“When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith” (Matt. 8:10, ESV).
There are moments that we experience in life that can easily make us forget who Jesus is. We forget that he is King of kings and Lord of lords and we allow the worries of the world to sway us. This is quite easy to do. Working with our children and teaching them new concepts and methods can sometimes come with difficulty and be met with resistance. Sometimes we struggle because we ourselves are not quite 100% sure if this is how it should be done or if we are teaching enough. These are normal struggles and do not in any way make us inadequate for our task! But with this, it is easy for us to forget to put our struggles and hopes in the hands of Christ. Always remember that Jesus is in full control and has power over even our smallest issues and circumstances.
In Matthew 8:5-14, Jesus encounters a centurion soldier who does something that no one else in Israel has done: he shows his faith in who Jesus is and what he is capable of doing. He comes to Jesus because he has a servant who is ill and he knows that Jesus has power over this situation and can heal his servant. When Jesus sees him and when he hears his predicament, he immediately responds indicating that he is happy to come with the soldier. But rather than have Jesus come, this soldier recognizes that he is not deserving in any way for Jesus to come into his home. He knows that he can do nothing to earn Jesus’ love or willingness to do this kindness for this servant. This soldier who is a Roman citizen, not a Jew, has a keen recognition of who Jesus is. This soldier holds a higher social position than Jesus, yet he still knows that Jesus outranks him (he calls Jesus Lord). He knows that whatever Jesus chooses to do is out of his graciousness. And he knows that Jesus’ word has great power over even human ailment. With this, this soldier shows greater faith that all of Israel and even pulls Jesus to a point of marveling. He knows that all Jesus has to do is “say the word.”
Faith is an amazing thing. With faith, we can make it through the most troubling days. With faith, we can trust that Jesus is in full control. He has power over all human circumstances. And even more, Jesus only has to speak and reality changes. In this situation, Jesus chose to heal this servant. But even if Jesus did not heal the servant, this soldier had faith in Jesus’ handling of the situation. Our faith in Jesus is no different. Our circumstances might not be exactly the same, but we serve the same Lord and he has the same power we see in this passage. He has power of all human situations! We simply must have faith in who he is and what he does!
So on your hardest days with your homeschooler, remember this: Jesus is in control. And once you remember that, your extraordinary faith will bring you peace. Jesus wants us to trust him with our problems, and he wants us to lean on him for a solution. Trust him and know that he hears you, and even if he does not miraculously intervene in that moment, trust him that eternity is in his hands. Today might not be perfect. You might have declining health or a hard time with your little ones. But trust that the future is in his hands and eternity with him is where our focuses must be. Do this and he will say the same words that he said to this solder in the end, “Let it be done for you as you have believed!” Those are the words you want to hear at the end because if you have believed in this life, the very thing that will be done for you is entrance into his kingdom!
Blessings to you all in the name of Christ!