Matt 8

After Jesus finishes his sermon on the mount, for the next two chapters he does one miracle after another.  One of the highlighted themes in these chapters is the emphasis on the faith of the recipients of these miracles.  A non-Jewish Roman Centurion is praised for his faith.  

Matt. 8:10When Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found such faith in anyone in Israel!

Conversely, the disciples are harshly criticized for not trusting Jesus in the midst of the storm. 

Matt. 8:26But he said to them [i.e., His disciples], “Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith?”

Jesus even accuses them of being cowards.  The Greek word for cowards is deilos,  it is only used 2 other times in the NT (Mark 8:26 and Revelation 21:8).  It refers to a fear that comes from being cowardlyor timid.  

What is the lesson for us as we go through our daily trials, most of which do not match the intensity of the ones in this chapter?   Would we be praised for our trust in Jesus or would he (dare I say . . .) call us cowards?  Every trial brings a flood of emotions, concerns, and even fears.  Jesus is patient as we work through these trials, but as we work through our trials we need to purge our minds of lies that we are believing and replace them with truth. The truth is that Jesus is with us every step of the way and nothing happens to us that doesn’t go through his loving hands first.