“What
We Learn from the Centurion”
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text is today’s Gospel Reading, the story of the faithful
centurion, whose servant Jesus heals. You are invited to follow along the
bulletin insert on the last pages of the bulletin as we consider, “What We Learn
from the Centurion.” 1) We Learn from the Centurion to Humbly Confess Our Sins and
Unworthiness The “Cleveland Plain Dealer” newspaper has a church reviewer, like a
movie reviewer, except that he goes to different churches, and then writes a
review for the paper of the worship service. Some years ago he attended a
Missouri Synod congregation and what struck him most, and struck him deeply, was
the opening words in the confession of sins: “I, a poor, miserable sinner,
confess unto you all my sins.” He said it was a little shocking, because
in all the churches that he visits, most of them don’t talk much about sin
anymore. But, he also found it refreshing, to have a whole congregation of
nice-looking, well-dressed, middle-class people proclaiming to one another that
they are in fact “poor, miserable sinners.” He said he liked having that
stark confession at the beginning of the service, because it lets you really
know WHY you are there: you are a poor, miserable sinner, in need of a Savior. That is why WE are here today: because we are all poor, miserable
sinners, in need of a Savior. Nice-looking, well-dressed, middle-class,
but, nevertheless, poor, miserable sinners, in need of a Savior, like the
centurion in our text. You can see the connection between “centurion” and our words “cent” and
“century.” As you would expect, a centurion was an officer commanding about 100
common soldiers, like a lieutenant in our army commanding a company of privates.
And like the cadets at West Point, we are told by ancient historians that Roman
centurions were the very highest caliber individuals, selected from among the
best and brightest. Perhaps that’s why every centurion that appears in the
New Testament is portrayed in a very positive light, as honorable and upright,
and in several cases faithful to Christ, like the centurion in our text. The Gospels report that at the moment of Christ’s death, the centurion
charged with overseeing the crucifixion actually “praised God” and proclaimed:
“Truly this was a righteous man!”; “Truly he was the Son of God!” In Acts,
the centurion Cornelius is described as a “devout,” “righteous and God-fearing
man.” Also in Acts, when Paul is on the way to Rome there is a shipwreck
and the soldiers want to kill all the prisoners, but their commander, a
centurion named Julius, stops them in order to save Paul’s life. It is interesting that the first depiction we have of Christ upon the
cross is actually a graffiti, scratched into the floor of a barracks in Rome.
It was apparently drawn by some soldiers to make fun of one of their fellow
soldiers, named Alexamenos, who is shown bowing down before Christ on the cross.
Whoever he was, it is a wonderful testimony to Alexamenos’ faith. So, it
seems from the New Testament and outside evidence that very early on there were
quite a few Christian believers among the soldiers and centurions of the Roman
Empire. The centurion at Capernaum was a VIP, a “very important person.”
He was a respected and powerful officer in the world’s greatest army, the
leading local representative of the great empire which ruled over this conquered
country. The Romans looked upon Palestine and the Hebrew people as
backward and primitive. The Roman enclaves they built in Palestine were
considered outposts of true civilization. As an archaeologist I have
excavated at one of them, called Abila, a fine Roman city, plopped in the middle
of the desert. So, this centurion could have had a haughty, proud, superior attitude.
From the Roman viewpoint, he was the ONLY person in Capernaum who was
nice-looking, well-dressed, and middle-class. There was only one area in which the Romans respected, even looked up
to, the Hebrew people: their religion. The other religions of the Roman
Empire were a hodge-podge of dozens of pagan false gods, and the moral standards
were very low. But, the Hebrew faith was different, with a strict belief
in only one true God, and very high moral standards. Many Romans and
others were attracted to this faith. They generally did not fully convert
but became sort of associate members of the synagogue, called “God-fearers.”
They would attend the services, read the Scriptures, say the prayers, and strive
to live according to the Ten Commandments. What attracted and appealed to these God-fearers most was the
prophecies of a great Messiah, the Savior, who would come for the whole world
from the Hebrew people. The centurion at Capernaum was no doubt one of
these God-fearers, who was awaiting the promised Messiah: “[Jesus] entered Capernaum. There a centurion’s servant, whom his
master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of
Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his
servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, ‘This
man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our
synagogue.’ So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when
the centurion sent friends to say to him: ‘Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I
do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even
consider myself worthy to come to you.’” The centurion at Capernaum was a VIP, a respected and powerful officer,
the leading local representative of the world’s greatest empire; nice-looking,
well-dressed, middle-class, even wealthy. And, yet, he confessed to this
Rabbi that he is a poor, miserable sinner. We learn from the centurion to
humbly confess our sins and unworthiness. 2) We Learn from the Centurion to Trust in Jesus as God and
Savior Though he was not Hebrew himself, as a God-fearer the centurion was
familiar with the prophecies of the Messiah, that God would come down to earth.
