Daily Bread – March 3, 2023 (The Fifth Day – Genesis 1:20-23) Luke 8:25 – And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And being afraid, they said to one another, “Who is this that commands even the wind and the waves, and they obey Him?” Jesus’ Definition of Faith One of the primary things Jesus taught His disciples was how to function in faith. He was continually rebuking them for a lack of it, as well as making examples of those who displayed it. Unlike many scholars and theologians who over the years have attempted to define faith in numerous ways, Jesus defined faith in a way that was always associated with a supernatural display of power. If we look only at the Gospel of Matthew, we can easily see Jesus expected the disciples, and all those who would hear, to move in faith for the miraculous. The first time Jesus mentions faith is in association with the expectation that we should have for divine provision (Matthew 6:30). Then, when Jesus encounters the centurion, He highlights an example of “great faith”, pointing to how the centurion only needed Jesus to “speak the word” (Matthew 8:8-10,13). When a paralyzed man was brought for healing, Jesus once again pointed to the faith that would result in the miracle of healing (Matthew 9:2). The woman with the issue of blood, who knew all she needed to do was to touch Jesus in order to receive a miracle, was rewarded with the words, “Your faith has made you well” (Matthew 9:22). They watched as Jesus was at first reluctant to respond to the Syrophonecian woman, but in the end said, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done to you as you wish” (Matthew 15:28). Peter was eager to walk on the water with Jesus. Knowing all he needed was a word from the Master, he stepped out in the miraculous provision of faith and walked on the water until he became afraid – and then learned yet another lesson on faith as he began to sink. Jesus said, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Mathew 14:31). Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Daily Bread 3/3/2022
