A marvel is something that stops you and captures your attention, something that astonishes. The interesting thing about being marveled is it says just as much about the person who is astonished as it does the act. There is quite a bit of marveling in the Scripture. John 3:4-10, “Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? … Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. … Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?”
Jesus preached truth about regeneration, the new birth. Nicodemus jaw dropped and couldn’t believe what he was hearing, you must be “born again?”. He was astonished. Jesus said, “marvel not.” Jesus in turn, marvels at Nicodemus. “You’re a teacher and you don’t know these things?” The dullness of men and their attitudes toward truth marveled the Lord. In Mark 6:1-6, Jesus traveled with his disciples back home to Nazareth and on the Sabbath, taught in the synagogue. When people heard his message and teaching, they were astonished. Not by the truth. Not by God’s Word. Not by the doctrine. But by Jesus. “That’s a good thing, right?” Sadly, not in this case. They didn’t marvel at the glory of Christ, but found it incredulous that Jesus, of all people, was preaching this truths. “Where did he learn this? Where did this wisdom come from? This carpenter’s son?” Their attitude was the reason why Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” The Lord left Nazareth without doing very many works. Verse six said, “And he marveled because of their unbelief.” The Jews marveled at Jesus preaching and Jesus marveled at their unbelief.
In Matthew 8, a Centurion came to Jesus to ask if he would heal his servant, who was sick in a bad way. Jesus said he would come to his house and heal him. “No need! I’m a man of authority and if I tell my servant to do something, he does it. I’m not worthy to have you enter my home. Speak the Word, Lord, and he’ll be healed. In verse 10, it says, “when Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” The Lord marveled at the Centurion’s faith, not because he was surprised, but because it was true and Jesus gloried in truth. Grace caught his attention and glorified His Father and rejoiced at the obedience and the worship of this Gentile man. What captures your attention and makes you stand in wonder? Do you marvel at grace or are you suspicious of God’s power to save lost sinners? Many marveled or worshiped the Lord (Matthew 8:27; 9:8; 9:33; John 5:20; 5:28). Some marveled at his doctrine (Mark 12:17; (Luke 20:26). Still others marveled of low expectations (John 7:14-15) or because Jesus because he did something they did not expect him to do, because they expected Jesus to act like themselves (Mark 15:5; Luke 11:38). What is it about the Lord that captures your attention?
Jesus preached truth about regeneration, the new birth. Nicodemus jaw dropped and couldn’t believe what he was hearing, you must be “born again?”. He was astonished. Jesus said, “marvel not.” Jesus in turn, marvels at Nicodemus. “You’re a teacher and you don’t know these things?” The dullness of men and their attitudes toward truth marveled the Lord. In Mark 6:1-6, Jesus traveled with his disciples back home to Nazareth and on the Sabbath, taught in the synagogue. When people heard his message and teaching, they were astonished. Not by the truth. Not by God’s Word. Not by the doctrine. But by Jesus. “That’s a good thing, right?” Sadly, not in this case. They didn’t marvel at the glory of Christ, but found it incredulous that Jesus, of all people, was preaching this truths. “Where did he learn this? Where did this wisdom come from? This carpenter’s son?” Their attitude was the reason why Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” The Lord left Nazareth without doing very many works. Verse six said, “And he marveled because of their unbelief.” The Jews marveled at Jesus preaching and Jesus marveled at their unbelief.
In Matthew 8, a Centurion came to Jesus to ask if he would heal his servant, who was sick in a bad way. Jesus said he would come to his house and heal him. “No need! I’m a man of authority and if I tell my servant to do something, he does it. I’m not worthy to have you enter my home. Speak the Word, Lord, and he’ll be healed. In verse 10, it says, “when Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” The Lord marveled at the Centurion’s faith, not because he was surprised, but because it was true and Jesus gloried in truth. Grace caught his attention and glorified His Father and rejoiced at the obedience and the worship of this Gentile man. What captures your attention and makes you stand in wonder? Do you marvel at grace or are you suspicious of God’s power to save lost sinners? Many marveled or worshiped the Lord (Matthew 8:27; 9:8; 9:33; John 5:20; 5:28). Some marveled at his doctrine (Mark 12:17; (Luke 20:26). Still others marveled of low expectations (John 7:14-15) or because Jesus because he did something they did not expect him to do, because they expected Jesus to act like themselves (Mark 15:5; Luke 11:38). What is it about the Lord that captures your attention?
In John 4:27, "And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?"
What the disciples didn’t say says a lot. They didn’t ask the woman what she wanted. They didn’t ask the Lord why he was talking to her, even though they were thinking about it. It arrested their attention and they were astonished. Not by grace but because the Lord’s actions were not what they expected, and not in a good way.
When Jesus didn’t wash his hands before dinner, the Pharisee marveled. Why? Because Jesus didn’t meet his expectations. The Pharisee had expected to the Lord Jesus to act like he acted. The Pharisee thought washing before dinner to be of the utmost importance and Jesus didn’t do it, so it astonished him. Pilate was used to men groveling and begging and pleading their case not to be executed. But when Jesus, a clearly innocent man didn’t answer, he was shocked. This kind of wonder is what the disciples had. They were shocked by the Lord Jesus. Shocked that Jesus would talk to this woman. Shocked that he had any dealings with her. Shocked because that’s not what they thought the Lord should be doing.
Rather than marveling at the truth we often will be astonished just when things happen against our expectations. Either someone exceeds our expectations for them or someone doesn't live up to them. But either way, our expectations are the standard. We should follow the Lord’s example and marvel in what is true - that should be the standard and it should arrest us as sad and incomprehensible when someone rejected the truth of Christ. The disciples marveled that the Lord would even talk to the woman, let alone save her soul. What do you think their reaction was to that? Shocked, no doubt. Are you shocked with the Lord works in someone's life? The disciples didn't expect the Lord to save that woman, or anyone in that area, otherwise, they would have brought others to Jesus, like the woman, when she marveled at the grace of God.
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