Last week we were introduced to Levi who changed his name to Matthew. As you recall Levi meant “joined in harmony” but as a tax collector he was unable to live up to his name. After Jesus made him the offer to become a follower he referred to himself as Matthew, meaning “a gift to God.” Matthew considered himself to be a gift to God for God’s glory and sacrifice.
We also discussed how Jesus had many disciples but choose twelve to be his apostles. Matthew was one chosen to be an Apostle.
After Jesus chooses the twelve He delivered the Sermon on the Mount where He proclaimed the Beatitudes. Afterwards He taught on the principals of salt and light. He taught about the law, about anger, about adultery, about divorce, about vows, and about revenge. He taught about love for your enemies and giving to the needy. He taught about money and possessions and about not condemning others. He taught about effective prayer, about the golden rule, about the narrow gate, about the tree and its fruit, about true followers, and about building on the solid rock.
Jesus delivered a message on Christian living that covered every aspect of that subject. And from there He meets our next character.
This man’s story is told in both the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. As we will see there is a discrepancy between the two Gospels. Matthew’s account has the man coming to Jesus. Luke’s account has him sending others. This point is often used to accuse the Bible of being inaccurate. The fact is one of the two writers recorded the incident wrong. Matthew was an eye witness while Luke was not. Luke’s record of the incident was a verbal exchange between himself and someone else. Today I will blend the two accounts together to give us a more entailed description of the meeting.
Matthew 8:5-7 “When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”
Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” We will begin by examining this Roman officer and his young servant a bit more clearly.
The Roman officer was a Gentile, which simply means not a Jew. Jesus once encountered a Gentile woman and referred to her as a dog. So why was He quick to respond to this man’s plea? The Gospel of Luke gives us a hint.
Luke 7:3-5 “When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”
In Luke’s account the officer sends others. He’s not being arrogant but rather humble as we shall soon see. This Roman heard about Jesus. He heard of the miracles He had performed. In Luke’s account he confesses to Jesus through others that he is not even worthy to come and meet him.
So he sends those of Jesus’ own race to plead on his behalf. This would have been unheard of, if not for the fact that these two enemies had great affection for each other. The Jews had great affection for this man because he had built a synagogue for them. This would have been similar to a local church. The Roman officer would not have been able to worship at the temple in Jerusalem but could attend services at a synagogue.
The Roman officer had great affection for the Jewish beliefs and the concept of one true God. He admired their devotion to each other and their meticulous devotion to their faith. Perhaps he was becoming a believer. The relationship between this outsider and God’s people is amazing in itself. And his willingness to support the house of God puts us to shame.
According to George Barna, a church statistician, among adults who regularly attend church 37% did not give a dime to a church in the last year. He goes on to say that only 3-5% of the people who do give, tithe their income. The average donation by adults who attend church is $ 17.00 a week.
Let me share a story with you.
One day Pastor Smith got a phone call. Special Agent Jones of the IRS was on the line.
He said, “Is this Pastor Smith.
He replied, “Yes this is he.”
“I’m calling to inquire about a member of your congregation, a Dr. Ship. Do you recognize the name?”
“Yes, he is a member of my congregation. How can I be of service?”
“Well, on last year’s tax return, the doctor claimed that he made a sizable tax-deducible contribution to your church. Is it true?”
“Well, I’ll have to have the bookkeeper verify the information for you. How much did Dr Ship say he contributed?”
“Twenty-five thousand dollars,” answered Agent Jones. “Can you tell me if that is true?”
There was a long pause. Then the pastor replied, “I’ll tell you what, Call me back tomorrow and I’m sure that it will be!”
Matthew describes his servant as a young person. Perhaps he was the Roman officer’s personal attendant. The word suggests a very strong bond. Luke adds that this young person was considered a possession with the ability to purchase their freedom. The word Luke uses suggests that the servant’s position was not one of slavery but of a lower social status. While it’s not clear what their personal relationship was to each other it is obvious that the Roman officer had a great affection toward his young charge.
It was a love that crossed social perhaps even racial boundaries. So Jesus was willing to answer his request.
Matthew 8:8-9 “But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
We really need to dig deeper into what this is officer is saying because amazing faith lies deep within.
He knows he is not worthy of having Jesus in his home. He knows Jesus is superior to him. He recognizes that what he is requesting is a matter of grace and not merit. There would have been no other man that the Roman officer would have felt inferior too.
Amazing faith begins when we humble ourselves. It begins when we recognize that we are not worthy based on our works or merit to ask anything of him. It begins when we recognize that is an act of grace on the part of Jesus when our requests are granted.
