The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 7:9,
"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.'"
Here is a fascinating and riveting account provided us by Luke. A centurion, (a Roman soldier with a command) exhibited such faith we are told that Jesus himself was "amazed at him". This man had a servant he valued highly and when the servant had become sick and was about to die, the centurion sent for Jesus to ask for healing. On Jesus' way to the centurion's house he was met by friends sent by the centurion who told Jesus not to trouble himself by coming to the house, as he felt unworthy for Jesus to do so, but just say the word and "my servant will be healed."
This remarkable faith of the centurion was something Jesus had not seen, even among the Jews, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." We are told the centurion's friends returned to the house and found the servant healed.
In my mind, the account seems to imply Jesus was unaware he would be encountering such a faith expressed by this Gentile centurion, hence his amazement. Perhaps I am wrong in this but it seems as though Jesus, even though he was the Son of God in the flesh, was not expecting this. I am left with the notion that quite possibly there were things Jesus knew and then some things he didn't.
This thought might create a discomfort in the theology of some. But we know that there were some things Jesus did not know when he was here. In speaking of his second coming to planet earth Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Matthew 24:36. As a member of the Trinity, the Son of God set aside some of the things of deity when he came here as our Savior. Paul tells us in Philippians 2:6-8, "Who [Christ Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!" Here Paul tells us that the Son of God, rather than clinging to his exalted position within the godhead, set aside aspects of his deity to come as a man to secure the payment for our sins. Even within the Trinity, we understand by what the Lord said in Matthew 26:36, there are some things reserved to God the Father alone.
How this works out, as far as the breadth of knowledge only a member of Trinity could have and what Jesus knew or was aware of when he was here is somewhat unclear to me. I only know what I read, and what I do read in this passage is that Jesus Christ was amazed at the faith of the centurion.
I see two issues at play in the centurion's faith. The obvious one is that through the fabric of his faith, the centurion knew that Jesus Christ had the ability to heal someone at death's door. This speaks of the understanding of the centurion that Jesus Christ could control the issues of life and death for anyone. This is something only God could have. The second issue at play in the centurion's faith is the humility engendered by his faith. Holding a commanding rank in the occupying army of Rome, this humility could only find its origin in the recognition of this centurion that Jesus Christ was not your normal Jew. Sickness and death are the result of God's judgment for sin and only God himself hold ultimate control over life and death. Asking God of anything in sincere faith, must acknowledge the position of the One to whom the request is made. The humility of this centurion certainly speaks of the faith he approached the Lord with in his request. His message to Jesus was, "I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you".
Just a few thoughts today about a fascinating account. If anything, it reminds me once again that it is all about faith. As the writer of Hebrews said of those of old, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for." So, likewise, I find in the gospel accounts it is the expression of faith folks are commended for.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment