Astonished and amazed by faith

Jesus was amazed and astonished by 2 things. Great faith and little faith.

Matthew 8:10 ‘When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him ‘I tell you the truth I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith’. The centurion wasn’t even a Jew but a gentile.

Mark 6:5-6 ‘He could not do any miracles there except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

These verses always challenge me. I dare to say that for me and many of us if we are totally honest with ourselves, Jesus is probably more amazed at our lack of faith than astonished by our faith. This is not to make us feel condemned but to challenge us to grow in our faith in Him. I feel consoled when I read about Jesus rebuking his disciples on different occasions for their little or lack of faith, not to make excuses but to acknowledge my own lack of faith and unbelief as a sin which deeply grieves the Lord and needs to be repented of. It amazes me how Jesus was even restricted by the unbelief of the people. It’s no different today