And one of the key indications of the true Messiah would be miraculous healings,
as Isaiah prophesied, “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our
sorrows. . . Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue
shout for joy.” Jesus puts it this way, “The miracles I do in my Father’s
name speak for me. . . Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and
the Father is in me, or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles
themselves.” Our text says the centurion had “heard of Jesus.” No doubt he had
heard about all the miraculous healings Jesus was performing. And it seems
he also understood, better than many of Jesus’ own Hebrew people, what these
miracles mean: Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies; Jesus is the promised
Messiah; Jesus is the very Son of God. “’Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come
under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come
to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 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.’” Just as the centurion has authority to order and command his soldiers
and servants, he BELIEVES that Jesus has authority simply to say the word and
order and command his sick servant be made well. The Greek word used in
the initial request to heal the servant literally means to “save.” The
centurion acknowledges Jesus as the Lord, with the power to heal and save. “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.’ Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found
the servant well.” We learn from the centurion to trust in Jesus as God
and Savior. 3) We Learn from the Centurion to Trust God’s Word The centurion trusted the truth of the Old Testament prophecies,
recognizing from them that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Savior and Lord.
And so he also trusted the truth and power and promise of Jesus’ word. As
Jesus says, “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal
life. . . If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples.” Sadly, there are many churches and preachers today who are denying and
deviating from God’s Word. A survey of clergy in one of the largest
denominations in the United States asked, “Do you believe the Bible to be the
Word of God?” Astoundingly, only 18% said “Yes”; 82% said “No.”
Without the foundation of trust in God’s Word, clergy, and congregations, and
entire denominations are veering off into heresy and immorality. As Paul
says in today’s Epistle Reading, “[You] are turning to a different gospel—which
is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into
confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” Jesus said, “Your Word is truth . . . the Scripture cannot be broken.”
Psalm 33 says, “The word of the Lord is right and true.” Paul urges us in
2nd Thessalonians, “Hold fast to the teachings passed on to you.” We learn
from the centurion to trust God’s Word. 4) We Learn from the Centurion to Turn to Jesus in Time of Need Jesus says, “Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I
will give you rest.” The centurion was burdened with a heavy load of grief
and worry over his dearly loved sick servant. He came to Jesus, and gave
that burden over to him. “Cast your burden upon the Lord,” Peter says,
“for he cares for you.” Like the centurion, what is the heavy load of grief or worry that you
are burdened with? Like the centurion, come to Jesus and give your burden
over to him. As Paul says in Philippians, “Do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We
learn from the centurion to turn to Jesus in time of need. 5) We Learn from the Centurion to Give Generously to Build God’s
Church Though as a God-fearer the centurion was only an associate member of
the Hebrew faith, we are told he built the synagogue at Capernaum.
Excavations there have probably uncovered the very synagogue that he built. The centurion literally gave to “build” God’s church, a church building for the worship of God, and that is very important. Like the centurion, we need to help support this house of worship, and the ministry here. But, “giving” to build God’s church isn’t limited to financial giving, and “church” refers not only to a building, but also to the spiritual body of believers, here and around the world. There are so many ways for you to “give” generously to help “build”
God’s Church: through your prayers, for our congregation, our missionaries, and
the needs and problems of your brothers and sisters in Christ; through your time
and service to the Lord, in many different ways; through your acts of Christian
love; and, like the centurion who literally built the synagogue at Capernaum,
through financial contributions to the work of the Church. Peter puts it
this way, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,
faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” We learn from
the centurion to give generously to build God’s Church. 6) We Learn from the Centurion to Not Be Ashamed of Christ
and Our Faith You may remember the movie “Dances with Wolves,” when the army officer
played by Kevin Costner is accused of “going native,” becoming too much like the
Native Americans he is supposed to be watching. The centurion at Capernaum
was putting his power and position and prestige and prosperity on the line by so
publicly and boldly professing his faith in Christ. He could have easily
been recalled and demoted for “going native,” going overboard with this Hebrew
religion. Paul says in Romans, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the
power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes,” and in 2nd Timothy,
“So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord.” We learn from the
centurion to not be ashamed of Christ and our faith. “[Jesus] 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.’” We
learn from the centurion: To humbly confess our sins and unworthiness; To trust in Jesus as God and Savior; To trust God’s Word; To turn to Jesus in time of need; To give generously to build God’s Church; And to not be ashamed of Christ and our faith. Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office
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