Title: The Centurion's Faith / Luke 7:1-10
The centurion's faith / Luke 7:1-10
Key Verse: “I tell you, I have not found such great faith in Israel” (verse 9).
Verse: Jesus in today's text praises, "I have never met such a faith among the Jews." Why did Jesus highly acknowledge the centurion's faith? Because the centurion's life was a right and warm life. He lived an upright life to the point of admitting even his enemies. He even built a synagogue for the Jews. Truly a beautiful person. A healthy faith does not deny the universally valid morality and character that even non-believers see as beautiful. Even better, the centurion is not making this plea for himself or for his family.
At that time, in Rome, slaves, or more precisely, slaves, were inferior to animals. But the centurion sent men to Jesus to beg for a slave. Verse 2 says that the centurion did this because he loved the slave. Faith without love for the weak and sick has nothing to do with God. Unlike the Jewish religious leaders at the time, who had strict doctrine, but no deeds, strict observance of the law, but no love life, although the centurion was a Gentile, he had a beautiful life that even the enemy Jews recognized, and he had a warm and compassionate life that could care for a sick slave. was a person. In other words, he was a man who knew how to love people.
Sometimes we tend to put too much emphasis on our faith and neglect the right fruit of it, the works. Also, when speaking of works, we emphasize the observance of ordinances such as tithing and attending worship services. However, they tend to be relatively ignorant of character and practice of love. But the Bible did not say this. Why were the Jews rebuked by Jesus? The Lord even reveals that these were “habitually devouring the widow’s house” (Luke 20:47). How could those who were perfect in their religious life even rob widows? That's right. Because he did not have love for his neighbor in his heart. But the Roman centurion who was a Gentile was a pious man. That is why it was possible to build a synagogue, the core of Judaism. Such a person is truly a person who is not far from the kingdom of God and can be praised as having great faith in Jesus. The great faith that God recognizes is the faith that follows life and godliness that follows the practice of love.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, like the centurion, help us to become the beautiful people of Yours where faith, lofty life, and godliness and love are together. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Lord's Prayer