In Luke 7, Jesus commends the faith of two people:

(i) the Roman centurion, of whom He said, “I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” and

(ii) the sinful woman, to whom He said, “Your faith has saved you.”

At first glance, these two characters could not be more different; one was a respected Roman officer, the other a woman known for her sin. Yet Jesus praises both for the same thing: their faith. What can we learn about their faith? 

Acknowledging the Power of God and His Word 

The centurion’s faith was marked by a deep recognition of God’s power and authority. This was remarkable given who he was. As a Roman centurion, he would have been accustomed to commanding others. When he spoke, his word was obeyed. When he issued commands, his servants carried them out without question. For such a man to address Jesus as “Lord” would have been astonishing. But he did so because he believed Jesus was more than someone who performed miracles. He had faith that Jesus was the promised Messiah. And he believed that healing did not require Jesus’ physical presence. If Jesus simply spoke, it would be done. 

This is what made his faith so great. He trusted that the Lord’s authority transcended space and time. Jesus did not need to come to his house physically; He just needed Jesus to say the word, and the centurion believed it would be done.

His faith stood in sharp contrast to that of many in Israel at the time. Though they had heard the prophecies of the Messiah, many still demanded tangible proof. They wanted to see and touch before believing. Their faith depended on what they could sense. Ironically, while many of God’s chosen people judged Jesus by outward appearance and rejected Him for coming from Nazareth, this Gentile centurion believed. He believed because he had heard Jesus’ words and heard of His works. His faith came from hearing the word of God (Rom 10:17).

We, too, have heard His words and His works. Do we have faith like the centurion’s? 

We may confess Jesus as Lord, but do we fully submit to His word? While we obey Him in certain areas, there may be many of His instructions we still resist, grow weary of, or even find too hard to accept. Our submission and obedience to His word reveals our heart. Will we be like the Jews who desired to see His miracles, but refused to submit to His word? Or will we be like the centurion, who did not merely address Jesus as Lord, but wholeheartedly trusted in the authority of His word? 

Acknowledging Our Sin

While the centurion’s faith was expressed through trust in God’s authority, the sinful woman’s faith was revealed through a deep awareness of her own sin. In Luke 7:47, Jesus said of her, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

This woman understood the weight of her debt before God. She knew how much she had been forgiven, and that knowledge translated into dedication for the Lord - the sacrifice of her costly fragrant oil in anointment of His feet. Her actions were her response to the mercy she had received from Him. 

What is our response to God’s mercy? Often we don’t fully recognise the extent to which God has forgiven us. Perhaps we acknowledge we are not perfect, but we may think of ourselves as ‘not that bad’. Sometimes we may even think we are deserving of His grace. But the woman was deeply aware of her sin before God and her unworthiness. When we truly acknowledge the depth of what God has forgiven, we will be able to devote ourselves more fully to the Lord. The more clearly we see what Christ has borne for our sins, the more deeply we will feel the need to repay Him. 

To grow in awareness of our sin, we must grow in our understanding of God’s word and our sensitivity to His holiness. Hebrews 4:12 reminds us that the “word of God is living and powerful, able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart”. When we allow God’s word to examine us, we can humbly see that we are never able to repay what Jesus has given us. We can only offer our lives to Him. 

Reflection Questions:

1. Like the centurion, do I fully trust in the authority of Jesus’ word, especially in areas where it seems difficult to obey? 

2. Like the sinful woman, how will I love Jesus more and show gratitude for His forgiveness of my sins?