When Jesus Marveled

David Eldridge

According to the Meriam-Webster Dictionary, to marvel is to “become filled with surprise, wonder, or amazed curiosity.” Are you aware that Jesus was caused to feel this? That He too marveled? There are only two instances where we are told that the Son of God marveled at a person or group of people. Let’s look at these two instances.

Matthew 8:5-10. Here we read of a centurion with a servant who was paralyzed and in pain. The centurion pleads that Jesus would be able to heal the servant. Jesus said He would “come and heal him.” However, the centurion said he was not worthy to have Jesus come to his home and acknowledged the power of Jesus to heal from afar. After this we are told, “When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel’” (vs. 10). Jesus was caused to marvel at this man’s great faith in Him.

Mark 6:1-6. In this passage, Jesus has returned home to Nazareth. As He is teaching, the people are amazed at His teaching but caused to stumble because they remembered Him as the carpenter whose family they all knew. The record states in vs. 6 that, “He marveled because of their unbelief.” Seeing all these great words that He spoke and works that He performed, they were still did not believe and Jesus was caused to marvel at this.

The two times Jesus marveled were for two extremes – great faith and a total lack of it. Ask yourself this question, “If Jesus were looking at me would He marvel at my great faith or the absence of it?” Always remember that “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).