A Faith That Gets God's Attention: The Centurion's Faith in Matthew 8

What kind of faith gets God's attention? Cody Adams says God looks past your bank account and your degrees for one thing: faith. In Matthew 8, a Roman centurion amazed Jesus with three simple things. He believed God was able, he asked Jesus to speak, and he acted on that word. You can have the same kind of faith.

What kind of faith amazed Jesus?

The faith that amazed Jesus belonged to a Roman centurion who trusted Jesus' authority completely.

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. "Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly." Jesus said to him, "Shall I come and heal him?" The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed."

Matthew 8:5 to 8

When Jesus heard this, "he was amazed" and said He had not found anyone in Israel with such great faith (Matthew 8:10).

Cody Adams asked a good question: what would it take to amaze the Son of God? Only two places in the Gospels say Jesus was amazed. In Mark 6, He was amazed at His hometown's lack of faith, and He could do few miracles there. Here, He was amazed at a Gentile soldier's great faith. The healing almost reads like a postscript. The miracle was the easy part. What caught Jesus' attention was the man's faith.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:6

Cody grounded the message in Hebrews 11:1, which defines faith as "confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (NIV). He also repeated the question Jesus asked in Luke 18:8, whether the Son of Man will find faith on the earth when He comes.

Of all the things Scripture could say we need to please God, it names faith. You can clap, sing, and say amen, but without faith you cannot please Him.

What does it mean that God is able?

It means no situation is beyond His power. Cody called this faith's focus: God is able. The Bible opens with God speaking creation out of nothing. Then it keeps showing His ability. He parts the Red Sea through Moses, defeats Goliath through a shepherd boy, raises an army from dry bones, feeds thousands with one lunch, and raises Jesus from the dead.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

Ephesians 3:20

The centurion's first word to Jesus was a request for help. He recognized that God was able where he was not. Cody Adams put it simply: "Faith begins where human ability ends."

That took humility. A centurion commanded about a hundred soldiers in the Roman army. He was a man of rank, and he still came to a Jewish rabbi for help. Sometimes we miss what God wants to do because we won't come out from behind our own position. That position might be pride and a need to look like you have it all together. It might be shame, and a voice telling you God's promises are for other people.

For example, Cody remembered his son's first plane ride. As the plane climbed, his son looked out the window and said everything was getting so small. Cody told him the cars and buildings hadn't shrunk. "You just got higher." Faith works like that. You don't need to think harder about your problem. You need to think higher about it.

Is faith the same as positive thinking?

No. Cody's second point was simple: faith speaks. Biblical faith speaks what God has said, and positive thinking only speaks what you hope. The centurion didn't just ask for a healing. He asked Jesus to say the word. He trusted a word from God.

Cody was clear that faith isn't manifesting, self-affirmation, or the law of attraction. You aren't believing for just anything. You are standing on what God has spoken. Man doesn't live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

A faith language is the habit of speaking God's Word over your life, your family, and your circumstances. Cody noted that the phrase "double-edged" carries the idea of two mouths. God speaks His Word, and you agree with it by speaking it too.

Cody practices this with his young kids on the drive to school. They repeat a short declaration that ends with Romans 8:31: "If God is for me, who can be against me?" When the enemy lies to them about who they are, they will have God's Word ready.

Why does faith have to take a step?

Faith has to step because Jesus tells you to go before you see the answer. Jesus didn't tell the centurion, "Your servant is healed." He said, "Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would" (Matthew 8:13). The centurion had to walk home on a word.

Cody's third point: faith steps. "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7, ESV). In Christianity, you believe in order to see. Faith believes, faith speaks, and then faith steps. Some doors in your life won't open until you move toward them. You may not see the whole staircase, but God makes your steps firm.

The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

Psalm 37:23 to 24

Cody's own family shows what one step can do. In 1999, his parents were on the edge of divorce. A counselor had told them there was no hope for their marriage. His mom started coming to Calvary's Wednesday night services, and on January 20, 1999, she gave her life to Jesus at the altar. Within months, Cody and his dad were saved too, and God healed his parents' marriage. One step of faith changed the direction of generations.

Common questions

Why was Jesus amazed by the centurion's faith?

The centurion believed Jesus could heal his servant from a distance just by speaking. As a soldier, he understood authority, and he trusted that Jesus' word carried it. Jesus said He had not found faith like that anywhere in Israel.

How many times was Jesus amazed in the Bible?

The Gospels describe Jesus as amazed in two settings. In Mark 6, He was amazed at the unbelief in His hometown. In Matthew 8 and its parallel in Luke 7, He was amazed at the faith of a Roman centurion.

What is the difference between faith and positive thinking?

Positive thinking speaks whatever you hope will happen. Biblical faith stands on what God has actually said in His Word. The centurion asked Jesus to say the word, and he trusted that word.

What does it mean that faith takes a step?

Jesus told the centurion to go before he could see his servant healed. Faith acts on God's word before the outcome is visible. As you obey, God makes your steps firm.