Luke 7:9When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude who followed him, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith, no, not in Israel."
The setting
Capernaum, ~30 AD. Jesus, surrounded by Jewish followers, publicly declares that a Roman occupier has greater faith than His own people. The crowd is stunned. This is in modern-day northern Israel.
The emotion here: amazed and delighted but also making a pointed statement about Jewish pride
The original word
thaumazō (ἐθαύμασεν) — to marvel, be amazed, used only 7 times of Jesus in the Gospels
Why it matters
This is one of only two times the Gospels record Jesus marveling - here at great faith, and at Nazareth at unbelief
Read with care
What most readers miss in Luke 7:9
Jesus is publicly embarrassing His own people by praising their oppressor's faith
Common misconceptionPeople think Jesus was just being nice to the centurion, but He was actually rebuking His Jewish audience for having less faith than their Roman oppressor.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Luke 7:9
Bible Genome reading
Luke 7:9 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Luke 7:9 comes from the book of Luke, written during the gospel period. These words are attributed to Luke. The dominant emotion in this verse is joyful, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is celebratory. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include faith, recognition. Notable phrases: I have not found such great faith.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same joyful
“For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, …”
— Isaiah 9:6
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:22
“"Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?"”
— 1 Corinthians 15:55
“Rejoice always.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:16
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17
Your reflection
What does Luke 7:9 mean to you, today?
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