Sermon Tone Analysis

We know what the kingdom is about.

We know what the kingdom people will look like.

People marked by humility and a need for the Lord

People who love their enemies.

Who do not judge and condemn but rather are generous and forgive.

People who live lives of integrity

People who live in obedience the Christ.

There is a patter that continues here of Jesus teaching and then his authority being displayed.

It happened previously in chapter 4 and now again in chapters 6 and following.

Luke, Vol.

1—That You May Know the Truth (Chapter 31: Viewing Faith)

Professional mountain climber Royal Robbins, writing for Sports Illustrated, described the one great essential of the sport.

It is not physical strength or having the safest and best equipment, or even proper training, but the ability to see things as they really are.

Robbins writes: If we are keenly alert and aware of the rock and what we are doing on it, if we are honest with ourselves and our capabilities and weaknesses, if we avoid committing ourselves beyond what we know is safe, then we will climb safely.

For climbing is an exercise in reality.

He who sees it clearly is on safe ground, regardless of his experience or skill.

But he who sees reality as he would like it to be, may have his illusions rudely stripped from his eyes when the ground comes up fast.

Robbins gives a wonderful expression of a crucial life principle.

Wise people resist seeing life as they would like to see it.

They are honest with themselves regarding their capabilities and weaknesses.

This universal principle applies to every area of life.

But nowhere is it more essential than in matters of faith, because real faith is an exercise in reality.

Real faith brings right perspective about ourselves and the world around us.

In approaching Jesus, we must be humble in our faith, not thinking we deserve anything.

But rather thankful for all that we have been given because of His grace.

The centurion and his servant.

As we pick up here in chapter 7, we see Jesus on the move again, but headed to a familiar place.

Jesus returns to Capernaum.

It was here in chapter 4 that Jesus had healed a man with an unclean demon and then went to Simon’s house, healed his mother in-law and any who were brought to him.

The people of the town are certainly familiar with Jesus.

Verse 2 introduces us to a couple of new characters.

A centurion, and his servant.

We don’t know who this man was specifically, no name is given all we know is his title and what we are told about his character.

The centurion was likely a gentile.

He may have been a Roman citizen, but was surely under King Herod’s authority.

A centurion commanded a hundred men or less; a cohort had six centuries, and a legion ten cohorts.

So a legion would consist of approximately 6000 men.

If you think of our current military structure, we have squads of around 10 men led by a staff sergeant, a platoon is made up of 2-4 squads lead by a LT. , a company is made up of 3-4 platoons led by a captain , a battalion is 4-6 companies led by a LT colonel, a brigade is 2-5 battalions led by a Colonel.

In our terms, this man would have been similar to a captain.

One significant note, every time we see one of these men mentioned in the NT, they are all mentioned in a honorable manner.

The ancient Greek historian Polybius states that the best men were selected for this position.

Polybius says "that the centurions were chosen by merit, and so were men remarkable not so much for their daring courage as for their deliberation, constancy, and strength of mind."

Another translation says “They wish centurions not so much to be venturesome and daredevil as natural leaders, of a steady and sedate spirit.

They do not desire them so much to be men who will initiate attacks and open the battle, but men who will hold their ground when worsted and hard pressed and be ready to die at their posts”

They were in their positions because of their character and accomplishments.

The centurion, who as a military man would be among the wealthy in the society, has come to appreciate what Jesus has been doing.

This man specifically, as we see in 3-5 appears to be an honorable both in is position as a commander and in relation to the local people, perhaps even a God fearing man.

The Romans did though have a view of religion in general being a positive force in the empire, so long as it did not interfere with their goals.

The task - seeking Jesus.

The Jewish leaders came to Jesus and said.

The reason these men were going to Jesus on the centurions behalf, we have to jump back to verse 2.

The servant was essentially a slave.

I am sure many of us know of examples of good and bad slave owners.

A poor slave owner would have thought, this servant is expendable, I can replace him.

This centurion however, cared for this servant who was highly valued to him.

It was more than a value sum of money, or what duties the servant could perform.

The word caries the meaning of precious, valuable.

This man cared for his servants, another statement towards his character.

The servant the text says was sick and at the point of death.

Literally on his death bed.

The servants state brings a reminder of our mortality.

Sooner or later, all people will face the reality of death, because we are all under the penalty of sin.

One day we are going to die, and unless there is some way for us to gain life after death, we will suffer without God for all eternity.

It is something most people try to avoid thinking about, but can never escape entirely: the unavoidable reality that someday they will have to die.

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Death, Unbeliever’s Response to)

“It’s not that I’m afraid to die.

I just don’t want to be there when it happens” (Woody Allen).

Director and comedian

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Death, Unbeliever’s Response to)

A missionary told an old Indian chief about Jesus Christ, describing him as God’s only way to heaven.

“The Jesus road is a good road,” the aged chief agreed.

“But I have followed the Indian road all my life, and I cannot change now.”

A year later, he lay in his hut, deathly sick.

The missionary hurried to his side and once more told him of Christ.

“Can I turn to Jesus now?” the dying chief asked.

“My own road stops here.

It has no way through the valley!”

Every road that a man walks in life ends at the grave.

The roads of religion, fame, wealth, and success can never take you through the valley of the shadow of death.

Only Christ can do that!

And he will if you will but trust him.

The state of this servant was grim, it serves to remind us of our own state, our own need for Jesus to come.

This is a situation that we all encounter.

We encounter it medically when the doctors say there is nothing else they can do for one of our family members.

We encounter it relationally when we do not know how to bring people together.

We encounter it financially when someone close to us is deep in debt.

We encounter it spiritually when we share the gospel and people still do not want to know Jesus.

What do you do when there is nothing else that you can do to help the people you love?

The situation may not be exactly the same for each of us , but we all are spiritually on our deaths bed.

In need of a savior.

People in the world around us also are desperately sick.

In need of someone to fetch Jesus for them.

In essence, that is what we do when we share the love of Jesus with them.

We bring Jesus to the broken, to the hurting, to those who are spiritually dead.

A humble faith.

Back to our text, another significant note, especially considering Jesus statement at the end of this section is that this is the first encounter with gentile in the book of Luke.

Which gives us a better understanding as to why it is the Jewish leaders coming to Jesus rather than the centurion himself.

The servant is also appears to be so sick that he cannot be brought to Jesus.

One point of contention we must address here is with the parallel in Matthew.

Matthew seems to present the centurion as the one who seeks the help of Jesus (Matt.