Great faith, little faith

Encouragements

10Now when Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.

– Matthew 8:10
(NASB® © 2020)

Little light, great faith

In the Gospel of Matthew, we are shown four people who had little light but great faith. We can associate them with all points of the compass.

  • The astrologers came from the east. They had seen only one star, and for that reason alone, they set out on a long and arduous journey to come to Christ (Matthew 2:1–2).
  • In Matthew 8:5–10, we see a man from the West: a Roman centurion who could not have known much, but who trusted that the power of Christ would overcome every difficulty and every distance and heal his sick servant. The Lord attests to his great faith.
  • Matthew 12:42 shows the Queen of Sheba, who comes from the south. She travels a long way to see and hear Solomon. She has not heard much and knows little, but her faith is there. In Christ, there is more than Solomon in the midst of the people.
  • Matthew 15:31–28 shows a Canaanite woman coming from the north: from the region of Tyre and Sidon. She is a pagan, but she appeals to Christ for mercy for her possessed daughter. The Lord attests to her great faith.

Much light, little faith

But we also see four people who had much light (for they are the Lord’s disciples!) but little faith:

  • They are Jesus’ disciples, who are worried about food and clothing. But if God clothes the grass, how much more will he clothe us, who are of little faith (Matthew 6:24–36)? It is about fear of the future.
  • In Matthew 8:23–27, the disciples are traveling by boat, and the Lord is asleep. The disciples get into distress at sea and think they are going to drown. They are of little faith and do not trust in his salvation. They are afraid in the present.
  • Matthew 14:22–33 is an escalation: the disciples are again in distress at sea. But this time the Lord is not with them. Peter steps out of the boat, sinks, and is called a man of little faith. It is about the fear of death.
  • In Matthew 16:5–12, the disciples forget to take bread with them. The Lord warns them about leaven. The disciples think of the bread as a problem for the Lord. The Lord rebukes them for their lack of faith. They are afraid of life.

How much light do we have on divine things, and how much trust do we show?

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