Humble Faith (3)

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Luke 7:1–17 ESV
After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
Luke
Luke 7:1–10 ESV
After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.
Luke Luke 7:1–17: Power over Illness and Death

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.

The easy and typical way to do things when we are treated unfairly is to get even, that’s our flesh talking but the Centurion was responding in a different way. He loved the Jews, actually he built a Synagogue for the Jews and he trusted in Jesus.
His life experiences made him humble in the face of the true authority he recognized in Jesus. For this reason his faith was simply marvelous.
His life experiences made him humble in the face of the true authority he recognized in Jesus. For this reason his faith was simply marvelous.
O God, make us humble in our faith. Help us to make you work in our world even if we don;t see you. Give us confidence that You make all things whole. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.
HUMILTY SETS THE STAGE FOR GREAT FAITH.
Q1. Why is humilty a great precursor or element in faith?
Q2. How common is humility among people you know or the voices you hear from media or in the entertainment or sports world?
Q3. How common is faith in this group?
Q4. When we see humble faith around us, how do we react?
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
What steps do we take to increse our faith in God before we see Him act?
Hebrews 11:1 NASB95
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
heb

faith

■ noun

1 complete trust or confidence.

I. The Centurion’s Request vv.1-5
II. The Centurion’s Protest vv.6-8
III. The Centurion’s Faith was Impressive vv.9-10
I. Humble Faith Request vv.1-5
II. Humble Faith Objects vv.6-8
III. Humble Faith Becomes Impressive vv.9-10
Luke The Text in Context

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.

Luke Historical and Cultural Background

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.

Luke Historical and Cultural Background

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.

Luke Interpretive Insights

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.

Luke Teaching the Text

the first focusing on the faith of a non-Israelite

Luke Teaching the Text

A central theme of Luke-Acts is God’s love for all the lost, whether sinner, tax-collector, Samaritan, or Gentile.

Luke Teaching the Text

social and religious dynamics of this encounter

Luke Teaching the Text

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.

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