A Soldier

The Lord’s Day Evening

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Luke 7:1-10

Encounters with Jesus:

“A Soldier”

The Reverend Mr. Jeremy H. Smith

Let me invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to the seventh chapter of Luke, Luke 7 and we will be reading the first ten verses of the chapter this evening. But before we do, let’s look to the Lord in prayer.

Our Heavenly Father, we are a needy people. We are in need from beginning to the end. And You have given to us the Lord Jesus Christ who is the author and the perfecter of our faith. Lord, we need Jesus as our Savior and we need the Spirit of Jesus to open our eyes this evening. May we behold wonderful things in Your Word, for we ask these things in Christ’s name. Amen.

Luke 7:

“And after Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built for us our synagogue.” And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to the one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to the other, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowds that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.”

Amen. Thus far the very words of our God.

Have you ever wondered about how we’re to come to Jesus? Maybe that’s not a question you’ve ever wrestled with. How does one come to Jesus?

I didn’t grow up in a terribly fancy house, but we did have some rules, especially around the holidays with respect to the dinner table. One of the rules at my house growing up was that on Thanksgiving for the Thanksgiving dinner you got dressed up to come. Now, not coat tails and top hats, not even coat and tie, but at least some unwrinkled clothes and you would wear shoes. No eating of Thanksgiving dinner barefoot in my house growing up. Now, I’m not sure I completely understood the shoes’ rule, but we complied if we wanted to eat. There was a requirement for the way we came.

How do we come to Jesus? This is one of the few times that someone coming to Jesus is commended by Him so I think it’s important for us to pause and take some time this evening to see what character and qualities Jesus commends for those who come to Him.

And to do that I want to look at the two characters we have—the two individuals we have in the story—first, at the centurion and then, at Jesus.

I. The centurion.

Jesus has just returned from teaching. He’s been teaching outside of Capernaum. If you can allow you eyes to flip back to the sixth chapter, you will see a segment of His sermon which He proclaimed on that day. And if you allow your eyes to wander over that chapter, you’ll probably recognize much of the material. The Beautitudes are there and other things that look an awful lot like the Sermon on the Mount.

Now, the commentators are divided whether or not this is Luke’s recounting of the same sermon which Jesus preached that’s recorded in Matthew 5, or if Jesus frequently returned to these same subjects and this is a different time in which He preached on the same events.

But, regardless, Jesus has been preaching and has finished and has now come into this town of Capernaum. It was an important town, at least, in the ministry of Jesus. This was His home base for much of His Galilean ministry. He spent time in their synagogue teaching. He had preformed miracles in this town. Do you recall the young man who was lowered through the roof by his friends because they couldn’t get to Jesus? Well, that would have occurred here in Capernaum.

This is where at least three of his disciples were from. Peter and Andrew, though not originally, lived in Capernaum and also, Matthew. Matthew had been the tax collector in that town. And it’s very likely that Jesus’ home base within Capernaum was Peter’s mother-in-law’s house. In fact, she’ll be healed at a later time by Jesus when she has a fever that looks to be ready to claim her life. This had been a place where Jesus had been ministering and would continue to do so for some time.

It was also of some importance to the region. It was kind of a border town on the northwest section of the Sea of Galilee. As such, there was a customs location there in Capernaum as well as a tax collecting station and a garrison of an army. This man, this centurion, was its leader. He was likely the most senior ranking official, the senior ranking military officer set over a hundred or so men as his title suggests. He was roughly a captain compared to an American Army officer, roughly a captain, but for the Romans.

As we are introduced to this man, we are introduced to a very successful man. He had enjoyed a fine ranking and privilege which came with such. He was well respected in the town in which he lived. He would not have been from Capernaum, but the people there have taken to him, especially the Jews. They regard him as a friend. In fact, more than just a friend—one who is a lover of the nation. He has acquitted himself well in their eyes. He is what will other times be referred to in the New Testament as a God-fearer. He has enjoyed the favor of men in this town.

