"great" faith

“Great” faith

In the account of the Centurion seeking Jesus to heal his servant, Jesus said he had great faith unlike any in Israel.

What made it great?

In Matthew 8.5-10, the centurion told Jesus he did not have to come to his house to heal his servant, but only speak the word and it will be done.

This man not only believed in the ability of Jesus to heal, but he believed Jesus had the authority to make it so from where he was at, not limiting his authority to the location where the healing was needed.

Hebrew 11.19 reveals what Genesis doesn't concerning Abraham's willingness to kill his son as God requested for he believed God would raise his son up from the dead, to fulfill the promise of an heir. For the promise was to be fulfilled in Isaac, and if God was to keep his promise, Isaac would have to be raised up from the dead, if Abraham carried out killing his son.

It's a bizarre account for us to consider, but I suspect human sacrifice was something people were doing back then. If God gave him a son in his old age, just as was promised, then God would keep his word, which would require Isaac's resurrection from the dead.