There
are a lot of things in life that are unexpected, some good, some bad. When Jesus had finished teaching the people
he went into Capernaum and ran into something unexpected. A delegation of Jewish elders from a local
synagogue had come seeking Jesus in order to ask for his help to heal a sick
man. On the surface, that sounds like
rather ordinary, but the twist in Luke’s narrative is that the delegation was
sent by a Roman centurion. This is
shocking on several levels including: Why a Roman centurion would trust in a
traveling Jewish rabbi with a reputation for healings, and why a group of
Jewish elders would want to help him.
As the story unfolds, we learn that the delegation elders
want to help this centurion because of his clearly demonstrated love for the
Jewish people as evidenced by his assistance in the building of their
synagogue. Rather than clearing the
shock up, this only adds to our wonder.
What happened in this soldier’s life to cause him to develop such a rare
affection for the people who would normally look at him with a mutually felt
hatred? We don’t have any answers to
those questions, but the faith that this man demonstrates is clearly
remarkable.
Jesus decides to help and heal the servant of the
centurion, but before he can even get to the man’s house a second message comes
asking Jesus to refrain from entering the home of an unworthy man as this
centurion considers himself to be, but instead asking Jesus to heal the servant
even at a distance if he will simply, “say the word”. If the situation was interesting before, it
has now become downright intriguing.
Where does this humility come from?
How does a respected man of authority realize that Jesus’ moral
authority outweighs his own?
The response of Jesus to all of this demonstrated faith, “I
tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel” reminds us all that
God delights in unexpected faith, grace, and love. God seeks out the lost in places we wouldn’t even
think of going, God rescues people from sin that we would have thought
hopeless. This centurion’s great faith
teaches us to look outward with open hearts expecting to be surprised by God’s
ability to work in others, but it also should teach us to look inward with an
open mind, realizing that God can do amazing things through each of us. How can this be, you might ask, when my faith
is so weak? God can do great things through
us, not because we are somehow different or special, we’re all sinners saved by
grace, but because he is an awesome and mighty God.
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