Humble Faith (3)
Power over Illness and Death
Big Idea Jesus has unique authority to heal, which extends even to raising the dead.
Diseases had to obey Jesus the way soldiers obeyed the centurion!
In Nazareth, Jesus marveled at unbelief (Mark 6:6); in Capernaum, He marveled at great faith (v. 9; see Matt. 15:28)
This Gentile soldier, who did not have all the spiritual privileges of the Jews, is a rebuke to our own small faith.
faith
■ noun
1 complete trust or confidence.
Luke often likes to balance male and female in the stories he tells. This section also brings together two stories in which Jesus responds to the needs of first a man and then a woman, each facing the loss of a loved one.
A centurion was part of the Roman military and supervised about one hundred soldiers. During this time period in Galilee, the centurion whose servant Jesus healed was probably in the service of the tetrarch of Galilee, Herod Antipas. This portrait of a centurion is from a second-century AD grave monument.
Key Themes of Luke 7:1–17
■ Jesus can heal by the power of a word alone.
■ He heals in response to faith.
■ The faith of a Gentile officer is greater than any within Israel.
■ One of the two “patients” in these stories is close to death, the other has just died; even death is subject to Jesus’s authority.
■ Jesus is motivated by compassion.
■ People recognize a divine dimension to his healing power.
A personal approach to Jesus would not in itself be improper, but the centurion is sensitive to the social dynamics of such a cross-cultural appeal and decides to “play it safe” by using Jewish intermediaries. Matthew, by ignoring the Jewish envoys, emphasizes the cultural confrontation.
the first focusing on the faith of a non-Israelite
A central theme of Luke-Acts is God’s love for all the lost, whether sinner, tax-collector, Samaritan, or Gentile.
social and religious dynamics of this encounter
What implications does this have for those Gentiles who are most responsive to the gospel?
The centurion had complete faith in Jesus’ power and his faith could provide the channel for the healing of his servant.
The centurion’s faith is simple but not simplistic. The centurion understands that all authority comes ultimately from God. With his military background he is familiar with a chain of command. Orders are received and then channeled to others, peers and subordinates alike. The centurion realizes that God’s own power resides in Jesus, and he suggests that this power could flow through his own faith to heal his faithful servant. The centurion is a model for all of us. He wants to be a channel, open at both ends—open to receive power from God and eager to let that power flow out to others.
The healing that Jesus performs in this instance can be explained logically by modern researchers. Their studies indicate, for example, that witch doctors do actually have the power to kill simply by means of suggestion. If the object of a hex attributes supernatural powers to the witch doctor, then the hex or curse is taken very seriously and his body begins to deteriorate. On the other hand, positive encouragement from a physician in whom we have put our faith can reverse disease and enable the healing process. The centurion had complete faith in Jesus’ power and his faith could provide the channel for the healing of his servant. We Christians ought not to be surprised by Jesus’ healing powers, then or now. We also have His promise that the things that He does, we shall do also (John 14:12). We need to receive that mysterious healing power in order to transmit it to those around us who are suffering physical or mental illness.