Scripture: Luke 7:1-10; Psalms 96; 2 Kings 5:1-14
Title: How to Amaze the LORD (Heroes of the Faith)
Proposition: Luke shows us how the Centurion amazed Jesus. 1. He possessed a great love for God and for others 2. He possessed an active and vibrant faith 3. He possessed a humble spirit 4. He possessed great confidence and certainty in Jesus.
INTRO:
Grace and peace this morning from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
Have you ever wanted to somehow be transported back into time and be able to spend some quality time with Jesus and His disciples? Have you ever wished that you could have traveled with Him as He taught, preached and transformed people's lives?
Through the help of the Holy Spirit, I believe that we can travel with Jesus as we read our Bibles. This morning, St. Luke shares with us this amazing story that speaks of love, faith, humility and certainty. It's a story that involves Jesus, some Jewish elders, a dying slave and a certain centurion.
Luke tells us that Jesus had just finished preaching a series of messages and was walking back towards the town of Capernaum. At that time, Capernaum was a pretty good sized town located right on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was known as a vibrant fishing village and a busy commercial center. Capernaum was situated near the great "Via Maris" highway that people used to travel from Damascus, Tyre all the way to Egypt and back. The town was a favorite spot for the traveling caravans to stop and stock up on fish and produce. As a result Capernaum enjoyed a measure of popularity and prosperity.
The Gospels tell us that Jesus chose Capernaum as his ministry's headquarters. When he and his disciples were not traveling all around Palestine they would come back here and rest. It's easy to understand why Jesus picked Capernaum. With all the traffic and commerce, Jesus had the perfect place to continuously meet new people. It was a natural location to preach the message of God's love and salvation.
Furthermore, Capernaum was where Matthew, James , John, Peter and Andrew's families lived. Headquartering there enabled some of His disciples time to rest and reunite with their families and loved ones. Plus, Jesus' home town of Nazareth was only a couple days away so he could leave his disciples with their families and go and visit Mary and his brothers and sisters.
Verse 1 tells us that just as Jesus was getting back into town He was greeted by some local Jewish elders that wanted to talk to him about a certain centurion and his dying slave. Although, the centurion wasn't a Jew, these elders included him as one of their best and dearest friends. And as Luke shares, this centurion was able to do something that no one else had done at that time. What was that?
In verse nine, Luke tells us that Jesus was amazed and astonished. Jesus marveled at this man's depth of love, faith, his humility and his certainty. Usually, it was Jesus who did all the surprising. But there were some qualities that this soldier possessed that made Jesus stop and declare that "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." There was something about this man that caused the Holy Spirit to instruct St. Luke to include his story in his writings. Which means, of course, that there are some things that the Holy Spirit wanted us to read about, receive and understand. There are some things about this man that the LORD wanted us to discover. learn and put into practical application. Let's look at some of those things this morning.
I. The first thing we see is this man had a great big heart - verses 1-2
This centurion possessed a great big heart for those that lived in his house and for the Jewish people living around him.
Luke tells us that he was a professional soldier. He held the rank of a centurion. That means that he was either one of the main leaders of the local police force or he was a part of Herod Antipas' mercenary army that made sure everyone kept the peace.1 More than likely, he was a part of Herod's mercenary army that was stationed in Capernaum.
Remember, Capernaum was both a tourist area and a commercial haven. People from all over this region would travel through Capernaum to get to Rome one way and to Egypt, Africa and beyond the other. Also, Rome and King Herod had made Capernaum a place one could come and pay their taxes. Tourism, commercialism and taxes meant a great deal of money was always flowing through the area. And where there is a high traffic area along with large sums of money there is the heightened chance of violence and crime.
Capernaum was then a potential perfect environment for smugglers, thieves and con artists. That is why history tells us that there was a major police and military presence in Capernaum. King Herod didn't want any trouble, nor did he want to lose precious tax revenue. So, this centurion would have had a very important job. In many ways, he was one of the most important men in Capernaum. It was his responsibility to keep everyone safe and sound and to keep the money flowing to King Herod and Rome.
In verse two we find that one of the centurion's slaves was on the verge of death. If something didn't happen soon there would be a funeral service. It is here in his story that Luke wants us to pause. He wants us to understand that this man, this centurion was so concerned about this young man that he asked the Jewish elders to see if Jesus would come and heal him.
What is unusual about all of this is that this was not the normal way an owner would treat a slave.2 According to Roman law when a slave was no longer valuable their owners could get rid of them like one would get rid of a worthless horse or a worthless piece of furniture. Most of the time slave owners didn't care anything about the health and welfare of their slaves. Slaves at that time were not even seen as human beings. They were just tools to be used as one would use a sword, a wash basin or a pair of sandals. Their only value was in what gain or pleasure they could bring to their owners.
