Request your free, three-month trial to Tabletalk magazine. You’ll receive the print issue monthly and gain immediate digital access to decades of archives. This trial is risk-free. No credit card required.
Try Tabletalk NowAlready receive Tabletalk magazine every month?
Verify your email address to gain unlimited access.
Luke 7:1–10
“When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at [the centurion], and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’ And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well” (vv. 9–10).
Both teaching and healing characterized the earthly ministry of Jesus. Luke 6:20–49 gave us a record of a lengthy sermon known as the Sermon on the Plain. In today’s passage, Luke returns to the healing portion of Jesus’ work, telling us about a miracle He did in Capernaum, which served as a home base of sorts for Him during the Galilean phase of His ministry (Matt. 4:13).
A centurion sent some Jews to our Lord to tell Him that the centurion’s servant was ill and near death (Luke 7:1–3). A centurion was a Roman military official who had one hundred troops under his command, so this man was a gentile. He was also a man of some means, for centurions were relatively well paid, and clear evidence of his wealth appears in his having paid for the construction of a synagogue building in Capernaum. The relationship between Jews and the Roman military was often fraught with difficulties because the army could be corrupt, and the Jews resented being under the control of a foreign power. This centurion respected the Jewish people, however, and they had a clear affection for him. Thus, they implored Jesus to help the centurion’s servant, believing him to be worthy of our Savior’s assistance (Luke 7:4–5).
While the Jews saw the centurion as a worthy man, the centurion had an awareness of his own unworthiness in comparison to Christ. As Jesus was on His way to help the centurion’s servant, some friends of the centurion came to Him. These messengers brought word from the centurion that he did not think himself worthy to have Jesus come into his house and that such a visit was not necessary for the healing to take place anyway. The centurion, familiar with how authority works and knowing that a person with authority can make things happen just by giving orders, said that Jesus just had to speak the word and the healing would happen, even if He never came close to the centurion’s home (Luke 7:6–8). Our Lord marveled at the centurion’s great faith and healed his servant, remarking that the man’s trust was greater than what He had seen in the Israelites (Luke 7:9–10).
Thus, the centurion serves as an example of what true faith consists of. First, those of faith recognize their unworthiness before God, acknowledging themselves as sinners. Second, they believe that God is able to accomplish all His promises through Jesus, that Christ has such power and authority as to make whatever He wills happen. They understand that nothing is too difficult for the Lord (Jer. 32:17).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
True faith recognizes the power and authority of Jesus to help us while also understanding that we are unworthy of His salvation. Those whom the Lord redeems do not come before Him making demands as though they deserved something, but they humbly ask for His grace and salvation, knowing that He keeps His promises and is able to save us to the uttermost.
for further study
- Genesis 32:9–12
- 2 Chronicles 6:12–17
- Matthew 8:5–13
- Mark 15:39
the bible in a year
- Judges 11–12
- Luke 9:1–27