Rev. Johnson V.
28th February 2010

The Bible is filled with the unexpected, the unusual and the extraordinary. This is especially true of the four gospels that are a narrative of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth. It almost seems that the purpose behind everything He did when He walked on the earth, was to highlight the shallowness of the human heart and to realign our thinking. The passage before us today is such an example.

Luke chapter 7, verses 1 through to 10. It is the passage where the Roman Centurion requested our Lord Jesus to heal his servant.

The passage begins with the text that Jesus was on the move. He had just finished speaking and instructing people at one place and then entered Capernaum, where the rest of this incident takes place. Our God is not stationary or bound to a place. He has a plan and a schedule for each of us and He will visit us in His appointed time and place.

The Bible goes on to say that the Roman centurion had ‘heard’ about Jesus. We have a responsibility to keep telling those we know, about our God and what He is doing in our lives. There are many deserving people who need to hear about Him.

This Roman Centurion was an unusual person. A person of his ranking would have had atleast a hundred soldiers that did his bidding, in addition to several servants and their respective families. One of these servants was unwell and close to death. It is remarkable that this high ranking official was concerned about the well-being of one of his many servants. If God wants to do something in your life, He will find a way. He used the ravens to feed Elijah when there was no one else around.

Our God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35), of titles and of pedigree. He didn’t balk at the idea of going to this Roman centurion’s house. He didn’t judge the centurion’s lifestyle, even though as a Roman citizen, the centurion could have led a bohemian lifestyle. He draws near to those who respect and draw near to Him and those who capture His heart with their love and faith. The friends that the centurion sent, came to Jesus and said that Jesus should fulfill the Centurion’s request as he had done many things for the Jewish people. It does not matter where you’ve been and what you’ve done. God will answer and draw near you, when you call on Him.

The Centurion sent a second delegation to Jesus, saying he was not worthy to have the Lord of the Universe come to his home. Instead he suggested that Jesus need only to speak the Word by His authority and his servant would be healed. Our Lord marveled at this foreigner’s faith. We need to approach God with expectation. We need to acknowledge His strength, power and love for us, even in our most difficult circumstance. Very often, we think there are insurmountable barriers that prevent Lord Jesus from working in our lives, and we forget that He made the universe and that our problems are nothing in comparison to His strength. The practice of faith is a changed lifestyle. If we believe, we will see His miracles in our life.

The Centurion’s faith was rewarded.

Our God has deputized us to ‘act’ on His behalf until He returns again. We must behave in the same manner as He did when He walked on the earth. We must speak words of faith, believing that He will honor our words and our faith. When we are walking in His way, we have His authority to accomplish His purposes in and through us.