A Centurion's Great Faith (Luke 7:1-10)

A Centurion's Great Faith (Luke 7:1-10)

       
There is the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem.
The Jewish people demonstrated many pictures of how Hitler and his Nazi had wasted the lives of their fathers and mothers and friends in the concentration camps.
A small monument is standing in front of the Museum building in memory of Oskar Schindler (1908-1974) who saved many Jews during the World War II.
His deed was made a movie entitled "Schindler's List" in 1993.
Oskar Schindler, a German Catholic, owned a factory in Germany during the World War II--the Holocaust period. He had a list of Jewish people who worked for him. Jewish people who were on his list did not go to a concentration camp. And Schindler tried to include more Jewish people's names on his list. Thus, he saved many Jews' lives, otherwise they would have been wasted in the concentration camps.
The centurion in today's passage was not a Jew but a gentile, but he saved a Jewish servant out of love.

Jesus preached God's Word and His blessings to his disciples on a plain called Tabga, and entered Capernaum, an adjacent village.
Capernaum is north of Galilee and Peter's house was there.
Jesus often went there and performed God's work.

A centurion who lived there had a loyal servant who was sick and about to die.
"A centurion" means an army officer who had 100 soldiers under his leadership.
As the centurion liked his servant very much, he wanted to find a way to save his life. He heard of Jesus and his healing ministry.
He probably believed that Jesus was the Messiah.

When he heard that Jesus entered his town Capernaum, he sent some elders of the Jews, asking Jesus to come and heal his servant.
The Jewish elders who came to Jesus explained earnestly why he should comply with his request.
According to the Jewish elders, the centurion loved Israel and built their synagogue.
A synagogue was a meeting place where the Jews discussed their daily matters, listened to the Word of God and studied the Scripture.
Jesus did not refuse the centurion's request.
So, he went with the elders of the Jews toward the centurion's house.

Jesus was not far from the house when the centurion sent his friends to him.
The centurion said to Jesus through his friends:
    "Lord, don't trouble yourself. I do not deserve to have you under my roof.
     I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.
     But you just say the word, and my servant will be healed."

Verse 9 says: "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.'"
Jesus was amazed at the centurion.
Jesus is the Son of God. The Son of God was amazed at him.

Jesus told the crowd who saw some miracles of Jesus and followed him:
    "I have not found such great faith even in Israel."
There was a Syrophoenician woman who came and fell at Jesus' feet for her demon- possessed little daughter(Matthew 15:21-26; Mark 7:24-30).
She was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenician.
Although she was a gentile, her faith was also great.

While the centurion in today's passage did not come to Jesus, the Syrophoenician woman actively came and fell at Jesus' feet, begging for his mercy to heal her little daughter.
In both cases, their prayers were positive and active, believing that Jesus was the one who could heal their beloved ones.

What made the centurion's faith great?
Although the centurion was a gentile, he revered the God of Israel very much.
In Acts 10 there is another centurion named Cornelius who also revered God very much and gave generously to those in need.
Although Cornelius was a gentile, God saved him and his family by letting them receive the Holy Spirit.
The centurion loved the Jewish people as well as God.

The centurion's faith was believing without seeing.
He never saw Jesus and his performing miracles and healing people.
He only heard of them and believed.
That's why he sent some elders of the Jews and his friends to Jesus.

The centurion was a very humble person.
He told Jesus, "I do not deserve to have you under my roof" and "I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you."
One day St. Augustine's students asked him: "Teacher, people respect you very much. How could we also get people's respect?"
Augustine answered them: "First of all, you should be humble."
His students asked him, "Then, what is next?"
Augustine answered them: "Secondly, you should be humble."
His students asked him again: "Then, what is the third?"
Augustine answered them: "Thirdly, you should be humble. Then, you will get people's respect."

The centurion's confession of faith was even greater:
    "Say the word, and my servant will be healed."
Our faith should be confessional faith.
We should acknowledge who Jesus Christ is and confess that He can do whatever He wills.

What was the result?
When the men-the Jewish elders and the centurion's friends-who had been sent returned to the house, they found that the servant was healed.

Jesus does not have to come down to answer for your prayers.
If you pray earnestly to God with a humble heart, He will show His mercy and grace to you.
And your prayer will be answered.

Jesus tells his disciples and us: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24).

What kind of faith do you want to have?
Little? Or great? I want you to have great faith like the centurion in today's passage. A-men!