Such Great Faith!
Introduction: One of the most common words in religious discourse is “faith.” Everyone talks about it; in fact, everyone has faith, though certainly the objects of faith differ, as does the degree of trust that is exercised. Nevertheless, there is a lot of fuzzy thinking about faith, and few people seem to be able to define it very clearly. Often the best they can do is to offer synonyms like “trust” or “belief.”
I found the following definition this week I thought was excellent: “Faith is a willingness to bet your very life on the promises and character of God.” This writer goes on to say, “If I were to try to pick a synonym for faith, I would choose the word ‘adventure.’ Faith is not a dry theological concept bound up in stodgy ‘churchianity.’ Faith is a risky, adrenaline-pumping adventure.”[i]
Every one of us here this morning would profit by experiencing this risky, adrenaline-pumping adventure to a greater extent than we currently do. Most of us want to live by faith; we want to see God do some amazing things in our lives. What holds us back? What is the barrier? Luke tells us an amazing story at the beginning of chapter 7 of his gospel – a story which reveals more about faith than a lengthy lecture could do. Let’s read about the faith of the centurion:
When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. (Luke 7:1-10)
Only twice in the New Testament are we told that Jesus is amazed at people, and both times the subject of his amazement is faith. At Nazareth he marveled at the absence of simple faith in those who should have known better. Here Jesus marvels at the presence of unusual faith in an unlikely follower, resulting in physical healing.
Jesus has just finished his Sermon on the Mount and has descended to the town of Capernaum on the north shore of the Lake of Galilee. His disciples are with him, and apparently a large crowd is still following him. But immediately our attention is diverted to a drama that is taking place in another part of this little town – a real-life drama in which the chief actor is a centurion.
The Centurion’s situation
He is a soldier. Originally a centurion was a military leader who commanded 100 soldiers (a century is 100 years; a centurion commanded 100 soldiers), but in time the number varied and could be as many as 1000. We would simply call him an army captain. The historian Polybius provided a list of qualifications sought in centurions: They must not be so much “seekers after danger as men who can command, steady in action, and reliable; they ought not to be overanxious to rush into the fight; but when hard-pressed they must be ready to hold their ground and die at their posts.”[ii] Men of fortitude and integrity were clearly required for this post. We shouldn’t be surprised, then, that each of the centurions mentioned in the New Testament was a man of character.
This centurion is also a Gentile. He is probably a Roman serving with the forces of Herod Antipas to safeguard the interests of Rome in Palestine. Luke focuses more attention on Gentiles than any other gospel writer. After all, he is a Gentile himself and he is particularly fascinated with the spread of the gospel beyond the borders of Israel and to people other than the Jews. He is also, of course, the author of the book of Acts, which is the history of the spread of the gospel throughout Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world.
He is a wealthy man. This is indicated not only by the fact that he has personal servants, but also by virtue of the resources he laid out to build a synagogue in Capernaum, as indicated in verse 7.
He is a compassionate man. This is seen in his treatment of his servant, for verse 2 tells us that his servant (sick and about to die; Matthew adds that he was paralyzed and in terrible suffering in Matthew 8:6) is valued highly by his master, the centurion. Now please realize that in the first century servants were considered personal property. They were viewed as living tools, to be bought, sold, or discarded if they didn’t produce. This centurion did not go along with such a view. His servant was a fellow human being, and his illness generated compassion in him. One other thing I note is that
The Centurion is a pious man, a religious man. Though not a Jew, he has shown interest in the Jewish religion. Perhaps he had noticed that the monotheism of the Jewish faith produced a far higher system of ethics than the pagan religions natural to Rome and surrounding countries. But the centurion seems to still be searching and has his ear to the religious landscape – he is aware of Jesus’ reputation for miraculous healing and has followed his itinerary sufficiently to know that he has just arrived in town.
These are the facts as they are presented concerning this unusual man. But we can also ask about what others thought of him. What was his reputation?
The Centurion’ reputation
When some elders of the Jews are sent by the centurion to inquire about Jesus’ availability to come and heal his servant, they are not satisfied to simply relay the message; they launch a veritable lobbying campaign in his behalf.
He is a worthy man. “This man deserves to have you do this.” (Verse 4) “Jesus, you owe it to him.” Obviously, these Jewish elders have a very faulty theology. They are operating on a humanistic basis, a performance basis. They are operating on the notion that God helps those who help themselves and who help others. Since this man is a cut above the norm, he deserves special favors from God. The second factor they mention to Jesus is that …
He loves the Jewish nation. Down through the centuries the Jews have been hated far more than loved by non-Jews, so this is a unique aspect of this man’s reputation. And, I might say, it is something that is not mentioned by accident. One of the tragedies of the Christian church down through the centuries has been the degree of anti-Semitism that has been present in the organized church and in the hearts of individual Christians.
I was blessed to attend Clayton High School at a time when the school was over 75% Jewish. On Passover or Rosh Hashanah my classes were nearly deserted, as the few goyim (or Gentiles) came to school alone. I loved that school and I loved the kids. I learned that many of the generalities one hears about Jewish people are just ugly stereotypes.
Sadly, there are some Jewish people who hate Christianity and will do anything to isolate their children from Christian influences. Several years ago we saw the unethical extent to which they would go to remove a simple Bible Club from Ladue Junior High School. But those people are not representative of Jewish people as a whole, any more than skinheads are appropriate representatives of us. We simply must not use anecdotal experiences to justify an attitude of disdain for Jewish people or black people or Hispanic people. We cannot build our theology or our practice on a few negative personal experiences.
