This past week has been a very challenging week for many people in our church family. After our kids’ choir concerts this past weekend many children and adults were stricken with the flu. Approximately thirty families from our church have had the flu this past week! It has been frightening to see how vulnerable we are to sickness. As Lori and I have dealt with sick children of our own, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how the flu relates to faith. Imagine this: What if our church family became infected with faith instead of the flu? What would happen? I believe that we would explode with health and strength. I believe Emmanuel would become all that God wants us to be.

Today, I’d like to talk about the need to have amazing faith. In Luke 7:1-10, we will learn about a man with amazing faith. After reflecting on this account, I hope that we will strive to become a church that possesses amazing faith. Why? Because amazing faith impresses Jesus!

Luke introduces our episode with these words: “When He [Jesus]had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum” (7:1).1After teaching the masses, Jesus heads to Capernaum, which served as His headquarters during His Galilean ministry (4:23, 31; 10:15). The “discourse” that Luke refers to here is the Sermon on the Mount, considered the greatest sermon ever preached. At the conclusion of this sermon, Jesus asked His audience, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and then do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) Jesus is concerned about those who do not recognize His authority. The narrative that follows unveils a surprise-a Gentile who does recognize Jesus’ authority.

In 7:2, Luke writes, “And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die.” Here we are introduced to a centurion and his slave who is near death.2 A typical centurion is a Roman soldier that commands 100 men. These soldiers were the equivalent of present-day sergeants. Since Galilee did not become a part of the Roman province until A.D. 44, this centurion probably served in the military of Herod Antipas. His assignment may have involved guarding and enforcing the toll tax in Capernaum.3

At any rate, the fact that this man is called a “centurion” tells us a great deal about him.4 The Roman military looked for certain characteristics in those they chose for this position. They wanted men who were steady in action, reliable, and patient, men of fortitude and character who were willing to die at their post for the Empire.5 These characteristics no doubt are true of this centurion. Yet, this is a very unlikely encounter. It would have seemed that everything about this man would have prevented him from coming to Jesus. He was a professional soldier; Jesus was a man of peace. He was a Gentile; Jesus was a Jew. He was in charge of this city; Jesus was an itinerant rabbi. But there was one thing this centurion had going for him-he was a man of amazing faith. And amazing faith impresses Jesus.

The centurion was also a man of amazing compassion. His faith has an unselfish nature. He has a personal concern for his slave whom he honors and respects, which was unusual and commendable.6 This rough and tumble centurion is a man that loves others.7 He trusted God and sought Jesus for the healing of his servant, not the blessing of his bank account, and so on. The “name it and claim it” folks always seem to dwell on the selfish dimensions of faith. Have faith and God will heal you. Have faith and God will make you rich and famous. Have faith and God will bless you. The faith of the centurion is vastly superior. It is focused upon God’s blessing toward others. As a church, does this describe our faith? Do we want to see the people of our county spiritually healed? Are we concerned that they will die and be separated from Christ? Are we seeking to bring them to Jesus before it’s too late?

In 7:3, Luke writes, “When he [the centurion] heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him [Jesus] to come and save the life of his slave.”8 The centurion believes in Jesus’ power. He is a Gentile who really understands and recognizes Jesus for who He is.9 God has put this centurion in a place of despair. He has a need that he finds he cannot fulfill. This problem was intended by God to bring him to depend upon Christ. God does this in each of our lives. He brings us to the place where we need Him. Otherwise, we may not turn to Him.

Luke continues his story in 7:4-5: “When they [the Jewish elders]came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, ‘He is worthy10for You to grant this to him; for he loves our nation11and it was he who built us our synagogue.’” This centurion is quite a man! Not only did he love the Jewish people…he also built their synagogue.12 Follow this: This generous Gentile built a synagogue so that the Jews could worship God, yet he couldn’t go into the temple, since he was a Gentile.13 Now that’s impressive! However, the Jewish elders have bad theology. They believe that God only helps those who are “worthy” or deserving of help. The Jewish elders were much like some institutional Christians today-they believe that big donors are to receive “special handling” by religious leaders. Perhaps they had another fund-raiser planned and were hoping to hit this man up for another donation.14 In any case, these leaders failed to recognize that God does not look on the outward appearance; he looks on the heart (1 Sam 16:7). God does not seek out the “worthy” and impressive. Throughout the Scriptures we find that it is the weakness, the helplessness of man that is met by the power of God.15

