When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” Luke 7:9, NLT

As teachers, we see or hear many things that amaze us, sometimes by their absurdity, sometimes by their excellence. Recently, I was amazed by a little of both. It was the “Anything But a Backpack Day” of our school spirit week, and a freshman boy pulled off an epic stunt. He convinced our principal to allow a visitor to act as his backpack for the day. And not just any visitor—she was a very cute, blonde Junior girl named Brittany. I was amazed.

Jesus amazed people all the time with the wisdom of His teaching and His ability to control the wind and waves, cast out demons, and heal the blind, lame, and sick. But only twice are we told that Jesus was amazed. The first time involved a Gentile centurion whose favorite servant was sick. The man was too humble to ask Jesus for help directly, so the Jewish elders went to ask Jesus and the centurion sent his friends to tell Jesus He did not need to come in person. He explained that he understood how authority chains work and that if Jesus would only command the healing, it would happen. That level of belief in Jesus’ power was unheard of. Everyone else wanted Jesus to come physically and touch them to be healed. Jesus was amazed. And the centurion’s servant was healed, just by the spoken word of Jesus.

The next time Jesus was amazed was shortly after this when He returned to His hometown of Nazareth. He spoke with authority as He taught in the synagogue and the people He grew up with were offended. They thought they knew Him, but they only knew part of His story. It says in Mark 6:5-6, “And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people.”

He left, and they missed out.

I have to ask myself, is Jesus amazed by my faith or my unbelief? Or is my spiritual life so bland that there is nothing amazing about it at all? When was the last time I was amazed by Jesus? If I cannot answer that, it might be because of my unbelief. Do I spend time praying every day, both talking and listening to Him? Do I spend time in His Word every day? Do I regularly spend time with other believers who can encourage me in my faith?

I know that when I do, Jesus shows Himself to be truly amazing.

Dear Jesus, You are truly amazing and I know I need Your wisdom and healing in my life. Forgive me for neglecting to spend the time with You that I should. Strengthen my faith to believe You and what You say in Your Bible, so I can live an amazing life for Your glory. Amen

Copyright Diana Anderson.

Diana Anderson is a member who teaches history and art to secondary students at a Christian school in Kennewick, WA.