Luke 7:9
When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
When Jesus heard these things, He marvelled at the centurion and turned and declared to the people that followed Him that He had not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. That faith was judged greater than any He had found in Israel because the centurion recognized His authority as extraordinary. Its greatness lay in this, that he did not question Jesus' power and did not even ask Him to come in person to perform the miracle, but trusted that His word alone, spoken without entering the house, would heal his servant, just as authority is obeyed when it commands.
He believed this though he had never seen Jesus, trusting the reports he had heard about Him that had inspired his confidence that Jesus could heal his servant. He also recognized in Jesus' teaching the spiritual truth his soul needed and responded to it. His faith was joined with humility in feeling unworthy to approach Jesus, so his plea rested not on his own worthiness but on his need and on trust in the Saviour's mercy. His faith crossed the barriers of national prejudice, for though a Roman he respected the Jews' worship of God and showed them kindness, with compassion for his servant and respect for God's service.
His faith stands in contrast to the unbelief of Jesus' own nation, at which Jesus repeatedly marvelled, because they required outward signs and wonders of His Messiahship in order to believe. Jesus' next words confirmed that the servant would be healed as the centurion believed, and the servant was healed that same hour. The verse belongs to the account of the centurion's conversion and teaches that salvation is not limited by the boundary between Jews and Gentiles, showing Jesus working beyond the acknowledged people of Israel and leading the Jews away from religious exclusiveness, since people regarded as outsiders can hunger for truth and receive God's promise.
The commendation in the verse illustrates the faith of the Syro-Phoenician woman, who persisted in asking for help and received what she sought. Her example teaches that persevering, believing prayer finds help in Christ. It teaches that even the weakest, most struggling soul may find hope and sufficiency in God.