He is also likely to be very wealthy. He had been responsible for the construction of the synagogue in Capernaum, we’re told. Perhaps he had used his soldiers to build it, but certainly he had financed it. As such, he was a man of privilege.

You also see a taste of his character, I think, in the concern that he has for this servant, this servant who has taken ill.

I can recall advise given from a father to a daughter on the occasion of going out with a young man in which he told her that one of the ways you can this man’s character is by seeing how he treats the wait staff—how does he treat the waiters and the waitresses when you are out on a date? That’s something about his character.

Well, I think by parallel we can see something of this man’s character—the concern he shows for this servant, this servant who is ill. Matthew tells us that he has some kind of paralysis and Luke here tells us that he is ‘unto death’. So you get the picture.

This well respected, this well-to-do man who enjoys favor among the people and yet for all his privilege, for all the things he has going for him, that in this moment, at this time, he stands utterly helpless and needy. There’s nothing he can do. There’s no resource he can call on to help his servant for whom he has concern. There is no favor to call in in order to do good for this servant. There is nothing, literally nothing that he can do. He stands in great need.

Well, I think there is here something of a picture, a real life picture of the place we find ourselves. We’ve heard it sung even tonight “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling,” that we are before Jesus caught up and arrested, recognizing our utter need. But what is true at the beginning of our lives, our Christian life, is also true without. Not only do we have a picture of the sinner’s need before Jesus, we have an on-going picture of the on-going needs of the sinners in this life.

Perhaps some of you have even come this evening with matters that are weighing heavily upon your hearts.

Perhaps there is a hopelessly broken relationship, one where you have even given up any chance of reconciliation. Maybe you don’t even want it any more.

Or if that person who had offended you were to even come back and to offer their sorrow and beg your forgiveness that, well, you’re not even sure you would want it in that case.

Perhaps others are here this evening battling with some on-going, indwelling sin such that you think there is no hope. There’s no hope for victory in this life. I tried everything—I’ve thrown everything I could at it. I even thought I had victory for a time, but I returned to it time and time and time again. There’s no hope.

Perhaps others dealing with guilt—oppressive, overwhelming guilt for some heinous sin in the past.

I don’t know the particular need, but I do know this — that our need of Jesus does not begin and end with our coming to Christ for the first time, but that our need for Jesus continues, that we are like this centurion, arrested before Jesus, standing before him in need.

Perhaps we have not found relief from some of these concerns in this life because we have not turned to Jesus with our need before him. We look to him as our Savior, but he’s got nothing to do with the relationships of life. We’ve look to him as our Redeemer, but not one who would help us in the battle against sin.

Well, friends, we are no different than this centurion, a man who is, in spite of privilege, absolutely needy before Jesus. But we also see this centurion as humble man of faith. He sends the elders to Jesus. He is there in his house with his dying servant and he calls the elders together and he sends them to Jesus and he asks that they speak for him on his behalf that Jesus would minister in this situation. And Jesus hears this need and He begins to come. And you get the sense that the man’s in his living room and he looks out the front window and he begins to see Jesus and the party of elders who he’s sent out and they’re coming to his house. Well, he hadn’t planned for that and so he finds two other friends and he sends them out and tries to get Jesus to stop. He doesn’t even think he is worthy to have this man in his own home.

Now, it’s perhaps true that this centurion knew Levitical law and he something of the prohibition against a prophet entering an unclean house. And maybe that’s what he is thinking. But I think there’s much more. Here is a man of privilege and esteem and regard and he looks out at this poor Jewish carpenter, one from a conquered nation, and as he looks at Him he says, “I am not even worthy for Him to come under my roof.” Here is a man wrapped up in humility.

