What does Luke 7:9 mean?
A centurion has sent elders to ask Jesus to heal his slave. When Jesus approaches the house, the centurion sends friends, this time to tell Jesus he is not worthy to host such an honored man. As a military commander, he knows what it means to hold power and authority. If he tells an officer or a slave to act, he expects that they will; he doesn't need to be present to make sure the task is complete. He assumes Jesus has the same authority (Luke 7:2–8).The centurion contrasts with men of other stories. Simon the Pharisee invites Jesus to a banquet, then doubts His credentials as a prophet (Luke 7:36–39). When Jairus' daughter lies dying, he insists Jesus follow him home (Luke 8:40–42). When the official's son is ill, he begs Jesus to come and heal his son until Jesus gives him assurance that his son will live (John 4:46–54).
Later, people will rely on Peter's shadow (Acts 5:15) or a piece of cloth Paul has touched (Acts 19:11–12) for healing. Naaman—eventually—trusted that Elisha's second-hand instructions would heal his leprosy (2 Kings 5:9–14). We have the ironic advantage that because Jesus is no longer physically present, we know He can work remotely. As Jesus told Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).
"Israel" doesn't refer here to the geographic area but to Jews. The Jews had the advantage of God's favor since the time of Abraham, thousands of years before. They had the prophets who described Jesus' messiahship with startling clarity. Even then, they doubted. The faith of this Gentile outpaced them all.
The only other time Jesus is described as having "marveled" is in Mark 6:6 when the Nazarenes refused to believe Him. Does this mean Jesus is surprised by something He did not know? Many scholars believe Jesus had complete omnipotence and omniscience throughout His life on earth. Others consider that as a child He "increased in wisdom and in stature" (Luke 2:52) and throughout His time on earth "emptied himself" (Philippians 2:7) to mean that He only had the supernatural wisdom and knowledge that the Holy Spirit gave Him. Jesus didn't lose His deity when He lived on earth; He merely refrained from using His full power.
