The Centurion's Faith
Sometimes I have listened to people talking about prayer, and just wished at times I could be a little more confident in my prayers... I believe that God has incredible power to change me, to change others and to change the world. I believe firmly in the bible verse that says, ‘With God all things are possible.’ (Matt.19:26).
However there are times when I suppose human frailties creep in and even though I regularly say in my prayers, ‘your will be done Lord’, I sometimes worry !
Sometimes heading into the unknown causes that feeling – not knowing the future can lead to doubts and fears. But the reality is that God is with us always and though sometimes we may worry or think we need to take matters into our own hands – trusting God is the safer option !
This week Helen and I went to visit our niece in University in Leicester. There, she took us to see the paternoster lift – I’d never heard of this but it is actually a continuously moving open fronted lift on which you kind of step on and off and if you go to the very top floor the lift goes over the top in darkness on a big wheel and you go down again. It’s quite a strange feeling and can be a little unnerving. I did worry when I heard the name of the lift – Paternoster meaning ‘Our Father’ – I was rather concerned that people had to resort to prayer for safety, but actually they are called that simply because they go around in a loop and are thought to be similar to rosary beads !
Anyway much like in the lift, there are times in our lives when all we can do is trust God to take us on a journey, even if it involves travelling through darkness, because if we trust him, we can be confident he will guide us in the right path. In the gospel today (Luke 7:1-10) we hear one of the most incredible stories of faith possible – the story of the centurion who asked Jesus to heal his slave.
There are a number of interesting things about this account. The first is that the Centurion was genuinely concerned for his slave. There were plenty more of them around and slaves were often treated simply as commodities, but here there was real compassion. Secondly not only was the centurion concerned for his slave, but some of the Jewish elders were also prepared to commend the centurion to Jesus – and this was certainly not something that happened often – a centurion who loved the Jewish people and who built their synagogue. He clearly respected them and they respected him.
In these two things alone, we can think of different lessons to be learnt. Maybe it is that just as the centurion cared for and respected his slave, so we are to care for and respect others, whoever they may be. It’s a very simple and obvious Christian principle, but one we often find more difficult to put into practice. Which one of us has made a judgement about someone just by how they look, which one of us has made assumptions about a person that turn out to be completely wrong ? Jesus never made judgements about groups of people, he never stereo-typed them. He looked at individuals. He looked at all kinds of people, some considered outcasts by society, and he saw in them the image of God. How much better the world might be if we could all do that perfectly… And then there was the fact that the centurion had helped the Jews build their synagogue. Here he had done something for people when he didn’t need to. He had gone that extra mile in helping them. We are told that he even loved the Jewish people. And again we return to that point of seeing people as people – individuals created in the image of God… And though there would have been some, no doubt, who didn’t want the help of a centurion, he helped them all by building their synagogue – he didn’t just do it for those who liked him. And it’s a reminder to us that when we do right, we do it simply because it is right, not for a reward or for acknowledgement.
Doing right is always the right thing. Acting with love and compassion is always the right thing. But these two lessons, whilst incredibly important, are not the most important part of this reading. What is most important of all is not that the centurion wanted to help his slave, or that he had helped the Jewish people before, or that they cared for him – what is most important is that the centurion knew where to look for help. He knew to look to Jesus. And he did it with incredible humility for a man who, as he said himself, was used to giving orders which would be obeyed. In this case though he didn’t even think himself worthy of having Jesus come under his roof. He didn’t really even consider himself worthy of approaching Jesus himself.
But he knew, not thought or hoped, but knew, that Jesus could heal his slave. And we are told that Jesus was amazed when he heard the thoughts of the centurion – only twice are we told of Jesus being amazed. Once was at the unbelief of the people in Nazareth (Mark 6:6), and this time as he was amazed at the faith of the centurion. It is perhaps no coincidence that in Nazareth he spoke of the religious people there not having faith, and here he spoke of a man who would have been expected to only have faith in the Roman gods and emperors. It was the least expected one that had the faith – and we are challenged to consider who are the least expected that we know of – those who will surprise us with an act of faith or kindness…
What the centurion did was trust in the power of Jesus to heal, whilst recognising his own weakness. And as Jesus was amazed at that display of faith the slave was healed. When we trust in God completely; When we seek his guidance and follow it; when we get into a situation where we don’t know where to turn or what to do and hand it all over to God, then we will be amazed at what he can do for us and sometimes through us. With God all things are possible – may we live our lives recognising that fact, trusting in his power and confident in his saving grace, mercy and love always. AMEN
Sometimes heading into the unknown causes that feeling – not knowing the future can lead to doubts and fears. But the reality is that God is with us always and though sometimes we may worry or think we need to take matters into our own hands – trusting God is the safer option !
