Luke 7:4-7, 9
“And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.’ And Jesus went with them. 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. Therefore, I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.’ (4-7)
When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’”(9)
This story illustrates the difference between faith and works. Let’s build it out. The characters in this story are 1) the Roman centurion and his servant, 2) the Jewish elders, and 3) Jesus.
The first thing that should leap off the page for us is the oddity of the partnership between the elders of the Jews and the Roman centurion. Typically, the conquered have a strained relationship with their conqueror. But, the oddness of this relationship is elevated because of the religious distinctions between Romans and Jews. Yet both considerations are apparently overlooked by the elders of the Jews, who deemed him worthy because “he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” The elders deemed him worthy of Jesus’ attention because he did something significant for them. In other words, he earned it.
Contrast that with the centurion’s thoughts. “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.”
The elders and the centurion saw the need in the same way. Their starting point was the same. Their path to the request was different. The elders said he deserved Jesus’ help. The centurion said he was not worthy to be in Jesus’ presence. He also added that he knew Jesus could heal his servant from afar. While it may not be obvious at the first reading, Jesus viewed these additional words as a demonstration of the centurion’s faith. So much so that Jesus said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
Luke concludes his telling of this story with these words: “And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well” (7:10). Matthew provides a more detailed conclusion, emphasizing the centurion’s faith: “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” (Matthew 8:13).
In summary, we see two approaches to Jesus: 1) works-based, and 2) faith-based. Note that it was the latter that caused Jesus to marvel and remark that he had not seen such faith in all of Israel (Luke 7:9 and Matthew 8:10).
I think we, too, can cause Jesus to marvel when we stop looking at our perceived accomplishments, and focus on him. What can I offer Jesus but a broken and contrite heart full of faith?
Father, help me have a genuine, humble faith similar to the centurion’s. Amen.