His insight penetrated all the deception and lies and the hidden things that those around him hoped would remain hidden. He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man, for he himself knew what was in man. He marveled at a Roman centurion, whose background and circumstances ought to have made it difficult for him to have faith, a man whose occupation prized ferocity and the ability to rely on oneself, a man whose background was paganism, a man hated by the Jews because he was a Roman. Yet, despite all the circumstances that went against him, this man was identified by the Lord as an example of faith. Our study this morning is one of a series focusing on accounts in the gospels that remind us of the heart and character of Jesus.
Faith is an important subject.
All of God's Word bears witness to that fact, and Jesus' words here emphasize the importance of the subject of faith. Faith is not a dry theological concept bound up in stodgy churchianity. Faith is a risky, adrenaline-pumping adventure. This morning we read in Hebrews 11 about how Abraham ventured out to a place he did not know, looking for a city that had foundations, taking adventuresome risks by trusting the Lord God. The best way to understand faith is to see it exemplified in a man or woman of faith, facing life as it really is.