Bill Gates is one of the greatest businessmen of all time. What would it be like to have Bill Gates marvel at your business IQ? Michael Jordan is perhaps the greatest basketball player who has ever played the game. Imagine what it would be like to play Jordan one-on-one, and for him to marvel at your basketball ability. Can you even imagine how it would feel to have Beethoven marvel at your music talent? Imagine the thrill of impressing Picasso with your adeptness in painting, or amazing Albert Einstein with your mathematical genius. Achieving this level of success in any of the above fields is beyond the reach of most of us. There is something you can achieve that would be more impressive and far more important than amazing Bill Gates, Albert Einstein or anybody else. You have the ability to amaze Jesus.
Matthew 8 and 9 is packed full of amazing people. The humility and faith of the leper in Matthew 8:2 is amazing. His words to Jesus, “Lord, if You are willing You can make me clean,” give me chills every time I read them. This man desperately needed healing and he knew Jesus could do it. In Matthew 9, Jesus calls Matthew to be His disciple. Jesus simply said, “Follow Me!”, and Matthew “got up and followed Him.” It took an extreme faith for Matthew to follow Jesus. I am amazed at Matthew’s willingness to leave everything and immediately follow Jesus. Matthew 9 also shares the story of a woman who suffered hemorrhaging for twelve years. This woman had languished for twelve long years. She, like the leper in Matthew 8, knew Jesus could heal her. Can you see her repeating those words in verse 21 over and over to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will get well.” She did reach out and she was healed.
There is one other character from Matthew 8 I must mention. He is the one whom Jesus marveled at his faith. Jesus who is “the author and perfecter of faith” marveled at the faith of the centurion. Can you imagine Jesus, the one who is perfectly faithful, marveling at your faith? You have the ability to amaze Jesus…with your faith! Choose to stay faithful to Jesus. Have an enduring, amazing faith!
Take a few minutes this week to read Matthew 8 & 9. Allow yourself to be amazed by the ordinary people you read about in these chapters. After reading, reflect on the following questions.
- If you could meet any two people from these chapters, whom would you choose to meet? Why?
- How would you describe your faith?
- Is Jesus’ statement in Matthew 9:37 applicable to today’s world?
- Describe the compassion of Jesus.
Three Predictions & One Truth 