No doubt, this centurion had also seen a great many people die. More than likely, he had killed a few himself. Normally, a man who had been able to the rank of a centurion was a man who had proven himself to be superior in hand to hand combat. Of course, this mean that he was a man very familiar with blood, gore and death. Usually it also meant that he was a very hardened and callous man as well.
But it was not that way with this centurion. He was not hardened or callous. His slaves weren't just tools to be used or numbers on a board. They were not things that he owned just to bring him wealth or pleasure. Instead, the picture that Luke provides for us here is that of a man who understood and cared for his slaves, especially this young man.
I am sure the moment that Jesus heard that this centurion wanted him to come and heal his servant He was impressed. Jesus is always impressed when we reach out and love people that the rest of the world looks down on and considers unworthy. Jesus never throws anyone away regardless of what they have done. No one is outside of His amazing love. Not the young slave nor the weathered centurion. That is Good News for all of us today.
II. The second thing we see is this man's active faith - verses 3-5
Luke tells us that our centurion was not a Jew by birth. Neither had he been raised as a Jew. However, in his heart he believed that Yahweh was God. He believed in the LORD God Almighty.
We don't know his nationality, whether he was a Roman, a Syrian or perhaps even a native Macedonian. All we know is that he was not born into a Jewish household. All we know that he was a devout man who was highly respected by many of the faithful Jews that lived in Capernaum.
We see that this man's faith touched both his heart, his activities and even his pocket book. In many ways this centurion was like another centurion named Cornelius that we find in Acts chapter 10. If you remember it was that centurion that the LORD poured out His Holy Spirit. Both of these men possessed a deep faith in the LORD.
In verse five we read that this centurion so loved the LORD and the Jews of that area that he helped them build their local synagogue. Bible scholars tell us that either he gave a great deal of money towards the project or that he enlisted his soldiers to help build the synagogue itself. Either way, he did what he could to make sure that the Jews of that area had a place to worship the LORD even though he himself could not attend one of their services.
Only a Jew by birth or one who had agreed to live as a Jew ( a proselyte) could attend a synagogue. Everyone else had to stay outside. They could be taught the Torah (in private sessions) and learn the ritual prayers but to actually go inside the synagogue required that one be born a Jew or convert to Judaism. It is amazing that this man helped them build a synagogue even though he knew he could not attend. He gave of his time, his money and his resources for others. This lets us understand a little more why this man amazed Jesus. His love for God and others was deeper than his pocket book.
The Jews living in Capernaum were in great need of this synagogue too. The Temple in Jerusalem was over 125 miles away and there was no way for the local Jews to be able to go to Jerusalem and worship at the Temple every week. They needed their own local place to worship, pray and teach their children about the LORD. What this centurion had done for them meant that they could pass on the message of Judaism for generations to come. No wonder the Jewish elders held him in such high esteem. This man had sacrificially given of his money, protection and political clout so that they could worship the LORD.
We also know that Jesus was very familiar with this particular synagogue. It was one of the first synagogues that Jesus preached in after his baptism. Luke tells us in chapter four that when Jesus spoke the people were amazed at how well He understood the Torah and how powerfully He spoke. They received his words with enthusiasm and joy. It must have held some found memories for Jesus.
Each time Jesus and his disciples returned to home base it was this synagogue that they would worship and pray. It was here that Jesus would teach and preach the Good News. And a big reason this synagogue was here was because of this centurion's faith and generosity.
III. The third thing we see here is this man's humility - verses 6 -7
If you aren't impressed enough about his man as you read verses 6 -7 it is even more amazing. Here is a man who commands some 80 -100 heavy trained and hardened soldiers. He is wealthy and he has a great reputation both with Jews and Gentiles. Yet, when it comes to Jesus coming to his home, he sends another delegation to tell Jesus that he is unworthy of someone like Jesus coming in his home.
It's not because he lives in some dilapidated shack. No, from all we can gather from what we read here and what history tells us this centurion would have lived in one of the better homes in the area. He would have had a home constructed out of the finest stones and filled with some of the best furniture around. He would probably have had a personal body guard as well as a well trained staff living around his home ready to take care of all his needs.
His humility must have been shocking to those who heard his message to Jesus. Remember, no respecting Jew would have gone to his house in the first place (Acts 10). Every Jew believed that they were superior to Gentiles, regardless of their rank or stature. But because of all that centurion had done for them the Jewish elders had given Jesus permission to go to this man's house and heal his servant. They had agreed that even though it would cause Jesus and any other Jews that would go with Him to be unclean for the rest of the day it would be worth it. This man was worth all the time and trouble.
