Luke 7:1…

In Chapter 7 of His gospel, Luke tells us of extraordinary accounts of Jesus fulfilling Old Testament prophecies of Messiah, and of doing things only God can do.

His power, authority, might, and love are on full display.

How is it anyone can read through these accounts without being profoundly changed? If even one these accounts is true, than there can be no doubt Jesus is both Messiah and God.

We have the mysterious case of the Roman centurion whom we never meet. We only hear of his great faith, (all the more extraordinary since he is a gentile.) (Here in Luke’s account we get information not present in Matthew’s gospel.) Here we learn the communication between Jesus and the centurion was indirect, not face-to-face, and the agents of the communication between Jesus and the centurion were elders of the Jews.

This is a very mysterious case, and yet it reveals much that should be very important to our lives. It reveals how important faith is when it comes to healing, especially in a potentially fatal situation. It tells us of the love that necessitates or even precipitates faith in the first place. (If the centurion had not loved his servant, he would not have been so concerned for his welfare to consider how he may be healed.)

We can only speculate about his servant. In all probability he was a Jew, probably conscripted or enslaved into involuntary service of a (usually) harsh Roman master. Could the servant have been a Roman who traveled with the centurion wherever he went? (It’s possible.)

And what about these Jewish elders who thought so highly of this particular Roman that they willingly and wonderfully interceded on his behalf? They inform Jesus this gentile “loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.” Could this be why Jesus responded? Was it to reward the centurion for his fondness for the Jews, or was it because Jesus loved the Servant He never met? At any rate, we see Jesus respond greatly to intercession on behalf of others, and this is an important lesson for us as well.

But it is the faith of the centurion Jesus calls out for our special attention. Here is a man, (and a gentile no less,) who believes in the power of Christ. More than that he understands and believes in His Divine Authority and sovereignty. This, above all else, seems to prompt Jesus’ response to heal, even from a distance.

-Pastor Bill