Not Under My Roof Series

Still, the centurion did not think it was proper socially, politically and culturally to go to meet Jesus by himself. He decided to send the Jewish elders to meet Jesus. He also felt out of place meeting Jesus with them, and more importantly, he felt requesting the Lord’s presence in his house was out of line and not in Jesus?best interests. The centurion in Capernaum ?a Roman officer, a Gentile dog, and a Jewish outsider ?genuinely embraced Jesus, acknowledged Him, and called Him “Lord,?a title that never left the centurion’s lips the two times he spoke (verses 6 and 8). Note the Jewish elders the centurion sent did not address Jesus as Lord in Luke (Lk 7:4).

Jesus marveled at the centurion’s great faith in Him. Ironically, the two people in Jesus?lifetime that He praised for their great faith were both Gentiles ?the centurion and the Canaanite woman (Matt 15:28). The centurion had no Scriptures to read, no rabbi to teach him, and no great tradition, regular training, or profound theology to guide him from a young age, but he broke all barriers of race, class, faith and belief. The centurion was the first Gentile who professed faith in Jesus. The centurion did not have the glorious history of the Jews, but he had the earnest desire for Jesus; he did not have a traditional Jewish upbringing, but he had the clear understanding of who Jesus was; he did not have the cultural sophistication, but had the evidence of faith in Him.

Conclusion: Big troubles demand great faith in God, who is Almighty in power, strong to deliver, and able to heal, save and forgive. In Jesus, the door of faith is widely opened to those who were formerly outside of God’s salvation. In Christ, there is no east or West, no Jew or Greek (Gal 3:28), and no deserving or undeserving. There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God (Rom 3:10-11). Heb 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.?Do you have living, working, and practicing faith? Are you worried what people might think of you, say of you and do to you when you practice your faith? Faith has no shame, is not scared, and does not stall.

Victor Yap

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