But before any of that happens, this centurion sends another group of people to tell Jesus that he can't do that to Jesus. He can't have him become unclean because of either him or his servant. He doesn't want to cause Jesus any problems at all. He is just too unworthy to have Jesus come into his house.
This man's spirit is the exact opposite of the one we encounter with the Syrian commander Naaman in 2 Kings 5:1-14. Naaman was arrogant. He demanded both an audience with Elisha and an immediate healing. He wanted Elisha to do something theatrical in order to heal him. He wanted Elisha to come out and loudly proclaim that Naaman was healed. Naaman wanted an audience and a show. He didn't want to bathe in the Jordan at all. He considered the Jordan River to be nothing more than a large cesspool.
That is not the way it was with this centurion. He doesn't demand anything. He knows God doesn't owe him anything. Instead, he believes that he and his household are so unworthy that he will not even allow Jesus to see his face. Again, this had to send shock waves in the community. Here was a man of power, a high ranking centurion in Herod's army who feels that he should bow down to Jesus and not Jesus to him.
St. Augustine many years later would say that it " was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.
Richard Rohr in his book, Radical Grace reminds us that "Humility and human come from the Latin word, humus, dirt. A human being is someone . . . taken out of the dirt. A humble person is one who recognizes that and even rejoices in it!"
This centurion could have been arrogant. He could have been so demanding and condescending. He could have look upon Jesus with disgust. But that is not what we find here in this passage. We find a man of deep humility. We find a man who understand his place in the presence of Jesus. We find a man who can show us how we are to act in worship and in everyday life.
Often we are tempted to show our arrogance. We are all tempted to show that we know what we are doing and we know what we need. We can even believe that we are doing something great for God when we decide to come to church, sing, give or listen to a message. We can believe that we have done something great by giving God a little of our time when we could be doing something else. We can believe that God owes us a favor because we took the time to come to church, to worship, pray or give.
It is at those times, if we are not careful, that we are more like Naaman. And that is not the type of person we want to be this morning. Instead, we want to be more like this centurion. He understood the right way. Instead of thinking that we are giving up of our precious time, talents and resources we need to understand how much God has graced us just to be in His presence. We need to understand the majesty and glory of the LORD. We need to once again get remind ourselves of Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4. We need to understand that we are in the presence of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY>
We need to understand that God is allowing us to be in His presence. God could destroy us or reject us but out of His love He invites us into His House. He welcomes us here each time our doors are open. We should be grateful that God has even reached out to us. We should be grateful that He has given us breath to breath, money to share and a life to live. This centurion's humility can teach us a great deal.
IV. Finally, we see this man's amazing certainty - verses 3, 7, 10
This centurion is certain of Jesus' willingness and power to heal his dying slave3. Of all the characteristics this man possesses this one touches my heart the most. I am amazed at his love, his faith and his humility. But to think that this miracle happened and that neither this man nor his servant were ever seen or touched by Jesus is truly amazing.
I had to read this passage over and over again and each time I was amazed at the reality that Jesus does not see his face nor the face of the young boy who was near death. He does not touch them nor does Luke record that He said "YOUR SERVANT IS HEALED." Jesus just declares the majesty of this man's love and faith.
This centurion had the confidence and the certainty that Jesus didn't need to come into his house or see either one of them in order to heal the young man. He knew what it meant to give a command, to give an order or a directive and know that it was carried out. Every day he either sent a letter, give a command or directive and his soldiers without question would do anything and everything he told them to do.
He believed that Jesus possessed that same authority. He believed that if Jesus sent the word that his slave would get well then he would get well. If Jesus said that it was going to happen then it was going to happen. He didn't need to look into Jesus' eyes to see if he was telling the truth. He didn't need to size Jesus up. He believed that Jesus could heal whether he came into his home or not. He believed that Jesus' words were so powerful that nothing could stop them.
Dr. Steve Estep (Grace Church of the Nazarene in Clarksville, TN) and others who have ministered to our soldiers have testified that some of the best followers of Jesus are men and women who have served our country. These men and women understand what it means to have loyalty, what it means to be under someone else's leadership and be able to take direction. Anyone who has had a great coach or a great band leader or drama leader also understands those principles. They know the value of trusting someone who is greater than them or is in a leadership position. They know what this centurion knew; when you have a leader it is your responsibility to trust them, to be loyal and to put your faith in them.
This centurion had amazing faith. He knew with all the certainty in His heart that Jesus could and would heal long before it became a reality. He shows us something very vital lessons this morning:
+He shows us how true love will cause us to do and act in ways that others will be amazed at and will think impossible.
+He shows us how what true faith is. True faith is more than words, it is words back up with actions. Faith without works is dead.
+He shows us how to be truly humble - how to be humble before the LORD our GOD
+He shows us the importance of both interceding (praying) for others and having a certainty that God has heard our prayers and will answer them.
