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The Man Who Amazed Jesus
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
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
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
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.
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
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
One of the single most important principles for the Christian to learn is that God is always pleased with humility.
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
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.
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