Centurion
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The Man Who Amazed Jesus
Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:
Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Of all the people Jesus encountered during His time here on the earth, only a few really impressed Him. One of these was a Roman centurion who displayed such generosity, humility, and faith that the Bible says Jesus "marvelled." In our lesson today, we will take a closer look at each of these qualities, see how this centurion exemplified them, and learn how we can cultivate these traits in our own lives.
Introduction
Introduction
There are only two times that the Bible says that Jesus Christ marvelled. We find that the first time was in Mark 6, when the Lord marvelled at the lack of belief of the citizens of Nazareth. He found it astounding that people could see so much and still be so blinded and refuse to believe. They had every reason to believe, and yet chose not to believe.
The second time that Jesus marvelled is found in Luke 7. This is the story of a Roman centurion who had such great faith that Jesus was amazed. What was it about this man that made Jesus stop and marvel? What are the attributes found in the centurion's life that we can seek to emulate?
Great Generosity
Great Generosity
With the financial uncertainty many are facing these days, truly generous people seem to be harder and harder to find. The philosophy of the world has always been, "Look out for Number One," meaning one's self. Those whose focus is on their own personal needs cannot focus on the needs of others. But It is possible to be generous out of selfish motives.
One Sunday a pastor told his congregation that the church needed some extra money and asked the people to prayerfully consider giving a little extra in the offering plate. He said that whoever gave the most would be able to pick out three hymns. After the offering plates were passed, the pastor glanced down and noticed that someone had placed a $1,000 bill in the offering. He was so excited that he immediately shared his joy with his congregation and said he'd like to personally thank the person who placed the money in the plate.
A very quiet, elderly, saintly lady all the way in the back shyly raised her hand. The pastor asked her to come to the front. Slowly she made her way to the pastor. He told her how wonderful it was that she gave so much and in thanksgiving asked her to pick out three hymns. Her eyes brightened as she looked over the congregation, pointed to the three handsomest men in the building and said, "I'll take him and him and him."
Those who will reach out in generosity to others, out of a heart of love, will find great blessing as a by-product. In other words, the greatest blessing comes not from seeking a blessing, but rather from being a blessing.
Shortly after World War Il came to a close, Europe began picking up the pieces. Much of the Old Country had been ravaged by war and was in ruins. Perhaps the saddest sight of all was that of little orphaned children starving in the streets of those war-torn cities.
Early one chilly morning an American soldier was making his way back to the barracks in London. As he turned the corner in his jeep, he spotted a little lad with his nose pressed to the window of a pastry shop. Inside the cook was kneading dough for a fresh batch of doughnuts. The hungry boy stared in silence, watching every move. The soldier pulled his jeep to the curb, stopped, got out and walked quietly over to where the little fellow was standing.
Through the steamed-up window he could see the mouthwatering morsels as they were being pulled from the oven, piping hot. The boy salivated and released a slight groan as he watched the cook place them onto the glass-enclosed counter ever so carefully. The soldier's heart went out to the nameless orphan as he stood beside him. "Son.. .would you like some of those?" The boy was startled. "Oh, yeah.. .1 would!" The American stepped inside and bought a dozen, put them in a bag, and walked back to where the lad was standing in the foggy cold of the London morning. He smiled, held out the bag, and said simply: "Here you are."
As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug on his coat. He looked back and heard the child ask quietly: "Mister ...are you God?" We are never more like God than when we give. "God so loved the world, that he gave... " (from Improving Your Serve by Charles R. Swindoll).
So, how was this Roman Centurion generous?
Generosity to His Servant
Generosity to His Servant
And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.
Although the centurion was a Roman, he was willing to humble himself to go to the Jews in order to get to Jesus.
We see in this passage that the servant was dear to his master the centurion. Even though the social status of the centurion was far above that of the servant, he still cared deeply for his servant. God's Word tells us to love the lowly and even the unlovely.
We too should never seen status when looking at those in need. We may not speak it but by our actions in how we treat others, we act as if someone is beneath us. We see this kind of thing all the time in our world. But God calls the Christian to be different and to care for the weak and less fortunate than ourselves.
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
The Lord is always pleased when we reach out to help someone in need. When was the last time you went out of your way to express concern for someone who is not as financially or emotionally secure as you are? It is a challenge to believers today to allow people to be dear unto us who might be from a lower-income part of town, or in a hospital or convalescent home.
We also see a tremendous lesson here for those who have others who help them. It is very easy to take for granted the support of those around us. Sometimes, as parents or employers, we cease to realize all that those who are under us do to help us. The centurion was obviously acutely aware of the value of his servant, and as a kind boss, he did everything he could to care for this man under his authority. Have you ever invested so much in simply caring for someone under you?
Generosity of the Jews
Generosity of the Jews
For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.
far from resenting the centurion's authority over them, the Jews rather paid tribute to his generosity. This centurion showed love both corporately (to the group) and individually. We see the centurion was the type of man who loved his neighbors even though they were not like him or of the same religion. It is amazing to think that this man was willing to build a synagogue for the people who under him. He could have taken the attitude that he owed them nothing; but instead of forcing the Jews to serve him, he took the initiative to serve them.