This man's prayer of intercession and faith, along with the prayers of the Jewish elders enabled Jesus to show everyone that He was here not only for the Jews but for the Gentiles as well. This whole miracle happened because some people were bold enough to come and ask Jesus to heal this young man. This miracle allowed the LORD to show everyone that He truly came for the lowest of the low - for that is where a Gentile slave would be seen in ancient society. To the Jews there was no person lower than a Gentile slave. And yet, Jesus reaches out to this young man and brings him healing and wholeness.
This morning, this passage calls us to have faith in Jesus who owes us nothing but because He loves us so much He is willing to do all He can for us and our loved one. This passage lets us know that Jesus does not have to be physically present to bring salvation and healing into a person's life. This passage lets us know that we can call upon the name of Jesus for people half way around the world and pray for their salvation, their healing and their wholeness.
Verse 11 tells us that this man's love, his faith, his humility and his certainty in Jesus was greatly rewarded. Verse 11 tells us that when the men returned back from speaking to Jesus they discovered that the young man had already been healed. His life had been spared. Without seeing him or touching him, Jesus had healed him.
Lives were changed that day because of the actions of those Jewish elders, the centurion, his friends and of course, our LORD Jesus. They all called upon Jesus to intercede for this young man. This dying slave was powerless to do anything for himself. He was at the mercy of others. Thankfully, he had the centurion on his side - a man who had the qualities of great love, great faith, great humility and just knew with all his heart that Jesus would answer his prayer.
As we come to a close this morning, I would like to invite anyone here today who would like to come down and do exactly what these Jewish elders, this centurion and his friends did for this young man. I would like to invite anyone to come down and pray for someone who has a great need in their lives.
+ Perhaps there is someone you know that does not know Jesus today and you would like to pray for their salvation.
+ Perhaps there is someone you know that needs a physical or emotional healing.
+Perhaps there is someone you know that needs the comfort and peace that can only the Holy Spirit can bring.
+Perhaps you know someone who has been drifting away from the LORD and is need of Holy Spirit conviction and revival in their heart and life.
Our centurion could have simply buried the boy or thrown him into the streets and within a day or two had another slave to take his place. After all, he had plenty of power and money on his side and it was the social norm of that time.
The Jewish elders could have decided that God would never answer the pray of a Gentile soldier for a slave. They could not have believed in Jesus. They could have simply shrouded themselves in false piety.
But that is not the story we read here in this passage. We read an amazing story of how a group of people came together out of love, with great faith, with great humility and certainty and experienced a great miracle. The LORD didn't owe them anything. The LORD did not have to heal the young man. He could have simply taken him home but instead, the LORD reached down as the Son of Man and brought healing and wholeness to the household of this centurion.
This morning, God doesn't owe us anything. He doesn't have to answer our prayers but He does because He loves us. We don't follow the LORD because He gives us what we want. We follow Him because we know that He is God and that only through Him will we have abundant everlasting life. We follow Jesus because we know He is our Savior and LORD.
Today, is there something you would like to ask the LORD? Is there a person you would like to come down and pray for - you would like to be the centurion in our story - interceding for someone today? As we sing - our altars are open for any who would like to come down and pray for a friend, a family member or perhaps for yourself.
1Originally a centurion was in charge of 100 men, but in time that number varied. A centurion would be equivalent to the rank of captain in our modern army. The ancient historian Polybius offers a list of qualifications looked for in centurions. They must be not so much "seekers after danger as men who can command, steady in action, and reliable; they ought not to be over anxious to rush into the fight; but when hard pressed they must be ready to hold their ground and die at their posts." A centurion must be a man among men.
2“The great Greek philosopher Aristotle said there could be no friendship and no justice toward inanimate things, not even toward a horse, an ox, or a slave, because master and slave were considered to have nothing in common. ‘A slave,” he said, ‘is a living tool, just as a tool is an inanimate slave.’ (Ethics, 1161b). The Roman law expert Gaius wrote that it was universally accepted that the master possessed the power of life and death over his slave (Institutes, 1:52). Still another Roman writer, Varro, maintained that the only difference between a slave, a beast, and a cart was that the slave talked (On Landed Estates, 1:17.1).
3Some have used the words that describe this young man as a way to endorse homosexuality. They believe that the young slave was a male consort of the centurion. In light of Romans 1 and Lev. 18:22 and Lev. 20:13 I don't believe these orthodox Jewish elders would have interceded for this man if he was living such a lifestyle. It just doesn't follow the test of scripture, reason, tradition and experience. I do believe that Jesus loves all of us and if we allow Him to He will lead us all into salvation and holiness of life - body, soul and mind.