This week Helen and I went to visit our niece in University in Leicester. There, she took us to see the paternoster lift – I’d never heard of this but it is actually a continuously moving open fronted lift on which you kind of step on and off and if you go to the very top floor the lift goes over the top in darkness on a big wheel and you go down again. It’s quite a strange feeling and can be a little unnerving. I did worry when I heard the name of the lift – Paternoster meaning ‘Our Father’ – I was rather concerned that people had to resort to prayer for safety, but actually they are called that simply because they go around in a loop and are thought to be similar to rosary beads !
Anyway much like in the lift, there are times in our lives when all we can do is trust God to take us on a journey, even if it involves travelling through darkness, because if we trust him, we can be confident he will guide us in the right path. In the gospel today (Luke 7:1-10) we hear one of the most incredible stories of faith possible – the story of the centurion who asked Jesus to heal his slave.
There are a number of interesting things about this account. The first is that the Centurion was genuinely concerned for his slave. There were plenty more of them around and slaves were often treated simply as commodities, but here there was real compassion. Secondly not only was the centurion concerned for his slave, but some of the Jewish elders were also prepared to commend the centurion to Jesus – and this was certainly not something that happened often – a centurion who loved the Jewish people and who built their synagogue. He clearly respected them and they respected him.
In these two things alone, we can think of different lessons to be learnt. Maybe it is that just as the centurion cared for and respected his slave, so we are to care for and respect others, whoever they may be. It’s a very simple and obvious Christian principle, but one we often find more difficult to put into practice. Which one of us has made a judgement about someone just by how they look, which one of us has made assumptions about a person that turn out to be completely wrong ? Jesus never made judgements about groups of people, he never stereo-typed them. He looked at individuals. He looked at all kinds of people, some considered outcasts by society, and he saw in them the image of God. How much better the world might be if we could all do that perfectly… And then there was the fact that the centurion had helped the Jews build their synagogue. Here he had done something for people when he didn’t need to. He had gone that extra mile in helping them. We are told that he even loved the Jewish people. And again we return to that point of seeing people as people – individuals created in the image of God… And though there would have been some, no doubt, who didn’t want the help of a centurion, he helped them all by building their synagogue – he didn’t just do it for those who liked him. And it’s a reminder to us that when we do right, we do it simply because it is right, not for a reward or for acknowledgement.
Doing right is always the right thing. Acting with love and compassion is always the right thing. But these two lessons, whilst incredibly important, are not the most important part of this reading. What is most important of all is not that the centurion wanted to help his slave, or that he had helped the Jewish people before, or that they cared for him – what is most important is that the centurion knew where to look for help. He knew to look to Jesus. And he did it with incredible humility for a man who, as he said himself, was used to giving orders which would be obeyed. In this case though he didn’t even think himself worthy of having Jesus come under his roof. He didn’t really even consider himself worthy of approaching Jesus himself.
But he knew, not thought or hoped, but knew, that Jesus could heal his slave. And we are told that Jesus was amazed when he heard the thoughts of the centurion – only twice are we told of Jesus being amazed. Once was at the unbelief of the people in Nazareth (Mark 6:6), and this time as he was amazed at the faith of the centurion. It is perhaps no coincidence that in Nazareth he spoke of the religious people there not having faith, and here he spoke of a man who would have been expected to only have faith in the Roman gods and emperors. It was the least expected one that had the faith – and we are challenged to consider who are the least expected that we know of – those who will surprise us with an act of faith or kindness…
What the centurion did was trust in the power of Jesus to heal, whilst recognising his own weakness. And as Jesus was amazed at that display of faith the slave was healed. When we trust in God completely; When we seek his guidance and follow it; when we get into a situation where we don’t know where to turn or what to do and hand it all over to God, then we will be amazed at what he can do for us and sometimes through us. With God all things are possible – may we live our lives recognising that fact, trusting in his power and confident in his saving grace, mercy and love always. AMEN
Comments