In both of these instances—in his generosity to his servant and his generosity to the Jews—the centurion was willing to serve. Biblical compassion is not a feeling, but rather an action. Many claim to have compassion on the lost or on those around them, but it is obvious who truly does: they are willing to sacrifice their own pleasure for the sake of doing something to show someone else that they care.
Great Humility
Great Humility
One of the single most important principles for the Christian to learn is that God is always pleased with humility.
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
The centurion was aware of this truth. He did not come to Jesus and demand His assistance on the grounds of his personal or official authority; he instead acted with extreme humility, as a servant instead of a master.
Civil War General George McClellan was put in charge of the great Army of the Potomac, primarily because public opinion was on his side. He enjoyed being told he was a "Young Napoleon." However, history records that his efforts were less than sensational and he was not a great military leader.
One evening President Abraham Lincoln and two of his staff members went to visit McClellan at his home. McClellan was at a wedding. One hour later McClellan appeared and did not even pay attention to the three men awaiting his return.
Later, a servant reported back to the waiting party that McClellan had gone to bed! The President's associates were enraged, but Lincoln merely got up and led the way home. "This is not the time to be making points of etiquette and personal dignity," the President explained. "I would hold McClellan's horse if he will only bring us success."
“The fellow who blows his horn the loudest is usually in the biggest fog.” - Mark Twain
Not Worthy to Come to Jesus
Not Worthy to Come to Jesus
And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.
Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
The centurion knew that Jesus had the answers to his worries. We need to realize that Christ had the answers then and He still has the answers now. We see here that the centurion "beseeched" Jesus to come and heal his servant. Beseech means "desire, entreat, pray." This centurion was literally begging Christ to heal his servant.
It is also interesting to note that this man, in his humility, did not even go to the Master himself because he did not feel worthy to come into His presence with such a request. Believers today need to realize the truth that we, of ourselves, are not worthy to come before God. We often speak of Christ's command for us to come boldly before Him, but we must be careful to not forget our own wretchedness before Christ washed us. Yes, we may come boldly, but at the same time we come badly in need of His mercy and grace.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Not Worthy for Jesus to come to Him
Not Worthy for Jesus to come to Him
Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:
Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
The Lord decided to go the centurion's house to heal the servant. There are three truths of which we should be aware:
l . The centurion's recognition that Jesus had the ability to heal his servant
2. The centurion's realization that the Lord did not need to be physically present to perform His miraculous workings
3. The centurion's regard of his own unworthiness
These three principles all apply to believers today. We must understand that the Lord can do whatever needs to be done, that we need to submit to His methodology and His schedule.
It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
We must never assume that we deserve any of His blessings.
Great Faith
Great Faith
God makes it clear: He requires faith; He is pleased by faith, and He blesses faith. Time after time throughout Scripture, we see people who were willing to walk by faith. Read through Hebrews chapter 11, which has been called the "Hall of Faith."
But What is faith?
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The writer of Hebrews begins to "call the roll" and describe their deeds of faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and the list goes on. Through the examples in this chapter, we see that faith is much more than belief: it is taking action based upon that belief.
In the Christian life, there are really only two choices as to how we are going to live: we can walk by faith, or we can walk by sight. Abraham walked by faith; Jacob and Lot often walked by sight. We cannot ever please God unless we are living by faith.
(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
Without faith, in fact, it is impossible to please God. Faith in God is absolutely necessary as a foundation in our day-to-day relationship with Him.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Everyone knows how to have faith. We do it all the time in countless ways. When I get in a car and turn the ignition I have faith that my car will start. When I pick up a pen and press it down on a sheet of paper, I'm exercising faith in the ability of that pen to write. When I sit down to eat and put my wife's cooking into my mouth I am exercising faith that my wife hasn't poisoned the food. Day by day, in countless ways we exercise faith in the people or things around us. Likewise, when Jesus asks us to have faith in Him, He is only asking us to do what is natural for us to do.—Bill Gordon
Great Faith Shown
Great Faith Shown
Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
It is such a blessing to see that the centurion believed in the power of the spoken Word of God. We are reminded that God spoke the very universe and everything in it into existence in Genesis
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
God’s Word spoken then had great power. We should have this same belief in the written Word, for it has the same power.
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Great Faith Seen
Great Faith Seen
When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
The centurion stands as a bright and shining light here in Luke 7. Jesus recognized the great faith of this man, and as He called attention to this faith, all who were there came to recognize it as well. As we live by faith, God will use us to have an impact on the lives of others. As the centurion did so many centuries ago, believers today need to put their faith in Christ alone to meet all of their needs. The psalmist said in Psalm 20:7, "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God." As Jesus asked His disciples in Luke 8:25, so He asks us today, "Where is your faith?"
Conclusion
Conclusion
More than ever before, we need people today who will show the world a spirit of generosity, a life of humility, and a walk of faith. Do you want to be different for Christ? Here is a good start! There is no doubt that these attributes will bring amazement to a world that is often selfish, proud, and dependent upon sight. But more than that to Christ these attributes brought a amazement to Him from this man.
So, be different for Christ. Don’t be different for the worlds sake, although they will notice, be different because you love God and want to please Him. And along the way others may.