Scripture: Luke 7:1-17
The Faith of the Centurion
7 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son
11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”
14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
Observation:
“Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
The Centurian considers himself unworthy to even approach Jesus to ask for his servant to be healed. But sends his servants to Jesus to let Jesus know that he understands that Jesus has the authority to heal his servant without physical contact and from afar. Jesus responds that greater faith he had not seen in all of Israel, and immediately from afar the Centurian’s servant was healed.
Application:
Jesus would often say to someone whom he had healed that, “Your faith has made you whole.” Faith recognizes that Jesus has the authority to heal. When we ask for healing believing that Jesus has the authority to heal, we often times experience a physical healing. When we sek Jesus believing in him as Jesus Messiah, we have the ultimate healing and that is our salvation.
The person who was healed in today’s scripture was healed because of another man’s faith, the Centurian. That is intercessory faith, similar to the four men who bring their friend to Jesus on a mat and Jesus seeing their faith responds with Salvation, saying, “Your sins are forgiven.”
We then can be instrumental in another person’s healing and salvation when we in faith make a plea to Jesus for healing and wholeness. When we pray earnestly with faith for the others in our lives, we are fulfilling one of Jesus commands to love the other as ourselves.
Prayer:
Lord God, thank you for this scripture today. Thank you for showing us that we can be like the Centurian and care for the others in our lives. Help us to trust your authority as the Centurian did and help us to see the needs of others that we might approach your throne of grace in our petitions for our friends and neighbors.