Humble Faith

October 20, 2019 Background Scripture: Luke 7:1 – 10 Lesson Passage: Luke 7:1 – 10 It seems evident that centurions had very important roles in and around Palestine in the first century. They are spoken of in the gospel accounts as well as in the church history recorded in the book of Acts. Centurions were military officers for the Roman Empire. Their title implies that they were in authority over one hundred soldiers. We learn from the book of Acts that the Jews considered it unlawful to socialize with centurions or to enter their houses. With this as a backdrop, we examine our text for today. Matthew and Luke provide slight variations to the circumstances surrounding this incident. Both writers indicated that it happened not long after Jesus delivered what we refer to as the Sermon on the Mount. In Luke’s account, the centurion is presented as a very generous man who had high regard for the Jewish people. It was reported that he had constructed a synagogue in Capernaum for the Jews. The centurion had a servant who became very ill—to the point of dying. The servant was described only as being dear to the centurion. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent a delegation of Jews to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant. When the centurion learned that Jesus was not far from his house, he sent some friends to stop him. The centurion did not see himself as being worthy to allow Jesus inside his house. Perhaps the centurion was familiar with the Jewish law against a Jew entering his house. Whatever the reason might have been, the centurion saw himself as unworthy of such an honor. Then he did something remarkable. The centurion talked about what it means to be in authority. As a centurion, he told soldiers when to come and when to go, and they obeyed him because of his position of authority. Likewise, the centurion asked Jesus to send his word and heal his servant. Jesus called this great faith. Further, Jesus added that he had not seen such great faith—even in Israel. It takes faith to believe that someone can lay their hands on the sick and they recover. It takes great faith to believe that a word spoken from a distance could bring the same healing. The centurion believed that real authority is exercised by giving orders—or directions. His soldiers didn’t do what he said because he monitored them. They obeyed the orders given by the one in authority. The centurion believed that Jesus had authority over his words; and when Jesus spoke those words, the words had to obey him. The people who followed Jesus saw that he was amazed by the centurion’s faith. So, Jesus sent the word and it healed the servant the same hour it was sent. What the centurion said about authority was amazing. But the humility the centurion showed was just as amazing. The centurion was a man with great position in the military of the Roman Empire. He was also wealthy as can be noted by the fact that he had a servant and was able to have a synagogue built for the Jews in Capernaum. In spite of his worldly position and wealth, he loved the Jewish people—whose land he was occupying by order of the Roman Empire. Being wealthy, he possibly had many servants, but he cared about the welfare of this one who was sick and dying. Besides all of that, the Jews saw him as their friend. He was a man of humble faith. Robert C. Hudson September 18, 2019