Centurion Faith

Matthew 8:5-13

“Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.”

In a culture of responsibility, the above statement by our Lord cuts to the fibers of our heart.  But that is not the culture of 2013, which is to blame someone else for my poor performance, my lack of faith, and belief.  So the question must me asked, has this culture invaded the Church? 

Putting the verse above in context, we must look into the Scriptures of this account. The story being told by Matthew is centered on a centurion in Capernaum who came to Jesus with a request; “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.  And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.”  But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

This centurion was the enemy of the Jews, he was there to enforce the laws and wishes of the Roman government, and under his command were about 100 soldiers.  By the laws of the Jews, it was not lawful for a Jew to go to the home of a gentile, but Jesus was willing.  Shall we look at the rest of the story; “But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For, I too am a man 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 this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.”

Many a person who goes by the title Christian is going to miss the mark because they put faith in church membership, their grandmother’s faith, or all their good acts, but Jesus is clear, it is by centurion faith, a person of faith that comes to Christ with a humble spirit, with needs greater than anyone, but needs Jesus to fix their problem.  Learn from verses 11-13, “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. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.”

Jesus is telling us that the kingdom of heaven is open to anyone who places their faith in Him, and that a believing Gentile will be equal to the greatest, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  The sons of the kingdom are Jews who rejected Jesus, and Jesus made clear what is awaiting them.  But to those who have centurion faith; “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice