Why do we focus on faith in Jesus' death and resurrection vs other kinds of faith?
Upvote:2
The centurion showed his faith by believing that Jesus has the power to heal and that He has authority over all things, including himself.
Notice the word authority, which is a prominent theme in this passage. Jesus is King. But His kingship had not been made fully manifest before His death and subsequent resurrection. He lived His life on earth as a lowly servant. He was born in a manger, a most humiliating birth. And he died by crucifixion, a most humiliating death. If we fast forward to the events after His resurrection, and shortly before His ascension, He declared, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18). The original word for power here is the same as that used for authority in the passage you quoted. Now, as one who had not seen nor heard those words, it was great faith for the centurion to claim Jesus' authority over himself, and to place himself, being a centurion, in the position of a servant, just as Jesus did.
Also note that the servant could have died if Jesus did not intervene. But even God the Father did not intervene when Jesus was crucified. God withheld mercy to His own Son, in order that we may have mercy. We would all die in sin if Jesus did not die for us. "With his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).
Upvote:6
Faith = Belief/Trust in Jesus as the Son of God
The problem with your question is that you’re assuming that “faith” is “faith in Jesus dying on the cross,” but that is neither explicitly said, nor does it make sense in the context of the passage or in the context of the entirety of the New Testament.
The Greek word translated “faith” here (πιστις, 4102) means “trust, belief, faith, conviction of the truth.” “Faith in Jesus” is not “faith in Jesus dying on the cross” but “faith/trust that Jesus is who he said he was.” This is what faith means nearly everywhere in the New Testament when it is connected to Jesus.
“I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”
Jesus praises the centurion because he has faith in Jesus as one with absolute authority over the universe. This has nothing to do specifically with Jesus dying on the cross. The importance of the cross is that Jesus allowed himself to be murdered, but because he was righteous, he was raised from the dead. Our “faith” is always in Jesus as Lord, not in anything less.
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