Great and Little
Dearly beloved of God, Matthew 8 gives us a record of what the Lord Jesus called great faith [believing] and little faith [believing]. It may surprise you to learn who demonstrated the great and who had “little.”
A centurion, a commander in the Roman legion, came to Jesus beseeching him to heal his servant who lay at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”
The centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed, for I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
“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.”
The Lord Jesus credited the centurion with great faith. “Faith” is the Greek noun “pistis”; the verb form is “pisteuo.” Both the noun and the verb come from the same root, and because of all the erroneous ideas associated with the two words it may be clearer if we simply translated them as believing and to believe.
Biblically, to have faith or believing is to have trust and confidence in information we receive from God, whether by His written Word, or by His giving of revelation in specific situations.
The Lord Jesus termed this man’s believing as great because he said speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. He recognized the Lord’s authority and he trusted and had confidence that it would be as he said.
Jesus said, “Go your way, and as you have believed, so be it done unto you.” And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
Later in the chapter Jesus and his disciples entered a ship,
“And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with waves, but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him and awoke him, saying, ‘Lord save us: we perish.” And he said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful, O you of little faith?’ Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”
The Lord termed his disciples believing as “little faith.” They had been with the Lord and heard the Word of God he had taught and seen the mighty works he had done at God’s direction.
By this time they should have had greater trust and confidence in God’s care and concern for His people as Jesus had taught them.
Only a few chapters earlier in Matthew 6, the Lord had taught them how God cared for them and provided for their needs.
He taught them not to be anxious about their lives and there needs because God cared for them. He said that God cared for the birds and the lilies of the field; were they not much better than they?
He then said, “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”
The Lord addressed “little faith” in this record; they should have learned the lesson by now.
The Lord Jesus repeatedly said that he could do nothing of himself. He could only do what God directed him to do because it was by God's direction and by His power that produced deliverance.
It wasn’t having Jesus in the ship with them that saved them in the storm at sea. Jesus believed His Father’s care and concern for him as well as for all of His people. Jesus believed God at His Word. You could say Jesus had great believing.
The Lord Jesus believed every Word that came out of the mouth of God. He lived by “It is written.” He knew that when you read the Word of God that it was God speaking, and He was the power that brought those words to pass.
Jesus Christ trusted God at His Word and He was confident that it would be as He had said. His disciples had not yet arrived at that point in their walk with God.
Dearly beloved, believing is the key to receiving anything from God, and without it, it is impossible to please Him. Believing comes by hearing, by hearing the Word of God. Once we hear it we should be fully persuaded that what God promises, He is able to perform. Live with that confidence and trust in Him.
God makes the dead alive and calls those things which are not, as though they were. He is all powerful and willing to provide for us liberally all things to enjoy. Nothing is too hard for Him. Remember that, and have great believing, dearly beloved of God.