A chill went down my spine one night as I taught a Bible Study at the Men’s Home. We were studying about the centurion who asked Jesus to come and heal his servant. While Jesus was still far off, the centurion sent word to Him to not come to his house, but to just “say the word and my servant will be healed.” The Bible says that Jesus responded to this request in a most unusual way. It says, “He marveled at him.” The word “marveled” here means “to be amazed, to have admiration for.”
So, Jesus was amazed, and He admired this man. Why? Because of his faith. And how was his faith different from others? Well, up to this point in Jesus’ ministry the only way people were getting healed by Him was by Jesus coming and putting His hands upon them, or by them touching Him or being in close connection to Him. You see, many had faith that Jesus could heal them, or their loved ones, if He were in the same proximity. Mary and Martha felt this way, for when after their brother Lazarus had died they said to Jesus, “If You had BEEN HERE he would not have died.” Their faith in Jesus’ ability was based on His proximity. He had to be close by, or at least touch the sick individual for the healing to take place. But, here is a man, the centurion, who had faith that said, “YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO BE HERE TO HEAL… JUST SEND YOUR WORD!” No one had ever asked Jesus to heal in this way before. It was a powerful demonstration of faith that truly AMAZED JESUS.
Now, here’s where the chill went down my spine. It hit me, as I was teaching this, that you and I are much like the centurion. When we pray for the sick to be healed or for any type of need, we, in essence, are saying, “Lord, you’re not here walking on the earth now… but You don’t have to be here ‘in the flesh’ to perform a miracle… we believe that You can send Your Word to do the job!” That is the kind of faith that AMAZED Jesus 2,000 years ago… and I believe it still does!
Psalms 107:20
He sent his word, and healed them