Amazing faith begins when we believe the written word. The officer knew that all it would take was the spoken word applied to his servant’s illness and he would be healed. Research God’s Word and read of those whose faith in what God spoke saw results. Mediate on the steps they took to showcase their amazing faith. Learn from others written about in God’s Word. Their life stories are there for that purpose.
Amazing faith begins when we understand authority. When Christian Herter was governor of Massachusetts, he was running hard for a second term in office. One day, after a busy morning chasing votes (and no lunch) he arrived at a church barbecue. It was late afternoon and Herter was famished.
As Herter moved down the serving line, he held out his plate to the woman serving chicken. She put a piece on his plate and turned to the next person in line.
“Excuse me,” Governor Herter said, “do you mind if I have another piece of chicken?”
“Sorry,” the woman told him. “I’m supposed to give one piece of chicken to each person.”
“But I’m starved,” the governor said.
“Sorry,” the woman said again. “Only one to a customer.”
Governor Herter was a modest and unassuming man, but he decided that this time he would throw a little weight around.
“Do you know who I am?” he said. “I am the governor of this state.”
“Do you know who I am?” the woman said. “I’m the lady in charge of the chicken. Move along, mister.”
Look what the officer said, “I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
In this statement he recognizes that Jesus is under God’s authority. Jesus said this of himself. “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.” (Matt 28:18) The officer understood the authority that Jesus had over illness and death. Like his own soldiers and slaves, illness and death would have to obey the spoken word of Jesus.
In 1 Peter 3:22 we read “Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.” All the principalities of evil must accept his authority. All the demons must accept his authority. satan must accept his authority. We must accept his authority and in doing so must recognize his authority on granting our requests.
Amazing faith begins when we amaze Jesus. Matthew 8:10 “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” Jesus was amazed. He was in wonder. He was astonished. He was surprised. In today’s terms, He had his socks blown off. In all of his travels and in all of his teachings no one had understood faith the way this Gentile Roman soldier did. He was amazed at how well this man understood God’s mercy. He was amazed at how well this man understood the power of God’s word. He was amazed at how well this man understood the authority Jesus had over illness. He was amazed that this man understood what God’s own people could not.
Jesus was amazed only one other time. Mark 6:5-7 “And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.” He was in wonder, astonished, and surprised at their unbelief. He was amazed at their unbelief of God’s mercy. He was amazed at their unbelief in God’s word. He was amazed at their unbelief in his authority over illness and death.
We fall into one of these two categories. We, like the Roman officer, believe through faith that Jesus is able to accomplish all that we ask. Or we, like those in his hometown, have no faith that Jesus will accomplish all that we ask. Partial faith shows lack of faith.
Most of us will fall under that second category. But before you fall into depression let’s look at this scripture.
Mark 9:20-24 “So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.
“How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.
He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”
“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
There is where most of us are. We hover between belief and unbelief. We seem stuck between faith and lack of faith. When it comes to faith we find ourselves in a battle between results of prayer and unanswered prayers. Our spiritual mind says “believe” and our logic says “impossible.” What are we to do? Cry out to Jesus. He understands our struggle with faith.
When we cry out to him to help us in our unbelief we are admitting that He alone has the grace to grant us God’s mercy. When we cry out to him we are admitting that He alone has the power to enforce God’s Word. When we cry out to him we are admitting that He alone has the authority to overcome our unbelief. When we develop the faith of the Roman officer we will see results.
Matthew 8:13 “Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.”
(A word to Dads on Father’s Day.)
Proverbs 22:6 “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”
Proverbs 22:6 (KJ) “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Fathers you have the greatest responsibility for directing your children onto the right path. When this was written it would have been unthinkable for the Father not to take the leading roll spiritually in his household. I feel certain in a great number of households across America; moms are the ones saying the nighttime prayers. We, the Fathers, are commanded to place our children on the right path.
But it is reality that your child will one day choose his own path. It may not be the right one. And they may never return to the right path.
For years we have questioned parents whose children have gone astray. Those parents often fill they have failed in parenting. Let me relieve some guilt this morning. Proverbs is a book of observations not guarantees. It was the writer’s observation that most parents who directed their child onto the right path saw positive results. But as I said your child will choose his own path.
If you have little ones now, train and direct. If you have older ones who have stayed on the right path, rejoice. If you have children who wondered off the path, present them to Jesus. Pray for them every night. If you feel you failed them, confess it, to Jesus first, then to them. Mostly Fathers love them and do not be ashamed to say it.
SHOWTIME WITH DAD by Beamer Films.