In spite of the Jewish elders, in 7:6-8 Luke records that “Jesus started on His way with them;16and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, ‘Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, with 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.’” The centurion’s faith is growing. He begins by asking Jesus to come to his house (7:3), but then a short time later he has more faith and feels even that is unnecessary. This man’s faith was nurtured and grew over time. His faith was evidenced in the way he dealt with the Jews, and especially in his generosity toward the building of their synagogue. The centurion seemed to trust God to bless Gentiles through the Jews. He invested his worldly goods in blessing Abraham’s seed. With every step forward, his faith grew. Faith can and should grow as it matures. Later in Luke’s gospel, the apostles will say to Jesus, “Increase our faith!” (17:5)17 Believers are called to grow in their faith. This can begin today for you by simply saying, “Lord Jesus, increase my faith!” As a church family, God is calling us to step out in faith and be sensitive to His leading. What will you believe God for at Emmanuel? To what degree will you put your faith in your prayers?

Interestingly, this centurion does not believe all the hype surrounding him. He doesn’t read his own press clippings that say, “Thou art worthy.” Instead, he says, “I am not worthy” (7:6-7; cf. 5:8). He does not trust in his works or in his goodness; he trusts in the compassion of Jesus. Great faith trusts in Jesus’ great mercy.18 God will not do anything on account of our worthiness or works. As important as generosity and spiritually are they do not make us “worthy.”

At this point, a comparison with the parallel passage in Matt 8:5-13 shows a significant difference of detail. In Matthew’s account, the centurion appears and speaks directly with Jesus; however, in Luke’s account, the Jewish elders and a group of friends speak on the centurion’s behalf. The simple solution that most satisfactorily answers this dilemma is that the centurion follows up his delegation of friends. Thus, the story may be read without interruption in Luke 7:1-8, concluding with the words of the friends. After 7:8, we must insert Matt 8:5b-9, which records the words of the centurion himself who likely arrived perhaps only moments later since now Jesus was “not far” from his house (cf. Luke 7:6).19

These three verses seem to suggest that the centurion assumed that Jesus was under a chain of command like he was. He at first acted like his usual self by asking the Jews to bring Jesus. But when he realized that Jesus acted on His own volition, the centurion was absolutely ashamed of himself. He ordered someone to do something who was not in anyone’s “chain of command.”20 Rather, He was the Sovereign of the Universe. This man came to believe that Jesus answers to no one. Do you believe that? Is your view of Jesus that He can do anything, anywhere, at any time? Do you believe that He desires to break out in our church and use us to accomplish His purposes in this county? Do you have faith to see God accomplish this?

The centurion did not trust in his (great) authority, but in Christ’s authority. The centurion believed that Christ was Lord of nature and that He had authority to command sickness to depart. His faith was focused on the right object. Too often, we focus our attention on our faith rather than on God, who is the object of our faith. The centurion was not guilty of such self-consciousness. In fact, he did not mention his faith at all. It was Jesus who pointed out the great faith of this man. The centurion had fixed his attention on Jesus, on His compassion, His mercy, and His power. The centurion was preoccupied with the person of our Lord, not his possession of faith.

Moreover, the centurion not only asked Jesus for a miraculous healing-the boy was about to die-but also for a healing that was out of the ordinary. The centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant “long distance.” His God was so great that He need not be present to heal, and thus he asked for Jesus merely to speak the word. Faith in a great God is evidenced by requests that are out of the ordinary. Does your faith ask God for great things? How often my prayers and those of others I hear are merely requests for the humanly possible. It is not that God cares little about colds, sniffles, the flu, minor aches and pains, but lets face it, a little aspirin, bed rest, and time usually solves these problems. The things that should require faith are those things that are not humanly possible. What prayer will you pray today that demands a supernatural response?

In 7:9, we come to an amazing verse: “Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, ‘I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.’” The centurion’s belief in Jesus’ authority was unusual because it rested on reports of Jesus’ previous ministry alone. He knew the word of Christ and His authority was enough. This miracle is an illustration of the final statement in the Sermon on the Mount that the crowds were amazed that Jesus spoke with such authority (Matt 7:28-29). Most people didn’t do anything with that amazement. Here is one man who did. Perhaps he heard the Sermon on the Mount. He believed Christ’s words before He saw the works.

