Practicing Faith: An Analysis of the Faithful Centurion (Luke 7:2-10) *Guest Author!*

(This post was written by Ashley Edwards. Thank you Ashley for taking the time out to spread God's Word!)

7 Therefore I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You. But just speak a word, and my slave will be healed. 8 For I also am a man subject to authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

The words that you just read were spoken by a Roman soldier who clearly understood the authority of God. His words were so profound and awe-inspiring, that even Jesus had to stop in His tracks in utter amazement. Like some of you, I have read this scripture and other interpretations of this exchange countless times. It has been accounted for in two out of the four Gospels (Matthew and Luke) and carries a bounty of significance for the modern-day believer.

It is in this portion of scripture that a number of beautiful things take place.

They include:

- The initial faith of the centurion.

- The humility of the centurion

- His understanding of God's power

- The reaction of Jesus Christ.

Let us look a little deeper into these four actions as we try to gain a better understanding of what has taken place. I encourage you to stop here for a second and read Luke 7: 2-10.

2 Now a [Roman] [a]centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and on the verge of death. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Him, asking Him to come and save the life of his slave.

First, the centurion, who was a Roman citizen, heard about Jesus Christ and the wonderful results of His power. He put His faith in God into action and asked the Lord to come and heal his slave. What is so unique about this Roman soldier is the high probability that he was not a man who was well versed in the things of God. In plain terms, we can conclude that since he was not a Jew, it is very likely that he may not have known the difference between Genesis and Revelations. All we are told in the scriptures about this man, is that he heard about Jesus, and understood that healing for his slave could only come from the Lord. This is the beginning of the process we should all consider when exercising our faith. We must acknowledge that God is the One we should turn to when we are in need for a miracle. It is sad that many of us forget this and often seek refuge and guidance from people and things that do not have the slightest clue on how to really help us (friends, horoscopes, psychics, family).

4 When they reached Jesus, they pleaded with Him earnestly [to come], saying, “He is worthy for You to do this for him, 5 because he loves our nation and he built us our synagogue [at his own expense].”6 And Jesus went with them. But when He was near the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof.

In verses 4-6 we observe the humility displayed by the centurion towards Jesus. It's quite ironic how, the Jewish leaders deemed it necessary to express how important and deserving the centurion was of God's favor. However, their own unbelief in the authority of Jesus Christ  caused them to miss out on an opportunity to worship God. You see, they thought of the centurion as a higher authority figure than Jesus. But as we read on, we are finally introduced to the humility of the centurion. He accepted the lowliness of his authority in comparison to the authority of the living God. This action of humility is one we ought to put into practice every single time we approach the Lord.

7 Therefore I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You. But just speak a word, and my slave will be healed. 8 For I also am a man subject to authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Now, this is where the paradigm shift takes place. The Roman centurion, who clearly was a man of authority and status, used his daily experience as a leader to put his faith into action. Here we see a man, whose entire life is wrapped around the word 'authority'. In his message to Christ, the centurion explains that he must answer to someone who is in a higher position than he is while also being in command of those who are subject to him. Since this man is acquainted with authority, he was able to understand the power of God and how God uses His authority to heal and set the sinner free. He knew that God held the power and authority to command sickness to leave and healing to enter in. It's remarkable how his own prior knowledge and lifestyle was used to tap into the faith in which God wants us to exercise everyday. He probably never guessed in his lifetime that something he practiced every day would be able to catch God's attention. This portion of the story concerning the faith of the centurion leads me to ask myself "what traits have I practiced daily, and how are they defining my faith in God?". Am I well acquainted with an inferior mindset? Or have a practiced the fruits of God's spirit every day?" In order for us to start seeing changes in our lives we should to start practicing and growing in the things of God (outlined in Galatians 5: 22-23).

9 Now when Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith [as this man’s].” 10 When the messengers who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

Can you imagine the joy that Christ felt when he heard the message that came from the centurion. The Bible says that Jesus was 'amazed' or 'marveled' (depending on what translation you're reading) at the words of the centurion. Here, is a man who possessed very little prior knowledge of Jesus in comparison to those who studied the word of God from infancy. However, his faith superseded that of the religious leaders of Israel.  Today, we can learn so much from the centurion soldier. First, we should always remain humble before God and acknowledge that He is able to bring about the changes we need in our lives. Next, we can take a good, hard look at our daily lives and determine which practices are pleasing to God and which ones are not so pleasing. If we were in the same situation as the Roman soldier, would we be able to depend on our daily practices to pull on the heartstrings of God?

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God's love for you is endless and all He wants is for you to know Him for who He truly is. If you are ready to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I invite you to open your heart to Him. Your life depends on your relationship with God. If you do not know the words to say I encourage you to pray this short prayer...

"Dear God, I believe in my heart that you loved me enough to send your only Son to die for the sins that I committed. I thank You for this sacrifice, and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord. Father, please forgive me of my sins and cover me with your grace. Thank you for your love. It is in Jesus's name I pray. Amen."

-Now, if you truly meant the words you just said then all of the angels in heaven are celebrating because you will be joining them in heaven one day (Luke 15:10)! God bless you child of God, and I pray that this message has been a blessing to you!