A great faith

Luke 7:1-10 When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. ² There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. ³ The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, ⁵ because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." ⁶ So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. ⁷ That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." ⁹ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." ¹⁰ Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

“I wish my faith was stronger.” I wish I could believe like my grandmother.” “I’m solid when things are going great, but when times get tough my faith is so weak.” Does any of that sound familiar? Are you concerned about lapses in your faith? Does your faith seem to waver and wobble at the worst of times? Are you constantly praying for a greater faith?

One of the great things about the Bible is that God is unflinchingly honest about His stories. God has many heroes of faith contained in His Word, but they also had terrible weaknesses – Noah built the ark, yet He also got drunk and naked; Abraham moved far away from home, yet he was ready to let his wife Sarah join the Pharaoh’s harem; Samuel and David were great leaders of Israel, but they were both terrible parents.

So, instead of looking at people in the Bible whom we think had great faith, why not take Jesus’ word for it and examine someone about whom the Son of God said, “I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” This morning we learn about great faith by examining the faith of the Roman centurion.

Jesus was back in Capernaum, which is in the northern part of Israel. It is on the west side of the Sea of Galilee. The last time Jesus was in Capernaum, He had gone to the synagogue to worship. While there, He cured a man possessed by a demon (Luke 4:31). Now Luke tells us that very same synagogue had been built by a Roman centurion stationed in Capernaum.

A garrison of Roman soldiers was stationed in the small town of Capernaum, no doubt because Capernaum was situated on an important trade route which connected Jerusalem with Damascus. The Roman government employed the centurion. He was stationed there to make sure there was law and order. His day-to-day activity kept him busy keeping track of the 100 soldiers under his command.

The centurion was not raised as a believer. He wasn’t born into the Jewish nation. In fact, it was just the opposite. He grew up in the Roman Empire where they worshiped many false gods and had little to do with the Jewish God of the Old Testament. But somewhere along the line, God’s Word had touched the centurion’s heart and the Holy Spirit had converted him into a proselyte, a Gentile believer. As a proselyte, the centurion was not circumcised and therefore could not worship God in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. However, he was welcome to worship in a local synagogue. So he built one to worship God in.

The centurion was used to having people care for him, but now he cares deeply for an ill servant. The centurion heard that Jesus was back in the area. While many of the Jews rejected Jesus, the centurion accepted him by faith. Perhaps the centurion could have sent his servant back to Rome where there would be better doctors than in Capernaum, but He sent for Jesus. It is quite possible that the centurion was standing in the synagogue congregation that day months earlier, listening to Jesus preach and then witnessed him driving the demon out of the man. Instead of putting his trust and allegiance in doctors or medicine, the centurion put his faith in the Great Physician of body and soul.

The centurion’s good will created a lot of Jewish friends in Capernaum. They pleaded earnestly with Jesus to have Him heal their friend’s servant because: “this man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” It seems that his friends thought more highly than the centurion thought of himself. As Jesus was getting closer to his house, the centurion sent more friends saying, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.”

Though his friends thought he was a great guy, the centurion understood that there was something wrong with himself. All you have to do is pay attention for a few minutes to the news or the internet to understand that there is a lot wrong in our world. There is the complete disregard for human life. How sick was the criminal case of the abortion doctor, Kermit Gosnell? There is the despising of God’s institution of marriage. The Minnesota house and senate recently passed a bill allowing for gay marriage. Which state will fall next? There is the devastation of God’s perfect creation being ravaged by sin, as evidenced in hurricanes and tornadoes. There are the perpetual threats of terrorism. Evil and sin are not going away. And there is so much more out there.

But it gets more personal. It is easy to feel like the abortionists, the gay agenda and terrorists are the enemy. But what bothers us most, or at least ought to bother us most, is the enemy within ourselves. We are our own worst enemy. The sin that lurks within us, that rears its ugly head in our lives, and that devours anyone in our way is just as sick. We destroy the sanctity of marriage with our selfishness. We ruin our family life with misplaced priorities. We cheat our employers and our teachers with our laziness. We devastate our friends’ and classmates’ reputation with our tongues and typed words. Our friends think that we are great people, but we know what we are really like. And it is scary!

