The Second Sunday after Pentecost
\nMay 29, 2016
\nLuke 7:1-10<\/p>\n
When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.\u00a0 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die.\u00a0 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.\u00a0 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.”\u00a0 So Jesus went with them.\u00a0 He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him:\u00a0 “LORD, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.\u00a0 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.\u00a0 But say the word, and my servant will be healed.\u00a0 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.\u00a0 I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one ‘Come,’ and he comes.\u00a0 I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”\u00a0 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.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.\u00a0 (NIV1984)<\/p>\n Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/p>\n What makes something praiseworthy?\u00a0 How you answer that question will depend a great deal on the context, won\u2019t it.\u00a0 I\u2019ll use myself as an example.\u00a0 A week ago last Friday we went to the American Graffiti car show in the shopping center on McDowell just north of Washington.\u00a0 There were hundreds of really nice cars, but only a few that I would consider to be praiseworthy.\u00a0 What made them praiseworthy?\u00a0 For me, I looked at the paint, the interior and the engine.\u00a0 Based on those three factors I determined whether or not a car was praiseworthy.\u00a0 If I\u2019m looking at a house on the Internet I look for something that sets that house apart from the hundreds of other houses on the net.\u00a0 When I see something that sets that particular house apart from the rest, I consider it praiseworthy.\u00a0 When my children were young and playing on a sports team, if I was not able to attend their game (which I now regret happened way too often!) I not only asked them if they won the game, but I also asked them how they played.\u00a0 If they played their best I considered that to be praiseworthy\u2014 even if they did not win the game.<\/p>\n What makes something praiseworthy?\u00a0 That is the question which will guide how we study the portion of Scripture we have before us this morning.\u00a0 With that question in mind let\u2019s study this text under the theme:\u00a0 A Praiseworthy Faith!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019d like to begin by focusing your attention on what I consider to be the key verse in this text, verse nine.\u00a0 Luke writes, \u201cWhen Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, \u2018I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>While the Son of God walked here on this earth there were only two times when He praised someone\u2019s faith.\u00a0 This Roman centurion is obviously one.\u00a0 The other one is\u2014 the Canaanite woman who came to Jesus begging <\/strong>Him to heal her daughter who was \u201csuffering terribly from demon-possession\u201d<\/em> (See Matthew 15:21-28).\u00a0 Did you notice something interesting about the only two individuals whose faith the Lord considered to be praiseworthy?\u00a0 Both of them were Gentiles!\u00a0 Both of them are excellent examples of what we heard wise King Solomon pray in our Old Testament lesson for today when he dedicated the Temple in the Jerusalem to the glory of the Living God.\u00a0 (See 1 Kings 8:22, 23, 41-43).\u00a0 Both this Roman centurion and the Canaanite woman serve as a sharp contrast to many of God\u2019s Chosen People\u2014 including the people of Jesus\u2019 hometown, including the apostle Peter himself.\u00a0 When the people of Nazareth rejected Jesus as the Promised Messiah, Mark tells us, \u201cAnd he was amazed at their lack of faith\u201d<\/em> (See Mark 6:1-6).\u00a0 And after Peter had climbed out of the boat and started walking on the water he soon took his eyes off of Jesus and started to sink.\u00a0 Jesus then reached out, took Peter by the hand and said, \u201cYou of little faith, why did you doubt?\u201d<\/em> (See Matthew 14:22-31)\u00a0 I personally think it is \u201camazing\u201d<\/em> that the only two people whose faith Jesus praised while He was here on this earth were Gentiles!<\/p>\n Looking specifically at this Roman centurion what made his faith praiseworthy?\u00a0 Let\u2019s answer that question by looking at his faith from two different perspectives.\u00a0 The first perspective is found in the words of the Jewish Elders who came to Jesus begging <\/strong>Him to heal this centurion\u2019s servant.\u00a0 Listen once again to what they said, \u201cWhen they came to Jesus they pleaded earnestly with him, \u2018This man deserves to have you do this<\/em>, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Do you realize how astounding this scene is?!\u00a0 These Jewish Elders willingly went to Jesus, the Rabbi from Nazareth, and \u201cpleaded earnestly\u201d<\/em> with Him to go to the house of someone who was not only a Gentile, but someone who was an officer in the occupying army of the Roman Empire and heal his servant!\u00a0 There had to be something very special about this Roman centurion for these Jewish Elders to do this\u2014 and there was!\u00a0 They praised this centurion\u2019s faith\u2014 a faith that was visible, a faith that was active in his life!<\/p>\n \u201cHe loves our nation and has built our synagogue.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Somehow this Roman officer had come into contact with the power of God\u2019s holy Word and had been brought to faith in the LORD, the great \u201cI AM,\u201d<\/em> the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.\u00a0 Once that gift of saving faith had been created in his heart it grew so strong that he couldn\u2019t help but let his faith openly express itself in his life.\u00a0 Even though he was an officer in the Roman army he wasn\u2019t shy about his love for the Jewish nation, the nation Rome had conquered.\u00a0 Even though he was an officer in the Roman army he used his own resources to build a synagogue in Capernaum so that his brothers and sisters in the faith could have a place to worship the LORD and study His holy Word.\u00a0 Even though he was an officer in the Roman army, when his servant\u2014 a servant whom he \u201cvalued highly\u201d<\/em>\u2014 was \u201csick and about to die\u201d<\/em> he knew there was only one thing to do!\u00a0 He sent some of his Jewish friend to the Rabbi named Jesus to ask, to beg, for His help.\u00a0 That\u2019s a praiseworthy faith!<\/p>\n What made this centurion\u2019s faith praiseworthy?\u00a0 Luke enables us to answer that question from Jesus\u2019 perspective as well.\u00a0 Look at verses 6-8 of our text.