Matthew 8:10-12
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. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Reflection
Why was Jesus astonished at the faith demonstrated by the centurion? He was astonished because he was surrounded by people who believed themselves to be favored by God, and saw themselves as special citizens of the kingdom that God had promised to establish through his chosen one, but yet none of them came close to having the faith that the centurion had. The children of Israel would look with disdain upon this Roman centurion, but yet he was the one that possessed the faith that they themselves thought they had. God’s grace and love is meant for everyone, even the most unlikely.
No one is outside the grace that is made available in Jesus. How does the church sometimes make people feel they are not deserving of the grace that Jesus offers?
