Sunday November 17
A Centurion’s Love, Humility, and Faith
Luke 7:1-10
1 Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. 2 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. 3 So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, 5 "for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue." 6 Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" 10 And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.
I love how Luke begins this new chapter connecting it to the previous message Jesus had just preached to the people in Luke 6. In that message Jesus told the people to love their enemies, do good to those who mistreated them, and to treat others the way they would want to be treated. Jesus basically finished that message with a reminder that the way we give to others will be the way they give to us. Now in Luke 7, the first thing Luke shares is an illustration of a remarkable man who experienced the blessing of practicing what Jesus taught!
Jesus preached to the multitudes, but He also took the time to show compassion and minister to the individual. Compassion has been defined as "your pain in my heart." What pain our Lord must have felt as He ministered from place to place! In this chapter alone, Jesus is confronted with the miseries of a dying servant, a grieving widow, a perplexed prophet, and a repentant sinner.
Capernaum was where Jesus now made His home. The Lord performed many of His miracles in Capernaum. There He healed a nobleman's son, a demoniac in the synagogue, Peter's mother-in-law, a paralytic, and a woman with a constant hemorrhage. There He also raised the daughter of Jairus. There He healed numerous others. This town was the headquarters for the ministry of Jesus in the region of Galilee. A Roman garrison and important customshouse were located in the town, along with a Jewish synagogue. Remember this is where Peter lived, and Matthew became a disciple of Jesus.
It is here where we meet a Roman centurion who no doubt was born a heathen but had strong leanings toward Judaism. In the Gospels and the Book of Acts, Roman centurions are presented as quality men of character, and this one is a sterling example. The Jewish elders had little love for the Romans in general and Roman soldiers in particular, and yet the elders commended this officer to Jesus. Notice this centurion’s love. He loved the Jewish people in Capernaum and even built them a synagogue. He loved his servant and did not want him to die. This centurion was not a Stoic who insulated himself from the pain of others. He had a heart of concern, even for his lowly servant boy who was dying from a paralyzing disease (Matthew 8:6).
We are impressed not only with this man's great love, but also his great humility. Imagine a Roman officer telling a poor Jewish rabbi that he was unworthy to have Him enter his house! The Romans were not known for displaying humility, especially before their Jewish subjects.
But the characteristic that most impressed Jesus was the man's faith. The centurion's faith certainly was remarkable. After all, he was a Gentile whose background was pagan. He was a Roman soldier, trained to be self-sufficient, and we have no evidence that he had ever heard Jesus preach. Perhaps he heard about Jesus' healing power from the nobleman whose son Jesus had healed, also at a distance (John 4:46-54). His soldiers may also have brought him reports of the miracles Jesus had performed, for the Romans kept close touch with the events in Jewish life.
If this Roman, with very little spiritual instruction, had that kind of faith in God's Word, how much greater our faith ought to be! We have an entire Bible to read and study, as well as nearly 2,000 years of church history to encourage us, and yet we are guilty of "no faith" (Mark 4:40) or "little faith" (Matthew. 14:31). Our prayer ought to be, "Lord, increase our faith!" (Luke. 17:5).
Would Jesus be impressed with your love, humility, and faith today?
God bless!
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