Jesus Responds to Faith and Needs

Jesus Responds to Faith and Needs

Series: The Gospel Truth

Text: Luke 7:1-17

Introduction: (What?)

When Jesus finished the Sermon on the Plain, He went to His headquarters in Capernaum. After His rejection in His hometown of Nazareth, Capernaum became His base of operations for His Galilean ministry. In the passage we are considering today we find Jesus responding to two people in two different ways. We often try to put Jesus into a “box” and think that He must always act or respond the same way to everyone. The truth is, Jesus, as does His Heavenly Father, deals with individuals, individually.

Examination: (Why?)

1. The Compassionate Centurion

Lk 7:2-5 “A centurion’s servant, who was highly valued by him, was sick and about to die. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, requesting him to come and save the life of his servant. When they reached Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy for you to grant this, because he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.””

After being rejected in His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus moved his base of operations to Capernaum. The Sermon on the Plain took place in the open country outside of the city. Having completed His teaching to the multitude, Jesus then went to His adopted home, and we pick up the story there. In the NT we encounter 3 centurions (commander of 100 soldiers)who give evidence of genuine faith in Jesus. The centurion in Capernaum, the centurion at the crucifixion of Jesus, and Cornelius, the centurion who called for Peter to come to his house. With the exception of Cornelius, we have no evidence that any of them became followers of Jesus although it seems quite plausible.

Most Jews would have written off any centurion as being a pagan outcast, and would have hated them. However, this Roman centurion seemed to have a good relationship with the “Jewish leaders”. Having heard of Jesus’s power over illness and infirmity, when the centurion heard that He was in town, he sent some of the Jewish leaders to Jesus with a request (not a command) for Him to come and save the life of his servant. That idea in itself is worth some unpacking. Normally the relationship of a Roman servant to his master was simply one of master to slave. Evidently in this situation the centurion had a warm spot in his heart for this particular servant. Also, he seemed to recognize that if he showed up personally, his request could have been viewed as a demand. The Jewish leaders vouched for him to Jesus, saying “He is worthy for you to grant this, because he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.”” This was a synagogue where Jesus worshipped and taught when He was in town. We need to recognize that there is the possibility for non-believers to be good people and realize the importance of taking them to Jesus through prayer first and then through sharing with them the Good News. That is what our emphasis for this year is all about. Telling our salvation story to everyone in Lake Placid. Foster friendships with non-believers, and use that bond as a road to sharing the gospel.

2. The Amazing Faith of the Centurion

Lk: 7:6-10 “Jesus went with them, and when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, since I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. That is why I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Jesus heard this and was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Israel.” When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant in good health.”

Without hesitation, Jesus went with the Jewish leaders who were leading the way to the centurion’s house. Evidently someone ran ahead with the news that Jesus was on His way. What happened next gives us a glimpse that the centurion was aware of the fact that he was not worthy to be in the physical presence of Jesus. This is an indication that he is under conviction. He recognizes that he is “poor in spirit”. Most centurions of that day would have considered themselves to be above the people and worthy of their honor and obedience. This man was different. Having heard that Jesus was enroute to his house, he sent some friends with a message. “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, since I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.” Wow! That was not expected. Furthermore, he expressed his faith in Jesus’s power to heal when he said, “That is why I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Two thoughts for us to unpack here. One, evidently the centurion understood that a Jew who came into his house would be considered ceremoniously unclean and unable to worship in the synagogue. He did not want to put Jesus in such a position. Have you ever invited an unsaved friend to church and have them say something like, “When I get my life cleaned up or kick my drug habit, or stop drinking, then I’ll come to church? Many times non-believers have a higher estimation of Jesus than some believers do.

The second thought to unpack is that this man really understood authority. He understood it from two perspectives…he was under authority, and he wielded authority. I think that quite often we don’t fully grasp what Jesus said just before He ascended to the Father. In Matt 28:18-20 “Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” Did you grab that first part? ALL AUTHORITY HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH. When we go to make disciples, to baptize them and to teach them, we are doing it under the delegated authority of the KING of the universe. The centurion got it! He knew that all Jesus had to do is to speak and it would be done.

Jesus was blown away by this expression of faith on the part of the centurion. Notice what He said, “I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Israel.” Luke doesn’t tell us what Jesus said or did after that. He just noted that when the messengers sent by the centurion got back, the servant was in good health. Matthew told the story a bit differently. In his account the centurion himself had come to Jesus who then replied to him “God back home. Because you believe, it has happened.”

3. The Needy Widow

Lk 7:11-17 “Afterward he was on his way to a town called Nain. His disciples and a large crowd were traveling with him. Just as he neared the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the town was also with her. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said, “Don’t weep.” Then he came up and touched the open coffin, and the pallbearers stopped. And he said, “Young man, I tell you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Then fear came over everyone, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people.” This report about him went throughout Judea and all the vicinity.”

After healing the centurion’s servant with only a word or a thought, Jesus proceeded on His way. accompanied by a large crowd, including His disciples. As He was approaching his destination, something caught His eye. A funeral procession was coming out of the gates of the city. This was not uncommon, but something about this particular procession grabbed His attention. He noticed that there was no husband with the grieving woman. Also there were no siblings of the deceased man. His conclusion? This woman was a widow and the deceased was her only son…and only means of support. Consequently she would be destitute and have to depend on the charity of the community (or state) for her support. Without anyone asking Him to do anything Jesus sprang into action. He was motivated purely by His compassion for the woman.

What He did was shocking to those following Him, but perfectly in line with His actions during His entire earthly ministry. He comforted the widow and then completely ignored the expectations of the Jewish culture and…touched an open coffin!!! Horrors! He is now ceremoniously unclean. However, what happened next was totally astounding. The dead man sat up and started talking! In the movie “Faith Like Potatoes” there is an incident recalled by Angus Bunchan. (share story)

Application: (How should I respond to this message?)

Could it be that the reason we are not seeing more people come to Christ is because we don’t have faith like that pagan Roman centurion?

Could it be that we have no compassion for the lost that would motivate us to get out of our comfort zone and do or say something to help meet their need?

What is God prompting you to do today in light of this passage of scripture?