\u00a0 Luke writes, \u201cHe <\/em>(Jesus) was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him, \u2018Lord, don\u2019t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.\u00a0 That is why I did not consider myself worthy to come to you.\u00a0 But say the word, and my servant will be healed.\u00a0 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.\u00a0 I tell this one \u201cGo,\u201d and he goes; and that one \u201cCome,\u201d and he comes.\u00a0 I say to my servant, \u201cDo this\u201d and he does it.\u2019\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 And what was Jesus\u2019 response?\u00a0 This is where that key verse comes in!\u00a0 Luke tells us, \u201cWhen Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, \u2018I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.\u2019\u00a0 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Just as the people of Bethlehem were \u201camazed at what the shepherds said to them\u201d<\/em> on the night that Jesus was born (See Luke 2:17, 18), so also Jesus was \u201camazed,\u201d<\/em> He \u201cmarveled\u201d<\/em> at the humility and the trust and the depth of understanding of this centurion\u2019s faith!\u00a0 Not only did this centurion understand that as a mortal sinful human being he was not \u201cworthy\u201d<\/em> to have Jesus step one foot inside his house, not only did this centurion understand that Jesus possessed a power that was so limitless that all He had to do was \u201csay the word and my servant will be healed,\u201d<\/em> but unlike anyone in Israel\u2014 including Jesus\u2019 own disciples\u2014 this Roman centurion understood the astonishing \u201cauthority\u201d<\/em> that rightfully belonged to Jesus.\u00a0 This centurion knew that as the Son of God Most High Jesus\u2019 \u201cauthority\u201d<\/em> coupled together with Jesus\u2019 power could easily heal his servant who \u201cwas sick and about to die.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 That\u2019s a praiseworthy faith!<\/p>\n As you and I look at the account of the Roman centurion, as we see and hear how his faith was praised by both men and God this gives us a very good opportunity to press the \u201cPause\u201d button on our life and ask ourselves, Do I have a praiseworthy faith?\u00a0 In an effort to answer that question accurately let\u2019s take the reasons that the centurion\u2019s faith was considered to be praiseworthy and apply them to our own faith.<\/p>\n The Jewish Elders considered the centurion\u2019s faith to be praiseworthy because it was so visible and so active in his life.\u00a0 \u201cThis man deserves to have you do this,\u201d<\/em> they said to Jesus, \u201cbecause he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 How open and how visible is your faith in your life, my friends?\u00a0 When other people listen (and they most certainly do listen) to how you talk about your church and how you talk about your fellow members, do they hear words of love or do they hear words of criticism?\u00a0 When it comes to supporting the Kingdom work that is being done here in our congregation or all across the world by our Synod, are your family and your friends able to see and to hear how near and dear that Kingdom work is to your heart?\u00a0 While I pray that we would all be able to always answer questions like that with a resounding \u201cYes!\u201d in reality we would probably do well to follow in the footsteps of the man who said to Jesus, \u201cI do believe; help me overcome my unbelief\u201d<\/em> (Mark 7:24).<\/p>\n When our dear Lord and Savior looked at the centurion\u2019s faith, when He heard the humility and the trust and the depth of understanding contained in this man\u2019s words, Luke tells us, \u201cHe was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, \u2018I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.\u2019\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 When Jesus looks at your faith, when Jesus listens to you as you express your faith to others in the words and actions of your life (which He most certainly does) is He able to hear humility and trust and understanding?\u00a0 Is He \u201camazed\u201d<\/em> because \u201csuch great faith\u201d<\/em> as this now lives in your heart as well?<\/p>\n When we are honest with ourselves, my friends, most of us would probably have to admit that our faith might not yet be as praiseworthy as the faith of this Roman centurion.\u00a0 So what do we do?\u00a0 Permit me to suggest four things.\u00a0 First, we never become content with where our faith is now.\u00a0 We never think or say to ourselves that we already have \u201cenough\u201d faith so our time and our energy and our resources can be focused elsewhere in our life\u2014 like our family and friends or our job or our favorite pastime.\u00a0 Second, we consciously prioritize \u201cgrowing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ\u201d<\/em> (2 Peter 3:18) by putting worship and Bible study at the top of our daily and weekly \u201cTo Do\u201d list.\u00a0 God\u2019s holy Word and God\u2019s holy Sacrament are the spiritual \u201cfood\u201d that God has given to us to strengthen and nourish our faith.\u00a0 Using the precious Means of Grace on a regular basis will lead to a praiseworthy faith.\u00a0 Neglecting them will not.\u00a0 Third, just as we exercise the physical muscles of our body in order to help keep them strong, so also we need to exercise our faith by putting it into action in our lives.\u00a0 The apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians that the good Lord has already \u201cprepared in advance\u201d \u201cgood works\u201d<\/em> for us to do.\u00a0 (See Ephesians 2:10)\u00a0 We need to keep our eyes and our hearts open so that we don\u2019t allow these opportunities to exercise our faith simply slip on by.\u00a0 And finally, we need to daily spend time at the foot of the cross asking the Lord who loves us this much (Pointing to the cross) to both forgive us for the times that we have taken His precious gift of faith for granted as well as to help us grow\u2014 grow in our humility, grow in our trust, grow in our understand of the Lord\u2019s holy Word and His holy cross.<\/p>\n A praiseworthy faith!\u00a0 That\u2019s the kind of faith that lived in the heart of this Roman centurion.\u00a0 That\u2019s the kind of faith that lived in the heart of the Canaanite woman.\u00a0 May God grant that this is the kind of faith that will live in our hearts as well!<\/p>\n To God be the glory!<\/p>\n Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Second Sunday after Pentecost May 29, 2016 Luke 7:1-10 When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.\u00a0 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die.\u00a0 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and 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