It is important to notice that the amazing faith of the centurion caused Jesus to marvel! This is one of only two cases where Jesus was said to have “marveled.” The other instance is found in Mark 6:6, where Jesus marveled at the unbelief of the people of Nazareth-His hometown. Have you ever wanted to impress Jesus? Practice a supernatural faith in God that goes beyond the accepted norm. Because amazing faith impresses Jesus.

Jesus said that this centurion exercised “great faith.” The only other person Jesus commended for having “great faith” was a Gentile woman whose daughter He delivered from a demon (Matt 15:28). In both cases, those that manifested “great faith” came from outside of Israel. God wants other Gentiles like you and me to exhibit great faith.

Luke closes our account with these words, “When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health” (7:10). Jesus performed a miracle for this centurion’s slave not because of the man’s works or his worthiness, but because of his faith! Jesus honored this man’s faith.

Amazing faith impresses Jesus. Faith honors and pleases God. If anything is clear in the story of the centurion, it is that the faith of this man both pleased and honored God. God delights in men’s faith. God is honored by faith when He is the object of that faith. What greater compliment to the character of God than to have men demonstrate that they have confidence in Him. Men find God trustworthy because He is worthy of men’s trust. Faith honors God. Faith pleases God. God commends faith.

Today, will you either begin a life of faith or continue your life of faith? Will you consider the following commitments?

1. PRAY: Will you pray, “Lord Jesus, increase my faith?” Will you commit to praying daily for the health and growth of our church? Will you pray for our unity and protection? Will you pray for our pastors and leaders?

2. SHARE: Will you step out in faith and share your faith with those that are spiritually sick and dying? Will you invite others to worship with you? Will you believe that God has other sheep that He wants to bring in the fold…and that He wants to use you to bring them?”

3. GIVE: Will you give sacrificially of your financial resources? Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt 6:21; Luke 12:34). Will you have faith that God will meet your needs as you give to Him first?

4. STAY: Will you make a commitment to remain at EBC long-term? Will you commit to this church family unless the Lord moves you out of this area?

5. SERVE: Will you ask the leadership, how can I serve? Will you demonstrate the heart of a servant? Will you leave the sidelines and plug into the body?

I believe that faith must be exercised if it is to grow. May God stretch and increase our faith. In days to come, may the Lord Jesus be able to commend our faith, as He did the faith of the centurion. And may our faith be a blessing to others.

Copyright © 2006 Keith R. Krell. All rights reserved. All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, and are used by permission.

Permissions: Feel free to reproduce and distribute any articles written by Keith Krell, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this information, not protect or restrict it. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: by Keith Krell, Timeless Word Ministries, 2508 State Ave NE Olympia, WA 98506, 360-352-9044, www.timelessword.com

“Amazing Faith!” (Luke 7:1-10)

1. The Roman centurion highly regarded his dying servant (7:2). This led him to act. Does my compassion and love for others compel me to act? As a church does our compassion and concern for lost people lead us to pursue Jesus on their behalf?

2. The Jewish people told Jesus that the centurion was “worthy” of having his servant healed (7:4); yet the centurion did not consider himself “worthy” (7:6-7). Does my confidence lie in my generosity, good works, ministry service, relationships, or in Jesus Christ alone? Do I feel that God owes me a miracle? Do I feel that I deserve to be blessed?

3. The Roman centurion understood Jesus’ authority (7:7-8). To what extent do I understand Jesus’ authority and submit to Him as my Lord? As a church, how submissive are we to the lordship of Christ? In what ways are we faithful in this? In what ways do we have room for growth? What strategies can I recommend? What will I do to help us grow toward health and maturity?

4. Jesus marveled at the faith of the Roman centurion (7:9). What impressed Jesus so much? How can I amaze Jesus with my faith? What would it take for Emmanuel to amaze Jesus with her faith? How would it feel to live my life with amazing faith?

5. In what areas have I exhibited amazing faith? How has God used my faith and obedience to help Emmanuel? Specifically, where am I weak in my beliefs and convictions? How have I been guilty of holding back Emmanuel? What will I do this week to grow in my faith?

