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| Photo by Bgrace Cornell University Chapel |
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 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.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment. Matthew 8:5-13 (New International Version, ©2010)
This story has been turning itself around in my mind recently. I love this encounter because it surprises us and even amazes Jesus, a fact which is a curiosity in its own right. Jesus often interacts with people who do not play as we expect them to. In the revealing of their hearts, He exposes ours. I find myself sitting back with a bit of wonder in my chest...not only for the honorable Centurion, but at the jadedness of my own heart which made it so difficult for me to believe that such a man could have eyes to see.
The Centurion was a Roman, a Gentile, a man of some power, wealth, and authority. He is not someone we expect to care so much about his servant. He is not someone we would expect to come to Jesus and ask rather than coerce or order. He is not someone we would expect to turn Jesus' offer down to come to his house on the grounds of unworthiness. We are most surprised because he is not someone we expect to have divine insight.
The Centurion had the ability to see, to discern truth that others, even followers of Jesus, could not even begin to grasp. He understood Roman authority and was given insight to understand that Jesus had spiritual authority.
Jesus response to him is to honor his faith, by healing his servant and raising him up in stature above even His own people. "I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith."
As for me, I am learning that things are not always as they seem. Just when I think that I have a leg up on divine insight into a situation, God surprises me by saying, "Actually, B, you're the last one to get it. This one's been waiting for you for a long time."
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