(Text and Audio)
Title: Jesus and the Centurion
Last week, as we began a new section of Matthew, coming out of the Sermon on the Mount, we noted that Matthew will now turn his attention to 10 different miracles that Jesus performs, along with some intermixed teachings about the Kingdom. Matthew is writing and recording his material with the express concern for the Jews in mind. That will come into play in a big way as we look as Jesus’ encounter with this Roman Centurion and Christ’s response to him.
(read/pray)
- The Differing Emphases of Matthew vs. Luke
I won’t do this every week, but when we see a parallel account of a story of Jesus in the Gospels, it sometimes makes good exegetical sense to read a parallel account and note where the differences lie, and hope to understand why their are differences.
(read Luke 7:1-10)
- Luke’s focus is mainly on this unique Centurion’s positive relationship with the local Jews that he governs.
Why? (take answers)
Luke’s Gospel is focused on the Greeks/Gentiles, and illustrates that through Christ, believers can come from all nations and be loved by God.
- Matthew’s focus is on what Jesus says in response to the Centurion’s faith.
Why? (take answers)
Matthew’s Gospel is focused on the Jews, and by recording in detail the warning that Jesus gives to the Jews, they might realize their need to repent and recognize Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
II. “Centurion”
I began last week’s sermon by explaining that I really liked the leper who approached Jesus and asked for healing. Even though we didn’t know a lot about him, we certainly got a picture of the type of faith that he had in Jesus.
We see a similar picture here today with our Centurion, and, again, I admit, I really like this guy as well.
Why?
- He recognizes that he is unworthy of Jesus. (Isn’t this the main struggle of presenting the Gospel message, particularly in America today? We have no awe of God or Christ. We have no sense of need for Him.)
- Just like the leper, the belief is already in place. (The Centurion doesn’t need any more proof that Jesus is Lord. When the Centurion makes his appeal, the issue of belief is settled. For this Centurion, