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Great Expectations in Faith

by Steve Countryman  
5/24/2014 / Bible Studies

The Bible has two great examples of great expectations in faith. One is an example of personal faith for your healing. The second one is of your faith for someone else's healing. First the personal faith Mark 5:24-34 24...A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" 31 "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

There is more going on with this story than you have just read. First any woman with an issue of blood would be considered unclean and was to be avoided by everyone so you wouldn't become unclean yourself for having touched her. As such she is required to announce her uncleanliness everywhere she went to warn others. Failure to do so would bring a death sentence on her. Because of her sickness and being "unclean" she isn't allowed to enter the synagogue for those twelve years. This woman however was very desperate. She had spent all of her money on doctors and remedies that didn't bring her any healing or relief. She heard that Jesus was passing through town and knew in her heart that if she could but touch the hem of his garment that she would be healed. So she pressed through the crowd staying low so no one would recognize her. She risked a death sentence for not announcing her uncleanliness as she pushed her way through the crowd. Finally making her way to where Jesus is she touches His hem. Instantly she is healed! She had a great expectation in faith.

The second example, faith for others Luke 7:1-10 1When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." 6 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. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 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." 9 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." 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

There are some hidden truths here that are remarkable. The Centurion is a soldier. He is a gentile. He is a leader and member of the world's largest army. This Centurion is in charge of men who are the enemy of Israel and occupy their homeland as enforcers of the Roman government. All of these things are more than enough reason for the Jewish people of Capernaum to hate and despise him. But instead he is considered a friend of Israel and one who cares for the Jewish people. He built their synagogue. He is knowledgeable of Jewish customs, traditions and rituals. He is so highly thought of that when he asked the local Jewish elders to go for him to Jesus they did not refuse him.

This Centurion knew that as a gentile he was considered unclean and unworthy to approach Jesus himself to ask Jesus for any favors. This Centurion cared for his servant so much and knew that he was near death. So when he heard that Jesus was in town he sent the local Jewish elders to talk to Jesus. What is so amazing is that this Centurion never had met or knew Jesus personally. He never spent time with him. Never ate or traveled with Jesus. But he had heard of Jesus and the miracles that Jesus had done. This Centurion knew that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. He recognized the authority and deity of Jesus as God's Son on earth. He knew that such a God would only have to command a healing by speaking it to bring it about. There was no doubt in the mind of this Centurion that he was making a request for his servant's life from the creator.

Jesus agreed to come to the Centurion's home to heal the servant. Word of Jesus' coming reached the Centurion and he knew that being a gentile he could not allow Jesus to enter his home. Jewish law does not allow someone who has spent time in a gentile's house to enter the synagogue for they were considered unclean. Jesus would've had to wait the seven day period before He would be considered clean to enter any synagogue. This Centurion knew that Jesus preached and talked at every synagogue in every town that He entered. That is why he sent messengers to stop Jesus from entering his home.

Jesus gave the word and the servant was healed at that very moment as the Centurion expected. Here a non-Jew had more faith and assurance of who Jesus was and what He was capable of then the disciples who had traveled, ate with, slept with and witnessed the miracles that Jesus performed for over three years. In addition to all that had just happened, the faith of the Centurion was so great that it affected, influenced and infected the entire region because of the healing of his servant. For this servant was healed without the laying-on of hands. He was healed without Jesus ever seeing or talking to him. He was healed without Jesus ever being in the same house. The great expectation in faith of the Centurion not only helped heal his servant but also brought great glory to Jesus and the Father. That is what we are to do too. We need to have that kind of faith in our God and His awesome abilities! How is your great expectation in faith?

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