The fact is there is no biblical basis for racism of any kind. Any believer who writes people off because of their race, without giving individuals an opportunity to prove their character, is sinning. Period.
But I would go a step further and say that there is also an issue of our own self-interest hinted at here in the story of the centurion. There is evidence both in Scripture and in history that those people who treat God’s chosen people, the Jews, fairly and kindly are looked upon kindly by God, while those who scorn and disdain God’s chosen people will be judged for it. This centurion loved the Jewish people, and I do not think that fact is just incidental to the reward he receives later in the story.
He is a philanthropist. His love for the Jewish nation is not in word only, but also in deed. He himself built the local synagogue! I don’t know what might have motivated him. Some Romans helped religion out of a cynical regard for the best interests of the State; but this centurion was a man of faith, not a cynic. I would suggest that he simply wanted to demonstrate his piety in a tangible way.
But more remarkable than the centurion’s situation or his reputation is his faith.
The Centurion’s faith.
This subject is addressed in verse 6 where Luke says, “Jesus was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: ‘Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.’” Earlier he had sent for Jesus. Now he changes his mind. Why? Some have suggested that he had second thoughts about the difficult position his request might put Jesus in, being a Jew invited to a Gentile home. But more importantly, his actions reveal that his faith is accompanied by deep humility.
It is accompanied by deep humility. His friends had claimed he deserved to have Jesus heal his servant. But he himself claims he is not deserving to even have Jesus come under his roof. Not only that, but he reveals that the reason he hadn’t originally gone to Jesus himself, but had sent a delegation instead, was not because he was too busy or considered himself too important, but just the opposite. He had sent friends because he didn’t consider himself worthy to come to Jesus himself. This man’s humility is truly remarkable. We also notice this about the centurion’s faith:
It focuses on the power and authority of Jesus. “But just say the word,” he entreats Jesus in verse 7, “and my servant will be healed.” He somehow knows that Jesus is not handicapped by being absent. The power is in the word Jesus speaks. Nothing more is needed. Actually the centurion can illustrate this from his own experience, for he does not have to be present in order for his command to accomplish what he wills. Listen to his words in verse 8: “For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
Now please understand that the centurion is not bragging about his own power and authority. In fact, he says, “I myself am a man under authority.” He could just as easily have said, “I myself am a man with authority.” But the fact is he is in a chain of command, and he knows that. Anyone in a chain of command is subject to those over him and has authority over those under him. I think he is here observing that Jesus is under God’s authority, but certainly also that Jesus’ delegated authority includes the power to heal with just a word. The story concludes with the man’s faith being affirmed and rewarded by Jesus.
It is affirmed and rewarded by Jesus. Luke says in verse 9, “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, ‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.’” It wasn’t that Jesus could not find faith in Israel; he just couldn’t find faith of this kind or this degree. Here is a Gentile whose faith surpasses that of the people of God themselves.
Not only does Jesus affirm the centurion’s faith; he also rewards it by healing the servant. The story concludes in verse 10: “Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.”
I think it is important for us to understand that Jesus didn’t heal people as an end in itself. If His purpose was simply to alleviate suffering and restore people to health, His life was really a miserable failure, for He only touched a few hundred people over a period of three years—just a scratch on the surface of human pain and suffering. He didn’t even heal all the people with whom He came into contact in His very limited travels.
No, Jesus’ primary concern was to bring men into a right relationship with God. Physical healing was a great analogy to the far greater need of healing from sin. You see, sin has affected bodies as well as souls. Sin manifests itself in sickness as well as in hatred and racism and greed and pride and estrangement from God.
The centurion’s servant was physically sick, so Jesus touched him and healed him in response to his master’s faith. But the centurion himself and the crowds of people who stood by were spiritually sick, and the whole incident provided a wonderful opportunity to communicate the critical truth that faith is also essential for spiritual healing.
This centurion is a beautiful example of how people must come to Jesus. They cannot come on the basis of their position or their wealth or their character or their philanthropy. At the same time, they are not prevented from coming because of their race or because they weren’t born into the “right religion.”
If people come, they must come as the Centurion did – renouncing all their ego symbols and recognizing that Jesus alone is able to heal them, that Jesus alone can just speak the word and give them eternal life.
Conclusion: In conclusion, I return to the meaning of faith. Faith is not, as many seem to think, hoping against hope that, having done the best we could, God will give us a passing grade. Faith is utterly abandoning all trust in what we have done, and relying totally, without reserve, on the person of Jesus Christ and the authority of His word. I am not sure the centurion knew yet at this point that Jesus was the Son of God, but he did know that all the religions to which he had been exposed and all his background and all his power and influence were helpless to heal his servant. He knew that Jesus alone had the answer for dying humanity.
I think this story has special meaning for all of us who have never seen the Lord Jesus in the flesh. The centurion didn’t actually see Jesus. At a distance he made an appeal and Jesus answered him. We too will never see the Lord physically. We too must trust the word and authority of One about whom we have heard but have not seen. When doubting Thomas finally acknowledged Jesus’ Lordship, Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
Do you need spiritual healing this morning? Do you long to know for sure that you are right with God? That confidence can be yours today, right now, if you will by faith receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. The book of Romans says in chapter 10, verses 9 and 10:
If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
A simple sinner’s prayer of confession and repentance, if it expresses the desire of your heart, is all it takes.
Tags:
Faith
Antisemitism
[i]. Steve Zeisler, sermon entitled Surprised by Joy, preached at Peninsula Bible Church, https://www.pbc.org/messages/surprised-by-joy.
[ii]. Polybius, cited by William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, 82.