Tuesday June 11, 2024

Mark 6:6
He marveled because of their unbelief.

There were but two occasions when our Lord Jesus is recorded to have marveled at all; both of these were concerning faith. First he marveled at the centurion: ‘I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.’ The centurion had said that he was not worthy that the Lord should come under his roof, but relied upon the potency of the Master’s word spoken at any distance to chase out the fever, on the ground that a word from himself was sufficient to command a soldier to obedience, and therefore a command from Christ would call diseases to obedience too. On the slenderest ground comparatively this Roman Gentile believed in Christ to a very high degree, ascribing to Christ the full power of the omnipotent God, who says to the forces of nature, ‘Do this’ and it is done. Jesus therefore marveled that not in all Israel had he found the faith which he had discovered in this Gentile, who had comparatively slender opportunity of knowing him, of hearing his teaching, or of searching into the evidences of his mission as they were contained in the sacred books. On the second occasion he marveled at the absence of faith where it might have been expected to be found, namely in his own fellow townsmen: ‘he marveled because of their unbelief.’ So you see that in both instances it was faith, or the absence of it, that caused Christ to wonder. See the importance of faith! Never place that precious grace in a secondary position. That which can make Jesus marvel, that which seems to him to be both in its presence and in its absence a thing to be marveled at, ought to be a very great point of consideration with us; it should be frequently thought upon and always estimated at the highest rate. Have you believed? No man ever asked you a weightier question. Are you still in unbelief? No tongue can ever suggest a more solemn enquiry. Do you believe on the Son of God, or are you yet ‘in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity’, wrapped up in your unbelief?

C. H. Spurgeon and Terence Peter Crosby, 365 Days with Spurgeon (Volume 1) (Day One Publications, 1998)
Scripture for opening text taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.