had a servant
who was dear to him. The word dear literally means he was held in high honor
or value. Such compassion on a servant was unheard of at the time of Jesus.
The fact that the centurion cared so much for his servant set him apart from
the typical Roman soldier, who could be brutally heartless. The average

slave owner of that dayhad no more regard for his slave than for an
animal.
The great Greek philosopher Aristotle said there could be no friendship and
no justice toward inanimate things, not even toward a horse, an ox, or a
slave, because master and slave were considered to have nothing in
common. A slave, he said, is a living tool, just as a tool is an inanimate
slave. (Ethics, 1161b). The Roman law expert Gaius wrote that it was
universally accepted that the master possessed the power of life and death
over his slave (Institutes, 1:52). Still another Roman writer, Varro,
maintained that the only difference between a slave, a beast, and a cart was
that the slave talked (On Landed Estates, 1:17.1).
But this centurion cared for his servant. And this dear servant became sick.
When the text says he was sick, the Greek literally says he was having it bad.
This servant had it bad. That is Luke the physicians professional diagnosis.
There are three things you never want to hear a doctor say:
1. Oops!
2. HmmIve never seen this before.
3. Oh, this is bad!
Luke says the third one here. This servant had it bad.
It was so bad, he was ready to die. He was at the point of death. So what did
the servant have which was so bad? We dont know. We arent told. But
whatever it was, Matthew 8:6 indicates that the sickness caused paralysis and
great torment. Generally, paralysis means you have no feeling. But this servant
was paralyzed and in pain. He had the worst of both worlds. The centurion,
who loved this servant, hated to see him in such distress and agony. So in Luke

7:3, he hears that Jesus is in town, and sends some people to ask Jesus to heal
his servant.

II. The Centurions Supplication (Luke 7:3)

Luke 7:3. So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews
to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.
Matthew 8:5 says the Centurion came. But in Jewish culture (or almost any
culture), when a man of authority sends someone else for him as a
representative, it is as if they themselves are coming. The centurion sends
elders of the Jews as his representatives. This is curious. The elders of the
Jews were some of the spiritual leaders of Israel. They would rarely submit to
a Roman Army official. But here, they do exactly what he asks, and they do it
quickly. This tells us that he had a good relationship with those he ruled.
He tells them to go to Jesus and plead with Him to come and heal his
servant. Luke 7:4 says that when they came to Jesus, they begged Him
earnestly. The situation is so dire, so important, they come pleading and
begging earnestly for Jesus to heal the servant. It is always a good idea in
prayer to get friends and relatives to pray with you and for you. It is not that
God answers the prayers of ten people when He wouldnt have answered the
prayer of only one. I believe the prayer of one is just as powerful as the prayer
of many. But there is something encouraging to know that other people are
praying with you in your time of need.
In Luke 7:4-5 however, the elders explain why they were being sent as
intermediaries. A distinguished Jewish rabbi had come to town, and so as not
to offend him, the Centurion sent the Jewish elders to ask a favor of him. The
Jewish elders explain why Jesus should heal the centurions servant.

III. The Synagogue Incentive (Luke 7:4-5)

Luke 7:4-5. 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.
Do you see how these Jewish elders approach Jesus? Yes, they come and they
beg him earnestly, but they give reasons for why this man deserves help. The
reasons were that he loves the Jewish people, and he even built a synagogue
for them. Cant you just hear the elders? Jesus, I know hes a Gentile, and I
know he a Roman Centurion, but just this once, we can overlook that. After all,
look how wonderful of a person he is. He loves the Jews, and he even built a
synagogue for us to study Gods Word in. Jesus, if any Gentile deserves help,
this one does. Hes a really good man.
I wonder how often our prayers sound like that? Oh God, I know Im not
perfect. Ive sinned a few times. Ive made a few mistakes. Im only human,
after all. Anyway, Ive got this little request for you, which I think I deserve to
have answered. I dont ask for much, God, and Ive tried to be good. I go to
church. I tithe. I read my Bible every day. I volunteer at the food bank.
Couldnt you just give me this one thing?
When we approach God like that, we are treating Him like Santa Claus. But
God does not have a heavenly naughty and nice list. The prayer of a
righteous man accomplishes much, not because the man is righteous and God
listens to his prayers more, but because he knows how to pray according to
Gods will. We dont deserve anything from God. We cannot bribe God into
answering our prayers because of how good we are, or what we have done for
Him. Dont go to God asking things from Him by saying, God, I deserve to be
given this request. You dont deserve it. You dont deserve anything.

Everything God gives to you, He gives out of His generosity, His goodness and
His grace. The Jewish elders did not understand this. They did not believe
this. They thought that answers to prayer were earned. But in Luke 7:6-8, we
see that the Gentile centurion understood differently. The centurion had
certainty about something the Jewish elders did not.

IV. The Centurions Certainty (Luke 7:6-8)

In these verses, there are at least three traits that set the centurion apart from
the Jewish elders. Three things that show he had greater understanding than
the Jews. First, unlike the Jewish elders, this man was courteous.