We said last week what an ugly thing pride can be and after the service one of the members of the congregation came and shared with me a story from when he was in training to be a surgeon. And as he was studying his profession, he was in the presence of another surgeon, a world renowned surgeon, about whom he had both fear and great respect. And on one occasion they were in surgery when someone among the surgical team spilled something very unpleasant on the floor. And here was this world famous surgeon, who himself got down on his hands and his knees to clean up this mess. The room was full of would-be surgeons, of nurses, and of orderlies but here was this great surgeon on his hands and knees cleaning up the most unpleasant things off the floor. And that member told me that that has stuck with him for all these decades. He thinks back about the true humility that was present in that man’s life.

Well, as ugly as pride can be, how beautiful humility can be and we see it here in this centurion. He’s heard, maybe he’s even seen, something of what Jesus can do. Maybe he’s even been present from some of the miracles. He knows that this Jesus can do something. He knows that this Jesus is mighty to save. He knows that through this Jesus God has been as work.

How much does he know about Jesus, it’s not perfectly clear, is it? Does he understand that He is the second member of the Trinity, the incarnate Son of God?—probably not. But does he know that through this man God is at work; that God’s blessing rests upon this man; that God’s power comes through this man? Well, surely he does. So he comes, he sends word to Jesus asking for help. As Jesus is on His way and he sends out the second band of friends to stop Him, he says something striking. He says, “Jesus, listen I understand authority. I’m a man who is under authority and yet, at the same time, I wield authority. I’m kind of a middle manager in the Roman army. There are people who give a command of me and I salute and execute. There are also other people who are under me and I give the word and they go, and I say come and they come. And I say jump and they say, ‘How high?’ I understand something about authority and power. And if that’s true of me,” he’s saying, “Jesus, how much more is it true of you? You don’t have to be present. You don’t have to come into my house. All that you have to do is say the word. Just speak the word and my servant can be healed.”

Here’s a man of privilege and esteem who is humble recognizing his need and expressing his faith in Jesus Christ.

Well, if that’s the centurion, what do we see about Jesus?

II. Jesus.

Jesus, to this point in His ministry, has enjoyed mixed results. Some have responded in faith and others have rejected Him. He’s been to His hometown in Nazareth. They have been so upset with Him they’ve wanted to kill Him.

He’s also been teaching and healing at the synagogue in Capernaum. And He has enjoyed favor there. They’ve listened to Him, they’ve marveled at Him, they’ve been blessed by His healing. His disciples are also here. He’s already called them to Himself and they are here listening to Him teach early in the day and now as He comes to heal this man’s servant. And yet, as He regards this centurion, as He regards this Roman army captain, this Gentile, He looks at him and we’re told Jesus is taken aback. He marvels at the faith of this man. Jesus here takes notice of and commends faith.

And, my friends, that is an encouraging word to us tonight that Jesus is a Savior who takes notice of faith. He could have just noticed this on His own, but He takes a moment and He turns to the crowds and He says to them, “Do you see this man? Let me commend to you the faith of this man because it’s great faith.”

That’s a word we could use. That’s a word we could use to help us in our struggle—our struggle in service even in the kingdom where we so frequently can be tempted to serve for the wrong reasons, to bow down at the altar of the praise of men, to pursue good works for what others might say or do for us, to be reminded that it’s Jesus who notices faith and it’s Jesus who commends the faithful.

It’s also an encouragement to us as we battle against sin, in secret sin, sin that nobody else knows about (maybe your spouse and maybe not), sin which you are secretly and quietly struggling against. Jesus takes notes of the victories. The world may not even know what is going on in your heart and yet where you are faithful, where you struggle against that sin, this same Jesus takes notice and He commends that kind of faith.

And it’s helpful for us who minister in difficult circumstances. It’s somewhat easy to serve one who expresses great gratitude for your service. You’ve know times like that. You’ve something kind for another and they have expressed their thanks for it. And it makes service easier.

But there are times, no doubt, when you have served others and they have not appreciated your service. Maybe they have even resented it and said so. It’s difficult to minister when people aren’t appreciative. It’s difficult to minister to those who don’t want to be ministered to. But it’s Jesus who notices faith and it’s Jesus who commends faith.