We understand the cry, “What a wretched person I am!” We sing “Chief of Sinners Though I Be” and think, “That was written about me!” Evil isn’t just out there (in our world), it is in here (in our church), and in here (in our heart).

Do you want a stronger, deeper and greater faith? Would you like Jesus to commend you for your amazing faith? If you want a stronger faith, you need to realize how weak you are. If you want a deeper faith, you need to recognize how shallow you are. If you want a distinguished faith, you need to admit how depraved and decrepit you are. If you want a greater faith, you need to confess how lowly you are.

It seems contradictory, but a great faith begins with humility.

We come to Jesus as the centurion did – empty handed, in need, an outsider. We come to Jesus, not promoting all the great things we have done for Him, but admitting all the shameful things we have done to Him and all the embarrassing things we have failed to do for Him. We confess that we are damnable sinners, with nothing good within us. We are not worthy to have Jesus come under our roof … nor are we worthy to come under His. He comes to us, not because we are worthy, but so that He can make us worthy in Him. He comes to us, not because we are righteous, but because we are in need of His forgiveness. He comes to us, not because we are healthy, but so that He can rescue us from our eternal deathbed.

Faith – the kind the centurion had – doesn’t trust in a God who does things because we deserve them. Faith trusts that even though we are not worthy, we can be certain Jesus will save us because that’s what His Father sent Him to do. Do you see the difference? We don’t hope that we are good enough for God to love. Rather, we are confident that our worth is in Christ, who obeys His Father and dies on the cross for unworthy sinners.

“Just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it.” The centurion knew how to give and follow orders. He was used to ordering soldiers and servants around. If he commanded them to come, they came. If he said, “Go,” they went. He expected those under him to do what he ordered. He knew what it was like to have authority in his words. He had the authority of Caesar behind his words. When he spoke, it was as if Caesar himself was speaking.

“Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” The centurion trusted the authority of Jesus and His Word. The centurion didn’t need for Jesus to go to his house and lay hands on his dying servant. He was being respectful of Jesus and his Jewish friends because he knew it was not right for Jesus to enter into the house of an unclean Gentile. But mainly, the centurion knew that he wasn’t worthy of the honor of having the Son of God enter his home. He desired only a word from Jesus. That would be enough. He also knew that Jesus had authority in His words. The authority to drive out demons and heal the sick. The authority to cure lepers and the lame. He had the authority of the heavenly Father behind His words – for all authority in heaven and on earth has been given Him by His Father. When Jesus spoke, it was if God Himself was speaking … and He was!

Have you ever thought about how powerful a word spoken at just the right time is? It is said that on some of the Alpine slopes at certain times in the year, guides forbid travelers to speak a word. They fear the mere tremor of the human voice will loosen snow and bring down a deadly avalanche. If that is how powerful a human voice can be, imagine how powerful the voice of Jesus is.

If you want your faith to be stronger, deeper and greater, it comes from hearing the voice of Jesus – daily, weekly, regularly, spoken, read, sung. Your faith is strengthened when you remember the pastor poured water on your head and said, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The pastor feeds your faith when he places bread and wine into your mouth and says, “Take and eat, the body of Christ. Take and drink, the blood of Christ.” The pastor drives away your doubt when he announces, “As a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins.” The pastor calms your fears when he blesses, “The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.” There is authority in those words. When the pastor speaks God’s words to you, it is as Jesus Himself is speaking them to you … and He is!

Do you want a greater faith? Faith’s source is God’s Word. Faith’s object is not you, it’s Christ. Faith’s power is not in the believer, but in the One who spoke the promises. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:11).

Faith is trusting what the eye can’t see.

Eyes see the prowling lion. Faith sees Daniel’s angel.

Eyes see storms. Faith sees Noah’s rainbow.

Eyes see a big fish. Faith sees Ninevah in the distance.

Eyes see Canaan. Faith sees the Promised Land.

Your eyes see your faults. Your faith sees your Savior.

Your eyes see your guilt. Your faith sees His blood.

Your eyes see a sick loved one. Your faith sees the Great Physician of body and soul.

Your eyes see a deathbed. Your faith sees the saints gathered around the throne of the Lamb.

A great faith doesn’t just happen. A great faith comes from a great object. A great faith rests solely on Jesus. A great faith hears Jesus speak with authority. Amen.