Daily Scripture: Luke 7:1 When Yeshua had finished speaking to the people, he went back to K’far-Nachum. 2 A Roman army officer there had a servant he regarded highly, who was sick to the point of death. 3 Hearing about Yeshua, the officer sent some Jewish elders to him with the request that he come and heal his servant. 4 They came to Yeshua and pleaded earnestly with him, “He really deserves to have you do this, 5 for he loves our people — in fact, he built the synagogue for us!” 6 So Yeshua went with them. He had not gone far from the house, when the officer sent friends who said to him, “Sir, don’t trouble yourself. I’m not worthy to have you come under my roof — 7 this is why I didn’t presume to approach you myself. Instead, just give a command and let my servant recover. 8 For I too am a man set under authority. I have soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 9 Yeshua was astonished at him when he heard this; and he turned and said to the crowd following him, “I tell you, not even in Isra’el have I found such trust!” 10 When the messengers got back to the officer’s house, they found the servant in good health.
Reflection Questions
A “centurion” commanded 100 soldiers, part of the Roman force occupying Palestine. This centurion was decent and wise. He had been generous with the people of Capernaum. They told Jesus he “deserved” help. The centurion, though, said “I don’t deserve” (verse 6), and put his trust in Jesus' power. His faith impressed Jesus even more than his “deserving” actions.
- We tend to relate to Jesus first in terms of what we know best. How did the Roman centurion draw on his military experience to express his trust in Jesus' power? How did Jesus' response to that foreign military officer point ahead to a church that welcomed Gentiles and Jews as equals before God (e.g. Galatians 3:29)? Which of your life experiences help you better grasp and trust God’s power?
- Scholar William Barclay noted other worthy traits in the Roman. “Roman law defined a slave as a living tool…a master could ill-treat him, even kill him if he chose.” What’s more, “The Romans…spoke of Judaism as a barbarous superstition. Anti-Semitism is not a new thing.” How did this centurion reveal what John Wesley called “prevenient grace”—God at work in a person who’s not formally one of “God’s people”? When have you seen this in yourself or in others?
Today's Prayer
Lord Jesus, there were all kinds of reasons for your family and your disciples—and you—to fear, snub and hate Roman soldiers. Yet you treated them like—well, like people. Help me to grow a heart more like yours, open and generous. Amen.
Insights from Brandon Gregory
Brandon Gregory is a volunteer for the worship and missions teams at Church of the Resurrection. He helps lead worship at the Vibe, West, and Downtown services, and is involved with the Malawi missions team at home.
When Jesus healed the servant of the faithful centurion, he did so because of the centurion’s faith. The passage tells us that Jesus was even amazed at the man’s faith, and he goes on to say that he hasn’t found such a faith even in Israel. But what was so amazing about the centurion’s faith?
Roman military units were viciously effective in battle because they stuck together no matter what. They covered each other with their own shields. They attacked as a single unit. They would gladly give their lives for the sake of the unit. So when the centurion suggests that all of creation has this kind of obedience, this kind of loyalty, to Jesus, that’s kind of a big deal. That’s a pretty powerful faith.
But I think the truly amazing thing about this man’s faith wasn’t its power but its sheer tenacity. In choosing to acknowledge Jesus as God, he turned his back on his Roman gods, probably much to the dismay of his fellow Roman centurions. This may have undermined some of his authority as a leader. And he probably didn’t get much help from Jewish believers, who mostly hated the Romans. The story had moved along much further by the time he asks Jesus for help, but the fact that he even got there is a truly amazing story. He had every reason to turn away from the son of God, and it is because he chose not to that his story is amazing.
We read about this man’s faith and we’re amazed, inspired, drawn to it. But I wonder if we were there when the centurion first showed up in town, would we be the Jewish believers who gave him a hard time? If someone who went against everything we stood for showed up at one of our worship services, how would we react? This centurion had to build a synagogue to gain the trust of the Jewish believers. What would one of these people have to do to gain our trust?
It’s important to remember this moving into Easter, one of two days a year where people who wouldn’t ordinarily set foot in a church do just that. And people who go against everything we stand for could very well walk in those doors, and I’m betting most of them do not have the money to build a synagogue for us.
It’s true that a great many people are dragged to church on Easter by family. But I wonder how many would truly be looking to reconnect if we welcomed them with
Remember this Easter that we are all on
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