Encounters with Jesus - Pt 9

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. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. (Luke 7:1-10 ESV).

Our reading today introduces us to another encounter with Jesus, the Roman centurion. While we don’t know his name, we see his faith that brought Jesus to comment “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel” (v. 9). It is an important aside in the working of this miracle. It was not great because there was a great amount of it; it was great because of its focus. This is not some small thing. The centurion believed that Jesus, though a poor Galilean carpenter, was actually someone far greater and far more important and worthy of respect than he himself. This is the humility and sense of unworthiness that characterizes genuine belief in the true identity of Jesus Christ. It is expressed by those who know themselves to be, in this encounter with Jesus, face to face with God. The centurion also understood authority, and he recognized in Jesus Christ a power and authority so great that even his word, spoken at a distance, would achieve whatever he willed, even that which is totally beyond any human authority. This great faith is faith in a great object. It is faith that believes that Jesus is precisely the One he claimed to be, and the One his miracles demonstrated him to be. He is the sovereign Creator and Lord of all. It was this faith that Jesus looked for in Israel, but did not find. It is this faith that he looks for in each of us. It prompts the question of how much I may have drifted from that kind of faith into a position of fear and anxiety in the face of difficult circumstance. Perhaps that’s where you are today. My solution is to remember the moment I knew Jesus was more than a religious leader, remember that moment when He became personal in my life. That shines the light on every dark corner of doubt and dispels it from my mind and soul. Go ahead, take the leap!