FAITH – Part 2: Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel

In Matthew 8, there is an account of a centurion who comes to Jesus to ask Him to heal his servant who is gravely ill. 

        
Matt 8:5-13 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 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. And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
 
During those days, the Lord Jesus was performing great miracles throughout the land such as healing the sick, making the lame walk, walking on water, calming the sea, raising the dead, etc. This centurion had obviously heard about Jesus (although we do not know precisely what), and believed in his heart that he could beseech the Lord to heal his servant. The Lord Jesus was indeed fully willing to travel all the way to the centurion's home to perform the miracle, however, the centurion revered the Lord Jesus to the extent that he felt unworhty of receiving His holy presence under his roof. The reverence this centurion possessed towards the Lord and his conviction in the Lord's ability to speak the words that could heal his servant from a great distance away astonished the Lord who then made this statement:
                  
Matt 8:10 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.
 
With that statement, this centurion's faith was declared by the Lord to be greater than all professing Jews of that day, and the Lord went on to add the following:
 
Matthew 8:11-12 Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
 
The reference made to those that will come "from the east and west" is a reference to those that will come from the Gentile nations and become true believers. The reference made to "the children of the kingdom" is a reference to those born as professing Jews. They represent those who should have become true believers because they are direct decendents of Abraham and came from the Jewish nation; they are cast into outer darkness because they never do become saved. This Biblical Christian doctrine, that most true believers will come from the Gentile nations and will accept Christ as their Messiah, rather than from the Jewish nation, who will reject Christ as their Messiah, is taught in several places in the Bible, such as in this parable of Matthew 22.
 
Matt 22:1-10 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.    
 
The reference made to: "but they which were bidden were not worthy..." is a reference to the Jewish nation that should have accepted Christ as their Messiah but never became saved, (and it might also refer to those that should have become saved because they were brought up under the hearing of the Word of God but never do become saved); and the statement: "Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage..." is the invitation that goes out to all the Gentile nations to receive Christ as their savior. Although most true believers will come from the Gentile nations, the Bible declares there will be a remnant of Jews that will become saved.
          
Micah 5:8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
   
Romans 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.