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The centurion had a faith that was in God’ s Word alone. He didn’ t have to have Jesus come to his house and wave His hand over the sick servant. If Jesus would just give him a word, that was all he needed.
Contrast this centurion’ s faith with the little faith of Thomas, who was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. The first time the risen Christ appeared to His disciples, Thomas wasn’ t present. The other ten disciples told Thomas that Jesus was resurrected, but it was eight more days before Jesus appeared to His disciples with Thomas present.
“ But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”( John 20:25)
Jesus walked up to Thomas and told him to put his finger into the print of the nails and thrust his hand into Jesus’ side and to not be faithless but believing. Thomas fell on his knees and confessed Jesus as his Lord and God.
“ Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”( John 20:29)
Jesus placed a greater blessing on those who believe without seeing than those who believe because they have seen. In other words, there is a greater anointing on believing the Word than believing signs and wonders. Don’ t get me wrong. I believe in signs and wonders. Jesus used them like a bell to draw people unto Himself and so should we. But the ultimate, the more sure word of prophecy, is the written Word of God. There is a greater blessing on just believing God’ s Word than there is on believing because of supernatural circumstances. Those who are looking for circumstances to confirm their faith will fail when the strong battles of unbelief come. We have to get our faith so rooted in God’ s Word alone that we can withstand a hurricane.
The reason Jesus didn’ t try to make John feel better with a few kind words, an emotional touch, was not because He didn’ t care. He cared for John so much that He gave John His best— the written Word of God. That’ s how Jesus dealt with own His temptations( Matt. 4), and that was and still is God’ s best way for us to deal with our temptations to not believe.
Maybe there’ s a reason the Lord hasn’ t used an emotional touch to deliver you from unbelief. Maybe it’ s because He loves you so much that He’ s trying to help you operate in the highest form of faith— faith that takes Him at His Word. If the least of the saints today are greater than John the Baptist was then( Matt. 11:11), surely the Lord is wanting us to operate on at least the same level in which He dealt with John’ s unbelief.
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