Do As the Roman Does

Luke 7:1-10

What a powerful story of faith this is. This is the first account so far in the book of Luke where Jesus has dealt with a Gentile. And that, in part, is what makes this story so amazing.

The man was a Roman officer, a centurion. He'd heard of Jesus' amazing miracles and because of his love for his servant, sent for Jesus. This man, who did not believe in God, believed that Jesus could command healing. And on top of that, he believed Jesus could do it without even being present. As a Roman centurion, he understood authority and saw that Jesus had it. And, he realized that Jesus' authority was much greater than his own. This faith amazed Jesus. People, his own disciples included, saw him heal and still didn't believe he was the Son of God. But this man had such faith in Jesus' healing power and authority and he wasn't even a Jew. And Jesus did a miraculous work of healing, like he so often did and still does today.

This story makes me think about faith and its power, about our belief in the authority of Jesus as the Lord of all creation. How often do I doubt God's authority in my life? How often do I think I need to do things on my own, or make a decision out of my own interests because I lack the faith to trust that God is holding me?

When I look at this story more closely, I find an interesting insight. The centurion's faith in Jesus' healing power comes out of desperation, and that desperation comes out of love. His love and care for his servant causes his need for healing; his hopeless situation drives him to have faith in the only option left to him: a miracle from the one they're calling "the Son of God." And he has no choice but to have faith.

I know that in my life, I tend to have stronger faith when I am desperate and hopeless. When I feel the need for Jesus is when I give my life up to his power and authority. It's when things are fine and dandy that I struggle to have that powerful faith that submits to Jesus' authority, because I feel like I'm doing just fine on my own. Maybe you're the opposite, and your faith is strong in good times and you fail to cry out to God when times are tough. Whatever your faith looks like, we all struggle at times to recognize the complete authority of Christ. But when we do recognize it, the pressure comes off of us to always know what to do, to be perfect, to make the right decision. When we put our full faith in the power of Jesus, no matter the circumstance, he will always guide us through.

Reflect:
1. What are the ebb and flow patterns of faith in your life? Does your faith grow stronger in times of desperation or do you rely more on yourself or others during those times?
2. How can you give your life up to the power and authority of Jesus on a daily basis? Pray and ask God for this.

Faith

Several years ago I became very ill. It significantly impacts my life and that of my loving family.



Shortly after the onset, a well intentioned acquaintance, seeing my distress, attempted to give me advice on how to solve my situation. He said, “You would be healed if you had more faith.” [Yes, that really was his quote. Not gifted with a silver tongue, he simply was trying to be helpful.]

Today’s reading is Matthew 8:8-13. A Roman Centurion requested that Jesus heal his servant, and Jesus did. The centurion demonstrated his faith by saying, “just say the word and my servant will be healed.”

Jesus healed the servant and commented, “I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”

The centurion, a gentile who knew it was not proper for a Jew to come to his house, knew Jesus could heal his servant without actually visiting the servant. The centurion had great faith.

 

The centurion apparently had a good life, perhaps a great life. He commanded one hundred men. He was wealthy.

 

Many of our lives are not like the centurion. We have challenges in life. Some of us have major struggles. Suggesting that having more faith will remove our challenges misses the point of faith. In fact, it even hints that we are more in control of our life than God is; that somehow if we grow our faith we will get what we want.

 

Faith begins with believing that Jesus died for our sins so that we will have everlasting life.

 

The story continues, however.

 

Having faith means taking action. Yes, we are free to better our situation, but that is not necessarily the action that is meant. Faith should motivate us to love others and to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.

 

Sometimes we are so hurt that we are incapable of taking action. In these cases it takes faith to accept help from other Christians who can care for us.

 

Faith is living our lives as Jesus intended.