The Soldier who Knew Enough St Mark’s 10.2.19 Luke 7:1-10
Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk4FGEPPkvc
Introduction
Whatever the case today, in the Gospels encounters with Jesus drew out of people extraordinary responses. In last week’s story of the miraculous catch of fish Peter goes from politely calling Jesus “Master”, in the sense of rabbi/teacher (5:5), to addressing him as “Lord” (5:5, 8) and leaving everything behind to follow him (5:11). No discussion, no bargaining, no delay, just submission. This is what it means to encounter God’s power in Christ. Today’s character, the soldier in Luke 7, is one of the most remarkable people in the New Testament. One of the commentators on Luke says, “This centurion seems to know more than he ought” (Green, Luke, p.288). He is a man with a testimony that deeply challenges our understanding of who Christ is and what he can do. When people meet Jesus the boundaries of normality always shift.
Exposition
vv. 1-3 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, Jesus entered Capernaum. 2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.
The sick servant is too ill to be brought to Jesus, but the exceptional esteem he has in his master’s eyes means he must take action. Knowing that meeting Jesus directly, or showing his hospitality in his own home, would violate Jewish laws about contact with gentiles (Gal 2:12), the soldier sends a delegation seeking the Jesus’ help. We know what Christ will do, but the first readers of the Gospel are waiting to see whether the good news in Jesus extends even to the Gentiles.
vv. 4-5 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.”
These Jewish leaders put forward the soldier’s case in a way that is culturally appropriate. It was extraordinary that a gentile should built a synagogue. But in using the ancient world’s language of patrons and clients, donation and obligation their thinking opposes the values of the kingdom of God. Jesus never responded to people on the basis of their “worthiness”. The Jews of Jesus’ day thought that attending worship, reading the scriptures, tithing etc. would mean their prayers would be answered. This contractual view of spirituality has nothing in common with the gracious covenant of the gospel. Believing the lie, “God helps those who help themselves.”, goes a long way to explaining why people’s prayers are not answered today. Notions of “worthiness” block the dynamism we find in Jesus’ ministry expressed in the Gospels from being expressed in our churches.
The Jewish elders “he is worthy” was no different from the gross self-publicising of our day. Drive past the various Jewish institutions around Dianella and you will see them covered with the names of donors. Drive to UWA and you will come across “Forrest Hall”, funded by…Andrew Forrest. We shall soon see the centurion’s public reputation is totally irrelevant to how Jesus will assess his spirituality. Worthiness in the sight of God has nothing to do with how long you have been a member of a church, whether or not you have been included in the Australia Day honours, and I know some people who have, or any other attainment. The kingdom of God directly opposes the values of this world.
v. 6a And Jesus went with them.
We might be surprised that Jesus went with these spiritually ignorant Jewish elders. And for a rabbi to go to a gentile’s house in the religious world of first century Palestine was remarkable. But Jesus is no mere rabbi, he is the King in his kingdom led by the Spirit of God. As the story progresses the surprises accumulate more and more. (This, after all is a story of grace, and grace is always surprising.)
vv. 6 b-7 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. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.
The demeanour of this soldier is so lowly that he has taken an extra step in terms of approaching Jesus. This time he “sent friends” who quote his very words, one’s which give a very different impression from the one conveyed by the Jewish elders. He addresses Jesus as “Lord”, which on his lips it means something much more than “sir”. His disposition, “I am not worthy…I did not presume to come to you” is the exact opposite of how he was talked up by the Jewish elders, “he is worthy”. This man possessed no sense of “self-worth” which he considered would qualify him for divine help. Living in constant distress just seems to be a condition of my call in Christ. It’s to be expected non-Christians will talk up the qualifications and achievements of a speaker, but when this sometimes happens in a Christian gathering the Spirit of Christ is deeply grieved. “Point to Jesus.” is all he says, “Point to Jesus.”.
As in the soldier’s situation, genuine humility always opens the door to a power encounter with God. Remember Hannah mumbling sin prayer so quietly that Eli the priest thought she was drunk, God answered her prayer. Remember the other centurion, Cornelius, in Acts 10. When the apostle Peter arrived at his house he “fell down at this feet” (Acts 10:25), whereupon there was a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. or the 25 year old Evan Roberts crying out on his knees to God, “‘Bend me, bend me!!’ and the Welsh revival broke out and its fire spread around the world. From being in 100’s of prayer meetings over the decades I’ve learned that when people’s voices start to break with the coming of tears the Lord is truly at work. (This started to happen as one person prayed in Alive@5 last week.) Jesus is on the way to heal the servant, when his master says, “But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed.” I find this soldier’s lowliness tremendously likeable. Especially when we recognise it is a gift from God inspired by the presence of Jesus.
Godly humility is not self-deprecation, it’s not putting yourself down. Humility inspired by the greatness of Christ doesn’t end with us cringing before him, it leads to “only say the word” so that there may be healing. Have you ever been in a place where there’s that sort of a spiritual atmosphere…(Acts 4:23-37 etc.). Where? And if not, why not?
This remarkable soldier knows that Jesus can heal by command from a distance. And he has a firm foundation for believing this which can cultivate in us the true humility that believes in the manifest power of God.
v.8 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.”
This is the centre-point of story, when the centurion says something exactly opposite to our natural expectations. He understands the key to his authority is being “a man under authority”. As he submitted to the Empire of Rome and his commands went forth to his soldiers charged with this might, so he recognised in Jesus’ miraculous works someone who was submitted to the supreme authority of God. Sin, sickness and evil spirits submitted to Jesus because he was under the authority of his Father. The centurion understood the dynamics of Lordship. He understood that just as every earthly authority derives from a higher authority Jesus was intimately in touch with the ultimate authority of his Father in heaven (Matt 6:9-10; Rom 13:1).
vv.9-10 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.
The Gentile’s servant was healed, because distance and culture are no obstacle to Jesus power to deliver. That is hardly surprising. What is quite something is that Jesus “marvelled” at the gentile’s faith. Compared to this “outsider” the people of Israel are not the people of faith. In fact, the only other time in the Gospels that Jesus marvelled was in his home town of Nazareth, “Jesus marvelled at their unbelief…And he could do no mighty work there…” (Mark 6:6, 5). Could Jesus be marvelling at the unbelief in the Church today concerning his power as Lord….?
Conclusion
To believe in Jesus as Lord means something like what Dietrich Bonhoeffer described, “Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes.” Believes for what? The centurion believed for his servant’s healing and his petitions were heard. However, we must be careful not to focus on the centurion’s faith but who moved him to have such faith, it is what he discerned about Jesus that created faith in his heart. He understood Jesus was a fully submitted person; but many of our prayers are not answered because whatever we may say with our lips our hearts are not submitted to the Lordship of Christ (Rom 10:9).
The dynamics of humility and submission called forth in this sinful soldier’s life should lead us to the perfection of humility and obedience in the life of Christ on our behalf. They should lead us to believe in the gospel. If this story inspires us, rather than merely fascinating us, it will move us to ask Jesus to bring us more deeply under his authority. And in coming more profoundly under his authority a greater humility will grow in us resulting in real displays of Christ’s power to the glory of God. Is this what we want? Personally, as a community? I want people to be to be able look at us and say, “I see that you are a man/woman/a community under authority….under the authority of Jesus.”