Sunday, August 04, 2024
I've often been taken with this passage from Luke 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.
There is so much going on! But, to start with, there is the fact that the hero of the story is a Centurian-- and enforcer of the Roman occupation, the commander of 100 legionares. He was privileged in that society, someone who had all the advantages.
That's not typical of many of those Jesus helped, who were those with the least power. But the Centurian came to Jesus with an attitude of humility rather than arrogance, and perhaps that makes all the difference.
And I think that is the message.
