Matthew 8:10, 26a When Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those following his, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”
The contrasts in life often can be so obvious that they go unnoticed. That sounds like something from a fictional story, doesn’t it. Obvious things get noticed. That is why they are obvious.
But in order to see them, you have to be awake and looking. You have to be open to new possibilities. You have to be willing to be confronted with a new reality, a new possibility, a new perspective.
In our polarized world, people can be so trapped in their perspective that they can’t see the world any way but the way they see it. We lose our ability to empathize, to step into another’s shoes and see the world from their perspective. Our experience is all there is! No one else matters.
But the Gospel requires us to be able to see perspectives that we haven’t yet seen. Because we were dead, blind, and unable to perceive God’s reality before we came to Jesus, we had to have the intervention of the Holy Spirit in us in order for us to have that initial start to our walk. Then we need the Holy Spirit to continue to open up our spiritual eyes to see His perspective on everyday events.
We see the brilliance of the Biblical narrative in our text today. Carefully woven and beautifully written, we see two contrasts of the exercise of faith. We se the Roman Commander, an officer in charge about about one hundred soldiers, understanding faith.
This Commander understood the reality of faith. It is not stepping off into an unknown, but knowing the source of the authority and trusting in that authority. This officer understood his own authority structure. He knew he was responsible for his actions, responsible to those who were over him.
He also knew that he had authority to do certain prescribed things, that they were under his authority. He could lead his soldiers and command them to do things. That was in his authority. In fact, he was given the responsibility to exercise his authority with integrity to the will of his commanders. His responses were his commander’s responses.
And then we see the disciples. They are afraid and fearful for their lives. They recognize the authority of the storm, the wind and the waves. They recognize the authority of the fragility of their boat and of their lives.
But, unlike the Roman officer, they don’t understand the authority structure in which Jesus operates. They have the author of weather and wind right in their midst. They have the One who created the trees that formed the materials out of which the boat was made sleeping below deck. They miss his authority.
And their reaction betrays this lack understanding. They marvel at Jesus’ power. They just don’t see what is right in front of their eyes.
I am wondering what we are missing because of our own blindness to what the LORD wants to do in our lives right now. Is there an authority structure that we are missing? Are we living in needless fear, not recognizing the authority of Jesus in our lives? Is there a hidden potential to bring glory to the LORD that we aren’t tapping into?
The Arnold Journey 