What Amazes You?
Many things amaze me. Computers, cell phones, the stars in the sky, the birth of a baby, teenagers’ hair, the pyramids, aircraft carriers—the list could go on and on. To be amazed is to not be able to fully comprehend or understand. One would naturally think that God cannot be amazed, since He created all the laws of the universe. Yet, the Bible twice said that Jesus was amazed. That is amazing in itself!
The first time Jesus was amazed was when He came back and visited His home church in Nazareth after launching His public ministry. The home folks had heard the stories of his miracles and healings. They asked Him to be the guest speaker so He took the scroll of Isaiah and read a prophecy concerning Himself. After the reading, He handed the scroll back to the attendant and turned toward the congregation. The room was breathlessly silent in great expectation of what He would say. What He said startled them: “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
What He said next reveals He had never taken a class in public speaking or read Dale Carnegie’s book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. He said that they probably wanted to see a miracle, but no prophet is welcome in his hometown. Then He went on to say that in the days of Elijah, there were many widows in Israel, but Elijah took his blessings to a widow beyond Israel. He told them that in the days of Elisha, there were many lepers in Israel, but the one he healed was a Syrian. This did not please the congregation, so they tried to kill Him. Since his time was not up yet, angels helped Him to slip away through the crowd.
I have preached some pointed sermons in my time, but I have never had a congregation try to kill me! Anyway, when we pick up the same story in Mark, we learn Jesus’ assessment of the whole situation. Verses 5 and 6 say, “And He could do no miracle there except that He laid hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And He was amazed at their unbelief.”
The one thing that amazed God was the unbelief of the very people He had planted in the world to reveal Himself through. Concerning the one reference Jesus made to Naaman, the author of the book Patriarchs and Prophets had this to say: “God passed over the many lepers in Israel because their unbelief closed the door of
good to them. A heathen nobleman who had been true to his convictions of right, and who felt his need of help, was in the sight of God more worthy of His blessing than were the afflicted in Israel, who had slighted and despised their God-given privileges. God works for those who appreciate His favors and respond to the light given them from heaven,” page 253.
There was another thing that amazed Jesus during His ministry here on earth. The story is found in Matthew 8. “And when He had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, entreating Him, and saying, ‘Sir, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering great pain.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’ But the centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not qualified for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I, too, am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, “Go!” and he goes, and to another, “Come!” and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this!” and he does it.’ Now when Jesus heard this, He was amazed, and said to those who were following, ‘Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. And I say to you, that many will come from the east and west, and dine with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness.’
Again, Jesus’ response fell way outside of the parameters that defined what was politically correct, but He was clear that the faith that amazed Him was outside of the realm of God’s chosen people.
The book The Desire of Ages, has some interesting comments about the “wise men” from the east: “Among those whom the Jews styled heathen were men who had a better understanding of the Scripture prophecies concerning the Messiah than had the teachers in Israel… The priests are rehearsing traditions. They extol their religion and their own piety, while they denounce the Greeks and Romans as heathen, and sinners above others. The wise men are not idolaters, and in the sight of God they stand far higher than do these, His professed worshippers; yet they are looked upon by the Jews as heathen… Now pride and envy closed the door against the light. If the reports brought by the shepherds and the wise men were credited, they would place the priests and rabbis in a most unenviable position, disproving their claim to be the exponents of the truth of God. These learned teachers would not stoop to be instructed by
those whom they termed heathen. It could not be, they said, that God had passed them by, to communicate with ignorant shepherds or uncircumcised Gentiles… Here began the rejection of Christ by the priests and rabbis,” pp. 33, 61-63.
We can’t imagine God being amazed since He designed all the systems and particulars of the universe. But we have discovered that two things amaze Him: 1) the lack of faith by those in the know, and 2) the great faith demonstrated by those on the outside. Today things have not changed. There are many people who have “the truth” but are sleepily yawning as the world speeds towards its climax. On the other hand, some who do not know the prophecies are sitting up and taking notice that we are on the verge of something grand. I imagine that again God is amazed.
Make it your goal today to be one with a faith that amazes God.
Until next week,
Dennis
www.dennispumford.com
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