After Jesus had finished teaching all this to the people,he entered Capernaum. 2 A centurion there had a slave who was highly regarded but who was sick and at the point of death. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. 4 When they came to Jesus, they urged him earnestly,“He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 because he loves our nation,and even built our synagogue.” Luke 7 (NET)
Something to note here. This Roman Commander was loved by the Jewish people he had command over.
6 So Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself,for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof! 7 That is why I did not presume to come to you. Instead, say the word, and my servant must be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me.I say to this one,‘Go!’ He goes, To another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. Or to my slave, ‘Do this!’ He does it.”9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him. He turned and said to the crowd that followed him, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith!” 10 So when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave well. Luke 7 (NET)
Why did Jesus commend the Centurion’s Faith?
A Pagan Believer—unheard of Faith
The Centurion had only heard of Jesus; yet, believed He had the power to heal. This went against all this Roman Commander had been taught to believe. His position was one of enforcing the Roman laws. To be a centurion, he had distinguished himself as a very adept warrior.
Furthermore, he must have been brought up as a pagan. The Roman Empire was primarily a polytheistic civilization, which meant that people recognized and worshiped multiple gods and goddess. The main god and goddesses in Roman culture were Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva. Yet, even more astonishing was that in 19 AD when Augustus died-he had been declared a god, as had his adopted father Julius Caesar. On his death, Julius Caesar was officially recognized as a god, the Divine (‘Divus’) Julius, by the Roman state. And in 29 BC Caesar’s adopted son, the first Roman emperor Augustus, allowed the culturally Greek cities of Asia Minor to set up temples to him.
So it was remarkable that this centurion loved the Jewish people whom he ruled over and they loved him. Even more remarkable that he had believed what he heard about Jesus.
A Humble Centurion Leader
Note, the centurion, a man who commanded at minimum 100 soldiers, a leader in the Roman Army; declared himself unworthy to be visited by Jesus. Think of this! He did not feel himself weakened by admitting his own unworthiness before the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Demonstrating by this one act, that he understood more of who Jesus was than the Jewish leaders did. It does not tell us how he knew this. Had he read and studied the scriptures himself? Or was this revealed to him fully by the Holy Spirit? Either way it was the Holy Spirit who had drawn this man to understand that Jesus was the Righteous Son of the One true God. Why do I say that? Read on.
Faith Beyond What He Could See
This centurion knew that Jesus could heal the servant by merely speaking the words. Go on and see what he said, “Instead, say the word, and my servant must be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me.I say to this one, ‘Go!’ He goes, To another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. Or to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” “I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me.” What soldiers of Jesus was he referring to? Angels? Regardless He recognized that Jesus had authority over life and death. Sickness and health. Amazing his faith? Just as Jesus said, “Amazing”. His understanding of who Jesus was, superseded the Jewish nation and even the disciples following Jesus who should have known.
What a Journey of Faith was displayed here!
This is the kind of faith that goes beyond what we can of our own obtain or hold fast to. We must rely on the Holy Spirit by continuously looking to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. Through prayer, Bible Study and remembering all that He has done for us and through us, we stand firm regardless of what the world may throw at us. Tomorrow, we will look at an unparalleled love; because He first loved us.
Never forget: Faith is knowing God IS (Sovereign, Lord, Creator, Almighty, Omniscient, Omnipresent, All-Powerful God—the one and only true God) and He rewards those who diligently seek Him. (not those who always get it right, not those who believe them selves righteous or holy, but those who diligently seek Him).
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD?
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
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Disclosures
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2021
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.