A. Courteous (Luke 7:6)

Luke 7:6. 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.
When he says, do not trouble yourself, the Greek literally reads, Do not skin
yourself. Historians think this was a bit of slang. The centurions words
reveal that he is courteous. He shows humility in approaching Jesus. He
recognizes that most Jews do not want to associate with Gentiles. Many Jews
considered themselves defiled if they entered a Gentiles home. He did not
know that Jesus was not concerned about such things. But what it reveals is
that this centurion was more concerned about others than he was himself. He
thought of others first. He cared for his servant, and now he cares for the
cultural and personal inhibitions Jesus might have.
You too, should think of others before yourself. Think of their needs and their
concerns, then put those above your own. Secondly, when we approach God,

recognize that we are not worthy to approach Him (2 Cor. 3:5), or to have Him
approach us. He does it out of his love and grace for us. I say this, because it
balances out what we see next about the centurion in verse 7. In Luke 7:6, he
approached Christ with courtesy. In Luke 7:7, he approaches with confidence.

B. Confident (Luke 7:7)

Luke 7:7. Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to
You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.
In Luke 7:6-7, the centurion says that he is not worthy to have Christ come to
him or for himself to go to Jesus. So how will the servant be healed? The
centurion reveals great confidence in Christ when instead, he says, say the
word, and my servant will be healed. These verbs are imperatives. They are
commands. Say the word, and heal my servant. Can we command Jesus? Such
boldness in prayer I have never had. Its assertive; almost audacious. I listened
to a sermon a few months back called Praying Boldly and the pastor was
teaching about how most prayers in the Bible are much more bold and
assertive than we are comfortable with.
This centurion is used to making commands, and he commands Jesus to heal
his servant with his word. How can he do this? Because he knows Scripture.
He is alluding to Psalm 107:20, which says, He sent His word and healed
them. The centurion says to Jesus, Just send your word, and heal my
servant. The only way our prayers can be this audacious, this assertive, this
confident, this commanding, is when we have a promise of God to pray. The
promise must be rightly understood in context; we cant rip verses out of
context to pray confidently. But when we know Scriptural promises, we can
pray those promises so boldly, so confidently, that they rock the gates of
heaven.

Pray God, I am not worthy that you should come to me, or that I should come
to you, but I was reading in your Word today and it said this. God, do what
your Word says. Do it, because Your Word says it.
Have Jesus instructions to his disciples on how to pray ever bothered you? He
says that whatsoever you ask in His name, He will do it (John 14:13; 16:26).
This doesnt mean that if you tack on in Jesus name at the end of your
prayers, you receive what you prayed for. No, what it means is that when you
pray for the things Jesus prays for, when you pray for the things that
according to the teachings, life, example, and will of Jesus, when you pray
these things, they will be done for you. This is what this centurion does. Yes,
he is confident, brash and bold. But he is confident in Christ. He is confident
in the word of Jesus. He is confident that Jesus can heal. This confidence
springs from something he comprehends about Jesus and the nature of
commands. This is what we learn in Luke 7:8.

C. Comprehension (Luke 7:8)

Luke 7:8. 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.
He had a comprehension of power. He understood power and how it worked.
He understood something about Christ which non else understood. I will tell
you what he understood, but first you must see how Jesus responds in Luke
7:9. The reaction of Jesus provides the point of the entire passage.

V. The Saviors Statement (Luke 7:9-10)

Luke 7:9. 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!
When Jesus hears the words spoken by the centurions friends, He marveled
and turned around. Jesus is so shocked at what He hears, He was stopped in
his tracks. He is walking along toward the centurions house. The friends say,
You dont have to go. The centurion says to just say the word and his servant
will be healed. Jesus is so shocked at the mans faith, he says to the crowd, I
say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! Its like He is
saying, Wow! Now that is faith!
Has your faith ever shocked Jesus? Yes, you say, My lack of it. Me too.
Only one other time in Scripture is Jesus ever described as being amazed like
this. When he visits his home town of Nazareth, he marvels at their complete
lack of faith (Luke 4:14-30). Its hard to shock Jesus, but when you do, it will
either be your great faith, or your lack of it.
When it comes to great faith and little faith, we are probably more like the
Jewish people. They prided themselves in being men and women of faith,
descendant from Abraham, the father of faith, holders and keepers of the one
true faith. Yet they didnt have as great of faith as this Gentile centurion.
Instead, the Jews, even the disciples, are rebuked over and over for having
little faith.
The difference between great faith and little faith is not one of
quantity. Great faith does not have lots and lots of faith, whereas little faith
has hardly any. Its not about percentages and degrees of faith.

