Twice in the New Testament, Jesus commended someone’s faith as being “great.” Ironically, neither person was Jewish. First, a Roman centurion and then a Syrophoenician woman demonstrated a remarkable degree of faith. Jesus observed that He had not found such faith anywhere in Israel- the very people of God who had been uniquely blessed among the nations.

Their stories remind us of an uncomfortable truth: people can be deeply religious while possessing very little genuine faith. So today, consider a personal question: How would Jesus evaluate your faith?

According to the New Testament, faith can be weak and fragile, lacking confidence. Jesus also repeatedly rebuked His disciples for having “little faith.” James went even further, declaring that “faith without works is dead.” So, how’s your faith? Is it weak? Little? Perhaps even dead? Or would Jesus describe it as “great faith?”

When we examine Jesus’ encounters with the Roman centurion and the Syrophoenician woman, we discover several characteristics of great faith and practical ways we can exercise that kind of faith every day.

1. Great Faith Is Compassionate

You would not normally expect compassion from a Roman soldier. In that culture and time, empathy and mercy could easily be viewed as weakness. Yet this centurion expressed deep concern for a young servant who, according to Luke, was near death. In both instances where Jesus commended someone’s “great faith,” that faith was exercised on behalf of another person.

Someone once asked the famous psychiatrist Carl Menninger, “What would you do if you found yourself on the verge of a nervous breakdown?” His response was simple: “Go find someone in need and help them.”

There is something powerful about looking beyond ourselves. Compassion moves us to care about the needs of others, to intercede for them, and to bring their needs before Christ. Great faith is never self-centered.

2. Great Faith Is Humble

In both accounts, the individuals expressed a profound sense of unworthiness. The centurion told Jesus, “I am not worthy for You to come under my roof.” The Syrophoenician woman fell at Jesus’ feet and accepted His comparison of her to a little dog waiting for a scrap from the master’s table.

Neither demanded anything from Jesus. Neither approached Him with a sense of entitlement. They simply recognized their desperate need and His ability to meet it. That kind of humility has become increasingly rare. We live in a self-centered culture that often encourages us to believe we deserve what we want- and sometimes even that God owes us an answer.

Great faith begins somewhere very different. It confesses that we deserve nothing and that every good and perfect gift is from above. (James 1:17)

The apostle Paul, a man of tremendous faith, acknowledged this truth when he wrote, “We are not sufficient of ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 3:5). Humility is the soil in which faith can flourish.

3. Great Faith Is Christ-Centered

Both the centurion and the Syrophoenician woman were driven to Jesus in desperation. He was their only hope.

They believed that Jesus alone could provide the healing and deliverance they desperately needed. And in both accounts, the answer came through His word. Jesus spoke, and the centurion’s servant was healed. Jesus spoke, and the woman’s daughter was delivered from demonic bondage.

That is the essence of great faith: it rests on Christ and His Word. When you have exhausted every resource, when you have done everything that you know to do, go to the Word of God. Find a promise, hold onto it, and let your faith rest there.

Of course, it is difficult to “stand on the promises” when you don't know what those promises are. Great faith, therefore, is not merely positive thinking or wishful optimism. It is confidence in the faithfulness of God to act on His promises.

Would Jesus Marvel at Your Faith?

There are only two occasions in the New Testament when Jesus is specifically said to have marveled. He marveled at the faith of the Roman centurion (Matthew 8) and at the unbelief of the people of Nazareth (Mark 6). Think about that for a moment.

Would Jesus marvel at your faith—or at your lack of it. Perhaps that is the question we should all be asking. How’s your faith at this very moment? Is it compassionate? Is it humble? Is it centered on Christ and grounded in His Word?

May our faith be the kind that causes our Savior to say, “Great is your faith.”