The Faith Of The Centurion

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

As we continue in Luke’s account of the life of Jesus, Luke 7:1-10 tells of when a Roman Centurion had a valued servant who was sick and about to die.

A Roman Centurion would be a member of Herod’s army in charge of 100 men. He would be honored and respected in the Roman army, but often despised by the Jews. In this case, however, he was admired by the Jews and had friends in High Places. Luke tells us, because the Centurion felt unworthy to approach Jesus himself, he asked some elders of the Jews to go on his behalf to plead with Jesus to come and heal his servant.

This was highly out of the ordinary for a Roman Centurion, a member of the pagan army. Reaching out to a religious man for help, especially a Jewish Rabbi, would be shocking.

Jesus listened to the Jewish Elders and began to make his way to the Centurion’s home. Almost there, a contingent of the Centurion’s friends stopped Jesus and said on behalf of the Centurion:

“Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word and my servant will be healed.”    

- Luke 7:6-7

When Jesus heard this, He was amazed. He looked at the crowd and said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith in Israel.”    

- Luke 7:9

Can you imagine the shockwaves that went through the Jewish people at these words from Jesus. Oh, it had to cut deeply! Jesus declared that a Roman Centurion, an officer of a pagan army, exhibited greater faith in Him than all of the religious people of Israel - the chosen people of God.

Faith in God is not based on religion, but on a relationship with the One we recognize as the ruler of all that is, a deep belief that nothing is impossible for Him.

As the French writer Voltaire said it so well:  

“Faith consists of believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.”

I don’t know what you are up against:

• The loss of a loved one
• A failed relationship
• The loss of a job
• Financial struggles
• Wayward children
• Worry, stress and anxiety

Regardless of what it is, Faith is putting your trust in a God who loves you so much He sent His Only Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin in order to have a relationship with you.

It means we may not know the outcome, but we trust the One who does, that His love for us far outweighs anything and everything we may face in this world.

May we lean on Him, trust in Him and hold tightly to His promises, for God is good and will always be with us, even in the darkest of times, to carry us through to the other side. May we have faith like the Roman Centurion and declare: “God, just say the word and my _________ will be healed.”

Friends, as Lent continues, I pray that whatever you chose to abstain from, fast from or commit to pray about, I pray it has been rewarding for you.

Pastor Ken

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