Did Jesus ever marvel or feel amazed?

Yes. Jesus 'marvelled' at the great faith of a Roman centurion (Matthew 8:10) and 'marvelled because of their unbelief' in Nazareth (Mark 6:6). These are the only two things the Gospels say amazed him: remarkable faith, and its surprising absence.

The Gospels show that God in Christ can be genuinely moved by human response; faith delighted him and unbelief grieved him. Without diminishing God's greatness, this reveals that we are in a real relationship in which our trust or refusal truly matters to him.

The emotions of Jesus

Jesus Marveled

At faith, and at unbelief · Matthew 8:10, Mark 6:6

The Gospels say Jesus 'marvelled' at a Roman centurion's faith (Matthew 8:10) and 'marvelled because of their unbelief' in Nazareth (Mark 6:6). Astonishingly, God in Christ can be genuinely moved, delighted or grieved, by how a person responds to him.

The moment

“When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”Matthew 8:10

Why it changes everything

It is one of the most quietly staggering words in the Gospels: Jesus 'marvelled.' Twice it is recorded, and the two occasions are a matched pair. A Roman centurion, an outsider, a soldier of the occupying army, sends word that Jesus need not even come to his house; just say the word, and my servant will be healed, for I too understand authority. And Jesus marvels, delighted, astonished at faith he had not found even among God's own people. Then, in his own hometown of Nazareth, among the people who watched him grow up, he marvels at the opposite, 'because of their unbelief.'

Think about what marveling implies. To marvel is to be genuinely moved by something, struck by it, affected. It means that God, in Christ, is not a sealed and unresponsive fortress who feels nothing regardless of what we do. He is in a real relationship, and in a real relationship the heart can be moved. A person's trust can delight him. A person's refusal can grieve him. What you do with him is not met by cosmic indifference. It lands.

God, in Christ, can be moved by you. Your faith can delight him; your refusal can grieve him. You are not shouting into a void.

Which means, for youYou may quietly believe that nothing you do makes any difference to God, that he is too vast and settled to be affected by one small human response. The Gospels say he marveled, at faith and at its absence. That means your trust actually delights the heart of God, and it is worth offering, however small, because it does not disappear into indifference. It moves him.

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A God who felt it too

The feeling you are carrying, grief, anger, dread, longing, was not foreign to God. In Christ he felt it himself, from the inside. The Living Bread is a quiet place to bring the whole of what you feel to the One who understands it, read the Gospels, and pray, at your own pace.

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Jesus Christ is Lord.

Frequently asked questions

Did Jesus ever marvel or feel amazed?: Yes. Jesus 'marvelled' at the great faith of a Roman centurion (Matthew 8:10) and 'marvelled because of their unbelief' in Nazareth (Mark 6:6). These are the only two things the Gospels say amazed him: remarkable faith, and its surprising absence.
Can we affect God?: The Gospels show that God in Christ can be genuinely moved by human response; faith delighted him and unbelief grieved him. Without diminishing God's greatness, this reveals that we are in a real relationship in which our trust or refusal truly matters to him.

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