Luke 7:6-10

Luke 7:6-10

And Jesus journeyed with them.  And was Jesus had already gone not far from the house, the centurion sent friends while saying, “Lord, do not be troubled.  For I am not worthy enough in order that you should enter under my roof.  Because of this neither do I think myself worthy to come to you.  But speak a word and my servant is being healed.  For I am also a man who appoints things by authority and who has soldiers under myself.  And I say to this one, ‘Depart,’ and he departs.  And to another I say, ‘Come,’ and he comes.  And to my slave I say, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”  And after Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him.  And after turning around to the crowd who followed Him He said, “I say to you all, nowhere in Israel do I find faith as great as this.”  And after turning back into the house, the ones who were being sent found the slave who was made well.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

We see more desire to humble himself from the centurion.  When he realizes that Jesus has been summoned and He is coming, he sends more people to Jesus.  These people tell Jesus that the centurion didn’t mean for Jesus to come all the way to the house.  He’s a Gentile.  The fact that he has financed the building of a synagogue shows that he understands and respect Jewish customs.  He knows that he isn’t worthy of the appearance of such a respected Jew.  What is amazing about the humbleness of this man is that even though he really would like his slave to be healed, the man chooses humbleness above his own desires.  Of course, this is the definition of humbleness, especially humbleness before God.  Here is a man who is living in such a way as to know what he wants; but even more he understands his position and is willing to accept whatever happens.

Does this man’s humbleness amaze you?  How does humbleness often translate directly into faith?

Second Thought:

What is neat about this centurion is that he is certain that Jesus can still do something about the slave.  The centurion understands authority.  He understands having power.  He knows that true power means that you do not have to have immediate physical presence to exert authority.  True power means that people and things obey you because of who you are, not because of the immediate threat that you pose to them.  The centurion knows this.  He also knows that Jesus understands this.  The centurion knows that Jesus’ power is not based on proximity but rather on identity.

Have you met people whose power is strictly based on proximity?  Have you met people whose power is based on their identity?  What is the difference to you?  Which category do you fall into?

Third Thought:

Jesus is amazed.  I always like to stop on this verse and pause.  What does a human being have to do in order to amaze the very Son of God?  That right there is worth reflecting on.  However, Jesus also acts upon the centurion’s request.  After Jesus expresses His amazement to the crowd around Him, He proves the centurion’s faith is well founded.  The man is healed.  The friends of the centurion go home and find that Jesus has indeed healed this slave who was near the end of his life.

When has God shown to you that your faith is well founded?  How do those moments feel in your life?  Have you ever done anything that would cause Jesus to think that your faith is amazing (in a good way)?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 7:11-17