As a general rule I manage to make it home after preaching a sermon without incident. For Jesus, the journey home was considerably more eventful! As he enters Capernaum He is presented with a complex and dangerous dilemma. Last time Jesus engaged the question of the Gentiles (Lk.4:24-30), He faced a lynch mob intent on throwing Him off a cliff. And now here He is confronted with a Gentile-in-need. Probably a God-fearer – a Gentile who likely worshipped the ‘God of the Jews’, but who had not yet taken the step to convert to Judaism itself.
As we read the passage we can almost hear the silence that descends on the crowd as the Elders articulate their request. How will Jesus respond to such a potentially inflammatory situation? By embodying the very teaching He has just delivered in His previous sermon. The Centurion is complex character, but he remains a Centurion – responsible for enforcing the militaristic rule of the Roman Empire. He remains a quite literal enemy of Jesus’ own people. What has Jesus taught with regard to our enemies? With consummate integrity, Jesus practises what He preaches.
It is important to recognise that Jesus is unlikely to have been swayed by the Elder’s arguments and rationale for His involvement (are they trying to manipulate Jesus in order to ensure the Centurion’s ongoing favour?) . He was driven by deeper considerations than their assessment of the Centurion’s worthiness or otherwise. Jesus’ response is driven by His love. His whole ministry is an expression of love for His enemies (see Rom.5:10; Col.1:21). And this moment conveys this with a breath-taking clarity. J.C. Ryle, one time Bishop of Liverpool captures the significance of what happens next: ‘A greater miracle of healing than this is nowhere recorded in the Gospels. Without even seeing the sufferer, without touch of hand or look of eye, our Lord restores health to a dying man by a single word. He speaks and the man is cured. He commands and the disease departs’.
With this closing comment, Ryle takes us to the heart of the story. The authority of Jesus is the issue under discussion. Jesus’ commendation of the Centurion’s faith is in part the result of how deeply informed it is. The Centurion understands Jesus is one sent by God. His being under authority is the root and grounds of His authority. His authority to command disease, death (7:11-17); the forces of creation (8:22-25); the demonic (8:26-39). ...and His authority to command His disciples. His teaching comes to us with the ring of military command. The Centurion understands this, and is celebrated by Jesus as a result.
Questions:
Why do you think the Jewish Elders were willing to act as mediators for the centurion, and why are they so uncharacteristically positive about a Gentile? What is motivating their approach to Jesus?
What does their earnest pleading reveal about their thinking when it comes to religion? Does the Centurion ‘deserve’ to have Jesus heal his servant?
Is the Centurion right in his assessment of himself? Is he as unworthy in Jesus’ eyes as he is in his own?
What is it about the Centurion’s faith – including his grasp of who Jesus is - that is so exciting for Jesus?
Why does Jesus say He hasn’t found such great faith even in Israel? What is missing in the faith of God’s people? Or is Jesus exaggerating for effect?
Do you think people can have greater, or lesser degrees of faith? How can you measure ‘faith’? How can faith develop and become greater? How intentional are you about cultivating a ‘greater’ faith?
How do you feel about Jesus being presented in terms of ‘authority’? How important do you think it is to put those commands into practise?
How can we better support each other in our growth into obeying the commands of Jesus?
