Servant of the Lord Matthew 8:5-13

Ten days after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, residents of North Platte, Nebraska heard a rumor that soldiers from their town, part of the Nebraska National Guard Company D, would be coming through on a troop train on their way to the West Coast. About five hundred people showed up at the train depot with food, gifts, letters, and love to give the boys.

When the train showed up, it was not the Nebraska National Guard Company D boys on board; it was the soldiers from the Kansas National Guard Company D. The North Platte residents decided to give out their gifts to these soldiers they did not know. It was a spontaneous act of genuine devotion that touched both the soldiers and the people who came to the depot that day.

A few days later, a 26-year-old woman named Rae Wilson wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper recounting the profound experience they’d shared that night. She then suggested the town organize a canteen, so they could do something similar for every troop train that came through. She offered to lead the effort as a volunteer.

For the next four and a half years, the people of North Platte and the surrounding communities met every troop train that came through their town. Every day, they prepared sandwiches, cookies, cold drinks, and hot coffee. They had baskets of magazines and books to give away to the soldiers, and snacks for the train. There were even birthday cakes for anyone having a special day. And they did this, some days, for as many as eight thousand soldiers and sailors.

The statistics are staggering. By the time the last train arrived on April 1, 1946, six million soldiers had been blessed by the North Platte Canteen. Forty-five thousand volunteers had served faithfully until the war was over and most of the troops had been transported home.

-Jesus is the Servant of the Lord

I. The Need for the Servant of the Lord vv. 5-7

When we pick up our passage this morning, Jesus is in Capernaum, in the region of Galilee, continuing His healing ministry

While there, He is met by a Roman Centurion who has a problem that only Jesus can solve

He has a genuine need: His servant is lying at home paralyzed and in terrible pain; there is a physical malady that the best medical wisdom of the day has been unable to address

He has a genuine concern: His servant was likely one of his closest associates

Centurions operated in a middle space: they were socially inferior to the higher level officers, yet they must live above the men they commanded

Further, they were prohibited from taking a wife or having a family during their years of service; this servant likely represented the only family the Centurion had.

There is good news: Jesus is ready and able to meet the need

I think this is noteworthy, with whatever else Jesus had on His agenda, He took the time to meet the need in the life of a Gentile soldier’s servant

God will meet the need in the ailing servant’s life, and He does that by sending His servant into the middle of the situation

Jesus comes as God’s representative, on His behalf, to meet the needs of people; He is ready to heal, but are you ready to seek Him?

II. The Authority of the Servant of the Lord vv. 8-9

We need to pay attention to the Centurion’s response. He clearly understands some things about Jesus’s identity that we can learn from.

First, he recognizes Jesus’s position and power

He makes it clear that he is unworthy to have Jesus enter his home. I don’t think this is false humility, but genuine recognition.

Further, he knows that Jesus does not have to be in the room to heal. Even a word from Jesus will be able to heal the servant

Second, he recognizes the source of Jesus’s authority

He uses an analogy that seems a little confusing: He describes Jesus as a man “under authority” while also demonstrating that Jesus can act “with authority”

But, that is precisely the case: Jesus can act with the authority of the Lord, because He operates under the authority of the Lord

In light of what we see here, we ought to pause and reflect!

First, have I considered the model of Jesus? Am I operating as a servant of the Lord? Am I submitted to His purpose so that I can operate under His power?

Second, have I considered the uniqueness of Jesus? If He is the servant of the Lord, I need to submit to Him completely, recognizing that He is the entry point to the presence and purpose of the Lord. It’s through Him that I become a servant of the Lord.

During the American Revolution a man in civilian clothes rode past a group of soldiers repairing a small defensive barrier. Their leader was shouting instructions, but making no attempt to help them. When the rider asked the corporal why he did not help his men, he retorted with great dignity, “Sir, I am a corporal!” The stranger apologized, dismounted, and proceeded to help the exhausted soldiers. When the job was finished he turned to the corporal and said, “Mr. Corporal, next time you have a job like this and not enough men to do it, go to your commander-in-chief, and I will come and help you again.” It was none other than George Washington.

III. The Invitation of the Servant of the Lord vv. 10-12

Jesus’s response to the Centurion is telling, because it demonstrates that something much deeper is going to take place than a physical healing. This Centurion is going to be welcomed into the Kingdom

Jesus praises the faith of the Centurion

Don’t miss this: Jesus marvels at something, the Centurion’s understanding!

Interestingly, this faith is two-fold. It is a faith that trusts Jesus for His ability to heal the servant

But, it is also a faith that understands Jesus’s identity. The Centurion recognizes who Jesus is and is ready to accept His invitation

Jesus offers hope for the world

Many will come from both East and West and join Abraham’s table

The kingdom is not exclusively Jewish. In fact, Jesus is opening up the table to all of us to come in and join!

Jesus also offers a warning to His listeners

Proximity to the Kingdom and affiliation with the Kingdom is not a certainty of presence within the Kingdom

There are many folks who are near to the Kingdom and they are operating under the assumption that there is a place for them

The problem is that, when we deny the Servant, we miss the Master

The only way to gain access the Kingdom is through Christ

He is the Lord’s Servant, acting and speaking with His authority. When we take hold of Him, we gain eternal life in the Kingdom.

IV. The Power of the Servant v. 13

At the close of this, Jesus does just what the Centurion expected Him to do;

He speaks, recognizing the faith of the servant who made the request

He heals, and the servant is made whole

We must remember that the same Jesus who healed then is able to bring healing now!

He is able to heal our physical, spiritual, and emotional needs

He restores broken relationships

He is able to bring life out of death and make us completely new!

However, we only receive this healing as we place our lives in His hands

Perhaps the line most frequently attributed to Dwight L. Moody (and spoken by his character in the only film on Moody’s life) is the famous quotation: “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man.”

However, I think we forget, that man has already come and He continues to be the Servant of the Lord who completely fulfills God’s purpose. He is inviting us to trust Him and let God work in us through Him.