26 January 2014
Text: Matt 8:1-13 (2 Kings 5:1-15, Rom 12:16-21)
In the name of +
Jesus. Amen.
“Truly,
I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith,” said our Lord Jesus
Christ, “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table
with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the
kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness.”
Jesus
made this remarkable observation about a centurion, a captain in the Roman
army. This man is not a son of
Israel. He has no reason to believe
God’s Word. He doesn’t even believe in
his own worthiness for Jesus to come under his roof. And in spite of all of these liabilities, he
comes with faith, a faith in Christ that trumps everything else.
The
centurion believes in the power of our Lord to affect a cure for his
servant. He believes, and He doesn’t even
have the benefit of a sign. Unlike the
leper whom Jesus made clean, the centurion does not see and feel the laying on
of hands. He has no reason to get
involved with the priests and the sacrifices like the children of Israel. He knows that Jews (like Jesus) made it a
practice not to come under the roofs of gentiles. And yet, the centurion still believes. He has faith in the power of Jesus in spite
of all that could have driven him to despair.
The
centurion may not understand the creation of the world or the giving of the law
to Moses, the prophecies of a Savior of the world, or even how the forgiveness
of sin works. He may know nothing about
sacrifices and priests and the Lord’s covenant with Abraham. But the centurion knows one thing: this
Jesus, by merely saying the word, has the power to heal his servant. This Jesus, by having authority to say to say
“go” or “come” or “do this” – even to creation, even to the things that cause
sickness in this world, and even at a long distance away from the servant who
is suffering – the centurion knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus has
the power to heal. And so he asks.
The
centurion knows how authority works. The
emperor commands the general, the general commands the captain, the captain
commands the sergeant, and the sergeant commands the soldier. The centurion is a man under authority, and
he understands that Jesus is too.
Dear
friends, this is a remarkable thing for the centurion to understand. How could he possibly know that Jesus is a
“Man under authority” and yet is a Man who wields authority even over matters
of life and death? For a Man to have
authority over life and death, that Man must also be God. And yet, this Man who is God is also “under
authority.” The soldier sees the two
natures of Christ, that He is divine and in control of all matter, and that He
is a Man and is under the authority of God.
There is something of the Trinity in this man’s faith, and He surrenders
to that mighty power.
This
is why Jesus marvels. Jesus is
pleased. Jesus praises the man’s
faith. And Jesus explains the irony that
not even the children of Israel – who have Moses and the law, who have Elijah
and the prophets, who have the Scriptures and the Messiah Himself – not even
these chosen people, demonstrate this kind of faith.
Jesus
uses this opportunity to explain that the kingdom of God is not limited to
Israel, for indeed, “many will come from east and west” and will have table
fellowship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in heaven. And this is remarkable, for as the gentile centurion
knows, Jews many not enter his home, let alone eat at table with a
gentile. And here, Jesus says the gentiles
from across the globe are invited to the table of the patriarchs and
prophets. Like the Naaman the leper who
was healed by Elisha, and like the leper who was made clean by the Lord Jesus,
even the gentiles, people not given the promise of the Old Covenant, will even be
invited to the table of the eternal banquet with the patriarchs.
Our
Lord is not condemning the children of Israel, but is rather pointing out their
misguided faith. They had faith in
themselves. The centurion has faith in
Jesus. The children of Israel sought
after a sign. The centurion seeks after
Jesus. The children of Israel constantly
tested Jesus. The centurion steadfastly
trusts Jesus: “Only say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
Only
say the Word…
Dear
friends, this is what faith looks like.
The centurion has no power to compel Jesus, but he can ask. He cannot control the power of Jesus, but he
can request with faith and with boldness.
He cannot, by his own strength or worthiness, cure his servant, but he knows
that the mere Word of Jesus has just that kind of power and authority. And the centurion has faith in the Lord’s
mercy to answer this prayer, and to do so without a sign, and without an
explanation.
Dear
friends, this is the faith that saves!
This is the faith that can result in mountains being removed into the
sea! This is the faith that cures the
sick and raises the dead, through which comes the forgiveness of sins and
everlasting life! This is the faith that
is not centered on us or our own power, but rather admits our helplessness and
confesses that all things are under the authority of our all-powerful and
all-merciful Lord.
His
Word is powerful enough to create the universe.
His Word is powerful enough to cure leprosy. His Word is powerful enough to make us worthy
to share a table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. His Word works upon us poor miserable
sinners, we who are unworthy to have Jesus come under our roofs. “But only say the Word,” Lord Jesus, “Only
say the Word and we servants of God will be healed.”
Dear
friends, this is perhaps the most comforting passage in the Scriptures. For here we see the Lord’s mighty power. He stands over all things: sins in need of
forgiveness, sickness in need of healing, death in need of resurrection. We come to Jesus like the centurion, knowing
that whether the Lord says “yes” or “no” to our specific prayer, He has all the
power in the universe to make it happen, and He wants us to have eternal life. There is no higher court of appeals, no-one
with more pull to escalate the matter to.
And even though we are unworthy, if Jesus only says the Word, it will be
so.
And
we know that it is the Lord’s will to heal all men from the wages of sin, from
death and from the power of the devil.
This is the prayer of faith, dear friends, and the centurion’s prayer is
our prayer: “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof, but only
say the word and Your servant will be healed.”
Amen.
In the name of the
Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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