Perhaps you’ve even ministered in a place that looks like it’s bearing no fruit. It’s Jesus who notices and it’s Jesus who commends faith. I think that’s the first thing that we see in Jesus’ response.

There are four others in the five minutes we have left.

We also see in Jesus response that there is no such thing as an inconvenient time. Jesus had been out teaching and preaching all day long. He had already ministered to the masses and here He now comes back into the city, He is off for His Sunday afternoon nap when this need confronts Him. And what does Jesus do? He foregoes the Sunday afternoon nap and He goes and immediately confronts this need of the centurion.

It’s fascinating as you read the gospels how often Jesus ministers having followed a public ministry activity. How often times Jesus will expend himself in a public ministry situation, teaching or preaching, leading His disciples and will be confronted with a need and will immediately turn and minister to that new need.

There may be reasons why you haven’t come to Jesus, whether for the first time or with a particular need in your life, but I can assure you that the reasons for not coming, why not, because there are inconvenient times for Jesus. Jesus knows no such thing as an inconvenient time—that any time is the right time to come to our Lord.

And we learn that it’s not the person that matters, but the posture. This is the most unlikely person in the story to receive a blessing from Jesus, the centurion. He is a Roman centurion and a Gentile to boot. He was sent over to make sure the Jews did not get too riled up in Capernaum. He was sent by this foreign oppressor. The disciples would have looked at this man as one who was in the way of the coming of the kingdom. But so long as this man would reside in Capernaum, God’s kingdom could not come. And he was a Gentile. And it’s this man, this man who comes in humble faith who receives the blessing from Jesus. It’s not the person, but the posture that matters in coming to Jesus.

We also learn this: Jesus never turns away the humble who seek His favor. Jesus never has. There has never been one who would come to Jesus recognizing his need and asking the Savior His help.

Now, there are those who come to Jesus and do get turned away. The Pharisees came to Jesus frequently and He sent them away. The rich young ruler came to Jesus and Jesus sent him away. There are no occasions when the humble come to Jesus that He sends them away.

Finally, I think there’s a word of warning to the religiously privileged here. It’s a word of warning to those who are religiously privileged. The Jewish elders appear in this story. They are ambassadors for the centurion and they come to Jesus carrying a request for him. And they come to Jesus in some ways recognizing that Jesus can help, can save, can deliver and yet, they themselves will reject that Savior. They knew their Bibles. They went to church on Sunday, Saturday. They were the religiously privileged and yet, they were outside of the divine favor.

Friends, in a culture that we live in, and we live in a culture that prizes appearance— it prizes appearance!—and in a culture like that we have a tendency, a tendency to be more demanding than Jesus, to say that if you’re going to come to Jesus, there are certain things which you’re going to need to do, which Jesus Himself does not impose. You see, Jesus is a Savior who receives the unlovely. It not the religiously privileged who received divine blessing in this story. That’s the last person you would have thought. That’s often times how Jesus works, but those of us who have been privileged, there is a temptation to put requirements on those who would come to Jesus that He Himself would not do. Or to resent the ones that Jesus would call because they’re unlovely.

We’ve prayed for it even tonight, prayed for revival, prayed for a working of the Holy Spirit. What would it look like if the Holy Spirit were at work and those doors began opening up to the unlovely and to the sinners and these pews were full of sinners, sinners who were humbly coming to Jesus? Frankly, they’d look exactly the same as they do right now because we, like the centurion, are no more than sinners in need before a Savior.

Let’s pray.

Our Lord and our God, we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for the heart of Jesus, the heart of our Savior who deals kindly with sinners, sinners such as we. Lord God, we pray that your Spirit would be at work, would be welling up in our hearts, hearts that were full of faith, hearts full of gratitude, hearts full of thanksgiving for our great salvation. Lord God, thank you for Jesus in whose name we pray. Amen.

Will you stand for the benediction.

Grace be with you all. Amen.

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