And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. Now when he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave. And when they came to Jesus, they were earnestly pleading with Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him; for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.” Now Jesus was going on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not good enough for You to come under my roof. For this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him. And He turned to the crowd that was following Him and said, “I say to you not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”
Luke 7:2-9
What is it about the centurion’s faith that made it so great? What about his faith could possibly marvel the Lord of creation? We often get tangled up in trying to understand the relationship between works and faith. On one side of the argument we have people saying mere belief and only belief saves a man. On the polar opposite we have others saying a man is judged solely on the merits of his works. The Christian faith places that marker somewhere in between, and the attempt to pinpoint that location has been an ongoing debate for at least 500 years. This passage and even this chapter presents clues as to what kind of faith is pleasing to God. Immediately following this exchange, Jesus does indeed heal the centurion’s slave, and then the disciples of John approach to ask if He is the expected One (the Christ). After Jesus’ reply to them, onlookers from the camps of the Pharisees scoffed and rejected both Him and John. Jesus turns to address them, punctuating His speech in verse 35: “Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” Now to be clear, wisdom and faith are not the same thing. But something we hear over and over again in the Psalms is “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” And what is the fear of the Lord if not faith? Faith begins wisdom, and wisdom is vindicated by her children. That is: wisdom is proven right by the works produced as a result of wisdom and therefore as a result of faith. So you see faith and works are not at odds, but are instead along a continuum where faith produces wisdom, wisdom produces works, and works prove faith. The centurion in our story proved his great faith by his overwhelming confidence that just as all those who report to him will do as he says, the very body of his servant will obey Jesus when He commands it to become well. Where does your confidence lie?
And what does all this have to do with you and me? How does this guide my everyday interactions with others? First, consider your calling to consider others greater than yourself. Consider the command to let your yes be yes and your no be no. Consider how you are made in the very image of God, meant to be His representative here on Earth. Make yourself as reliable as the centurion’s men. Earn the faith of others by following through on your commitments and emphasizing the importance of their requests. Even when a task seems frivolous or unimportant, do not allow laziness or selfishness stop you from completing what is expected of you. You may even be told “it is not that important, don’t worry about it.” This is not an invitation to renege. Instead it is a moment where you might prove you are trustworthy with things both small and large. Be a man or woman of faithfulness, and your wisdom will be vindicated by your actions.
On the other hand, consider all the ways God has been faithful to His promises both large and small. As a sweeping overview, He was faithful to give Abraham a son, save the Israelites from famine, deliver them from Egypt, bring them into the promised land, establish a Kingdom from David, take them out of exile in Babylon, and to send His Son the Messiah to cleanse them from their sins. Think about all the ways He has blessed and protected you in your life. Do not merely look at the big things, but think about the seemingly small things as well. Think about the relief you have felt coming inside from the bitter cold to a warm beverage. Consider the draught of cold water that cleansed your throat after a long walk in the dry heat. Remember the relief you felt when a phone call came that alleviated your anxiety over a matter. And now look forward to the great promises still to be fulfilled: Jesus will return in the same manner He left, and when He does the dead will be raised, the earth will be renewed, and all who trust in Him will live life everlasting with freedom from sin, death, and suffering. Know this, have confidence in it, and let that confidence spill over into everything you do. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5) Prove your faith by living faithfully and spreading the word of His coming.
May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.
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