Matthew 15:21-28

Mark 7:24-30

Ephesians 2

Ephesians 3

Romans 9

Romans 10

Romans 11

Notes

1 Constables writes, “This verse is obviously transitional. It helps us appreciate the fact that people generally (Gr. laos), not just disciples, were listening to the Sermon on the Mount, at least the last part of it (cf. Matt. 7:28). The Greek word that Luke used to describe the completion of Jesus’ teaching on that occasion is eplerosen, which means ‘fulfilled.’ He thus implied that this teaching was a fulfillment of prophecy about the Messiah, perhaps that He would preach the good news to the poor (4:18; 6:20; Isa. 61:1). Dr. Thomas L. Constable, Notes on Luke (http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes/pdf/luke.pdf, 2005), 90.

2 The slave was evidently too sick to bring to Jesus. Matthew described him as paralyzed and in great pain (Matt 8:6).

3 C. Marvin Pate, Moody Gospel Commentary: Luke (Chicago: Moody, 1995), 166. Cf. Michael Eaton, Luke 1-11: Preaching Through the Bible (Kent, England: Sovereign Word, 1999), 92. Nolland suggests that this Gentile centurion is probably not a Roman soldier, but part of the army of Herod Antipas, posted in all likelihood to customs service in connection with goods coming in and out of Galilee John Nolland, Luke 1:1-9:20: Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 35a (Nashville: Nelson, 1989), 318.

4 A centurion was a noncommissioned officer in the Roman army or one of the auxiliary territorial armies, commanding a centuria of (nominally) 100 men. The responsibilities of centurions were broadly similar to modern junior officers, but there was a wide gap in social status between them and officers, and relatively few were promoted beyond the rank of senior centurion. The Roman troops stationed in Judea were auxiliaries, who would normally be rewarded with Roman citizenship after 25 years of service. Some of the centurions may have served originally in the Roman legions (regular army) and thus gained their citizenship at enlistment. Others may have inherited it, like Paul. See NET Study Notes.

5 The integrity of the centurions can be attested to in that every one who is mentioned in the Scriptures (Luke 23:47; Acts 10:22; 22:26; 23:17; 24:23; Acts 27:1, 43) is presented as a man of character and integrity. Dr. Daniel Hill, “The Gospel of Luke,” Grace Notes, 90.

6 This affectionate regard is also clear in his use of the word “servant” (pais) in 7:7. This word elsewhere can describe a son (John 4:51).

7 The fact that we read that it was his slave indicates that this slave was most likely a personal servant and one who had become close to this man. We know from Luke 7:10 that the servant was in the centurion’s home.

8 These verses are unique to Luke’s account (cf. Matt 8:5-13).

9 The parallel account in Matt 8:5-13 does not mention the emissaries. See NET Study Notes.

10 The adjective axios (”worthy”) comes first in the direct discourse and is emphatic.

11 Marshall observes that Jews use the noun ethnos (”nation”) to refer to themselves over Gentiles (Luke 23:2; Acts 10:22; et al.; John 11:48-52; 18:35). I. Howard Marshall, Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), 280.

12 There are other examples of Gentiles building Jewish synagogues, though it is surprising that a centurion would be rich enough. Nolland, Luke 1:1-9:20, 319.

13 Hampton Keathley IV, “Healing of the Centurion’s Servant,” from the series The Miracles of Jesus: http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=2222.

14 Bob Deffinbaugh, “Jesus the Healer (Luke 7:1-17)” from the series Luke: The Gospel to the Gentiles:

http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=1037.

15 Hill, “The Gospel of Luke,” 91.

16 Jesus willingly and immediately went with the Jewish emissary to the centurion. This provides a contrast with Peter in Acts 10:20, 23 who was reticent to go Cornelius’ house.

17 Eaton, Luke 1-11, 92-93.

18 Eaton, Luke 1-11, 94.

19 See the excellent article by Zane C. Hodges, “The Centurion’s Faith in Matthew and Luke” Bibliotheca Sacra 121.484 (1964): 321-332, esp. 329. Wiersbe puts forth another possibility that many scholars hold: “Matthew’s condensed report (Matt 8:5-13) does not contradict Luke’s fuller account. The centurion’s friends represented him to Jesus and then represented Jesus to him. When a newscaster reports that the President or the Prime Minister said something to Congress or Parliament, this does not necessarily mean that the message was delivered by them in person. It was probably delivered by one of their official representatives, but the message would be received as from the President or Prime Minister personally.” Warren W. Wiersbe, Luke: Be Compassionate, Be Courageous, Electronic Ed.

20 Glandion Carney & William Long, Yearning Minds and Burning Hearts: Rediscovering the Spirituality of Jesus (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997), 107.

All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, and are used by permission.
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