You and I do not have faith containers in our souls which overflow when our
faith is great, and are nearly empty when our faith is little. Faith does not work
like that.
Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Faith is confidence and persuasion in something God has said.
When you are persuaded that something is true, either because God has said
it, or by the supporting evidence, then you have faith in that truth. Great faith
believes and is convinced and is persuaded about some of the harder and more
difficult truths of Scripture, whereas little faith does not believe or is not
convinced or persuaded about these truths.
You either believe something or you dont. Faith is like a switch. It is
either on or off. And there are no dimmer switches with faith. You
cannot believe 80% that there is a God. You either believe it or you dont. If
you are 99% sure, then you dont yet believe. You are not yet persuaded. You
have not yet been convinced.
So what is the difference between great faith and little faith? Great
faith believes greater and more difficult truths than little faith. Great faith is
fully convinced of the difficult promises and the hard to understand truths of
Scripture. Little faith does not believe them. Little faith may believe the simple
promises and the first grade level truths, like there is a God and Jesus gives
eternal life to those who believe in him.
But little faith does not believe in the advanced truths, like God will supply all
of your needs according to His riches in glory. Do you believe that? Really?
Than why do your worry about tomorrow? I worry all the time about
tomorrow, so that means I dont believe it. But great faith believes it. Great
faith believes the hard to believe truths of the Bible. Great faith has nothing to

do with the size of your faith. Rather, its about the difficult truths you do
believe. This brings us back to the centurion and what he believed.
Jesus praises this centurion for having great faith. He says he hasnt found
such great faith in all of Israel. This centurion believed something which very
few believe. He believed something very difficult to believe. He believed one of
the advanced truths which nobody else believed. What did he believe?
First, he believed in his own lack of merit. He was courteous. He was humble.
Yes, he was a good man. Yes, he loved the Jews. Yes, he built a synagogue for
them. But that doesnt mean he deserves anything from God, or from Jesus
Christ. He knew he was unworthy to go meet Jesus, and he knew he was
unworthy to have Jesus come meet him. He was unworthy. Most people do not
believe this. Most people think they do deserve favors from God. Most people
think they are pretty good people, and God owes them something. It is much
harder to believe that all we have and all we are given is simply and only by the
grace of God. But that is the first thing the centurion believed.
Second, he believed in the power of Jesus. He was confident in Christ. He
believed in the authority of Jesus. He likened Jesus to military commanders.
He knew that what Jesus commanded would be done. He knew that the words
of Jesus were sufficient to accomplish the healing. Again, most people do not
believe this either. We have promises in Scripture that Christ will make us
more and more like Himself. He tells us that He will never leave us nor forsake
us. He tells us that He will provide for all our needs. He tells us that He has
given us everything we need for life and Godliness. He tells us that getting the
Word of God into our lives will wash us and transform us into His likeness.
His Word is sufficient. Most people dont really believe these things. And Ill
be the first to admit that some of these are hard truths to believe. But the
centurion showed great faith because he believed in the power and authority

of Jesus to do exactly what He said He would do. The centurion believed that
Christs word was sufficient.
This is related to the third thing the centurion believed. He believed in the
ability of Jesus to heal from a distance. He believed Jesus did not have to be
physically present with the dying servant to heal him. Jesus did not have to
wave his arms, or say any special words, or make any special anointing.
Healing from God comes without any of these sorts of things which most
people back then, and even most people today, think are necessary. The
centurion believed these things when almost nobody else did, and so he had
great faith. Great faith is not some higher level of conviction. It is believing
something that is harder to believe, something that is contrary to what most
people believe. He believed some difficult truths. And so, Jesus healed his
servant.
Luke 7:10. And those who were sent, returning to the house, found
the servant well who had been sick.
The word used in Luke 7:10, hugiaino, means to be in full health, to be sound
in mind and body. Jesus uses this word in Luke 5:31 to talk about those who
have no need of a physician because there is nothing wrong with them. The
symptoms of paralysis and pain not only left, but the disease as well. It was all
gone. The servant was perfectly sound in mind and body. Do you see what God
accomplishes for those with great faith in His promises?
This is the truth Jesus wants to pass on to his disciples. If you are His disciple,
this is what He wants you to learn. Great faith in great promises lead to great
results. If you want results, you first have to know the promises. You first have
to understand God, and how He works. You first have to know what He has
said in His Word. Without a knowledge and understanding of those things,

you will never have great faith. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing,
and hearing by the Word of God. Without hearing and understanding the
Word of God, you will never have great faith. You will never even have little
faith. And without faith, it is impossible to please God.
Do you want to please God? Do you want to do great things for God? Do you
want God to do great things through you? Its not enough to just have
faith. Faith by itself does nothing. Faith must be based on the
promises of God.
How do you get your faith to look at Jesus. Bob Wilkin shows us how. He
writes, You cant believe what you havent heard, so make sure to have
regular feeding on the Word of God in terms of personal reading and
meditation, church attendance, and [discipleship] (Psalm 1; Heb 10:23-25; 2
Tim 2:2). Your faithgrows the more you understand and believe what God
says.
Make your prayer this week the prayer of the man in Mark 9:24, Lord, I
believe, help my unbelief. We all have areas of unbelief. Though we believe
and are convinced of some things, we doubt and do not believe others. Praise
God for the things you do believe, but pray that God would help you believe
the things you do not. Then when we come to Jesus in prayer, He will marvel
at our faith as well.