Seeds for 07/11/2023 - Matthew 8:5-13
Scripture: 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.
Observation: A second episode witnesses Jesus’ healing power. Again we find someone who displays both confidence in Jesus’ power to heal and humility in seeking His help. I find myself reflecting on two elements of this passage today.
First, the centurion’s belief in Jesus’ authority over sickness. Drawing from his own experience as a man invested with authority and with the charge to use it responsibly, he recognizes a parallel with Jesus. This is not to say that any analogy we might draw from our lives will fit appropriately. Our experiences may provide insights or they may send us down the wrong roads. Thoughtful discernment is key. In this case, however, the connection fits superbly. Jesus’ power is sufficiently expansive not to be limited by distance.
Second, Jesus was amazed at the centurion’s faith. That statement alone is remarkable. Now, Jesus seizes the opportunity to speak about the kingdom’s expansion to include Gentiles who respond in faith. This is a point Matthew has already made in the genealogy and the visit of the magi. The centurion belonged to the Roman military force in Capernaum, which represented the enemy of the Jewish people. Yet he responded in faith to Jesus, with piercing insight to boot. This reminds me that genuine faith can come from the most unexpected of people. Sometimes the last person I’d expect to believe in Jesus is that same one who might help me see Jesus more clearly than I had before.
Application:
Who has surprised you with insights into faith in Jesus? What did they help you see?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, keep my eyes and heart open to learn about faith from whomever you may teach me. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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