"By faith..."

While driving through opalescent light and past frozen waterfalls the other morning, I was listening to the book of James on cd, read by James Earl Jones. Quite an auditory experience, really. Imagine Darth Vader telling you that faith without works is dead: you believe him! Even so, the scenery flashing past at 70 mph was a sore distraction and I was listening with only half an ear when I heard something about "faith" and "Jesus". My brain interpreted the snatches as "the faith of Jesus". Upon looking it up I found that was not what the verse said (it was something about faith in Jesus, a very different thing), but the misinterpretation was enough to get me thinking.
Though I can't find a reference in so many words to the faith of Jesus, it is everywhere implied. Hebrews 11 might as well have added, "By faith Jesus went to the cross, believing the Father would raise Him up so that He might return to Him." What else does "Not My will but Thine be done" mean while sweating drops of blood in the garden? The faith of Jesus was colossal!
Which is why I've never believed-- except in a purely theological sense-- that Jesus really had faith per se; at least not like ours, not what we would call faith. He knew the Father so well, had moments of being able to literally see with certainty what the future would hold, and was perfect besides. What need had He of faith?
Well, according to Moses, Abram's faith was essential to his righteousness (Gen. 15:6). Ergo, righteousness is not complete without faith, and we know that Jesus was completely righteous. He must have had faith. And if we believe there are not different kinds of righteousness (albeit there are stratas of righteousness, i.e., Judah tells Tamar she is "more righteous than I," Gen. 38) then His faith must have been like ours.
This is what made me excited enough to write this blog: it is essential that Jesus had faith like ours because if He didn't, that would mean there is one quality of Christlikeness we could never attain. Which He promises us we can do!
Conclusion: the staggering faith which Jesus exhibited while on earth (and still does, in fact, for the end of the world hasn't come yet and He has to continue believing that all the brothers and sisters His Father has promised Him will actually be home to stay one day), the faith so large I didn't even see it, the faith so profound I couldn't call it faith but rather a knowing, is the same faith we can have. For the asking.

"Lord, increase our faith!" Luke 17:5