God promised Abraham land and a long lineage upon it. Abraham believed, but his wife laughed at the idea that she would give birth at age 90. Generations later, Zechariah and Elizabeth had a son in their old age, despite Zechariah’s doubts. Their son, John the Baptist, introduced Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus acknowledged that following Him entails hardship, but He taught in easy-to-remember parables and sayings. He also rewarded faith. A leper approached Jesus, hoping that the Lord would desire to cure him. A centurion, accustomed to issuing orders to soldiers under his command, believed in Jesus’ greater authority to heal a servant by just saying the word. Jesus worked the miracles. How do we set standards for how much mercy we show and how much we want God to show us?