The Centurion - Pt 1

After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. (Luke 7:1-6 ESV). Jesus ministered on an individual basis. In the story we will look at for the next few days, Jesus reached out to heal the servant of a Roman centurion. To understand this story, you need to know that a centurion was a Roman citizen, in charge of at least 100 military men. This was an important and powerful position. He understood what it was to be a leader. Additionally, he understood what it was to follow the chain of command. He lived a life that centered around obedience and loyalty. As we begin the story, we see that this centurion is a good employer. He is concerned about the welfare of one of his servants. You really know someone cares when they reach out to you when you are hurting. Everyone seems to want to be around you when you are feeling well. It takes a special person to reach out to those who is sick. This centurion invests his care into the life of his servant. In a strong class system, the servant would have had no real rights, except those given to him by his master. This centurion, however, is not concerned about his servant’s class in society; he is concerned about his well-being. This is an incredible example for us! The interesting phrase in today's passage is "the centurion heard of Jesus". How would he "hear of Jesus"? This man was a Roman soldier. He was one of the elite. He had heard of a carpenter’s son. Imagine that! How did you "hear of Jesus"? Did someone tell you about Him? Did you read about Him in a Bible? Did He come to you suddenly, as He did to the apostle Paul? We don't know how this centurion heard of Jesus, and, for that matter, I don't know how you heard of Jesus. The important issue is that you have heard of Jesus. Hearing of Jesus is a life-changing event, as we will see from looking at this story. Have you heard? Praise God today if you have heard of Jesus!