LEARNING DAILY

Luke 7:3-8, And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.” Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, Lord do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But You say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he does it.”

Both Matthew and Luke write about Jesus healing the servant of a centurion. Both writers have their specific emphasis in writing their account. In Luke’s account, for instance the centurion has sent “elders of the Jews” to Jesus; Matthew writes that the centurion went to Jesus himself. I believe the important thought is to look at the context of what was done as this passage is considered.

Consider the centurion, a Gentile who had absolute power those he commanded and also in Capernaum. Yet, look at his heart. When I think of Roman commanders, I think of one who unyielding in what he does, sending men into battle and taking no consideration for the Jewish people in what he does. But the centurion was concerned for his servant who was dying. For him servants were all around him; replacing one who died could certainly be done easily. But this servant was “dear to him”.

When the elders found Jesus, they told Him that this centurion “love their nation and had built them a synagogue”. Understand that a Gentile man had done some great things for the Jewish community here. In return, Luke points out that Jewish elders went to Jesus to plead with Him because of what the centurion had done. The centurion knows that Jesus is able to save his servant but as a Gentile he knows he is not worthy to approach Jesus. They go to Jesus and “earnestly beg Him” to come with them. Their description of the centurion gives a hint to us that the centurion may even have a heart for God; at least he gives honor and respect to God because of what he has done. To me, this speaks to the character of the centurion.

There is another word that describes the centurion, his humility. “For I am not worthy.” I wonder if he looked at his own sinfulness when he considered Jesus. We are not told anything about the centurion’s knowledge of Jesus. Had he heard of what Jesus had done previously? All we read is that the centurion saw his own helplessness regarding his servant. In that helplessness he saw and had no doubt that Jesus was able to heal when he could not.

Just a closing thought on humility. A person who is humble does not need to tell anyone about his humility because it is going to be seen. Consider the centurion’s position. It seems the person in a high position can have a pretty high opinion of themselves and desires others recognize that position. The centurion did not use his position to elevate himself above all others. His heart was right, and his humility was seen by others. Those around him saw his humility by what he said and what he did. Should that not be what all Believers would seek? Should not all believers exhibit Christian character that others see in their words and in their actions? That does not just happen; it comes as time is spent in God’s Word and time spent in prayer, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us into who God wants us to be. It is doing our best to be obedient to the Lord as we walk on a narrow way. I encourage you to spend more time with Him each day allowing Him to work in your life so the light of Jesus in you shines bright so others see the difference He has made in you!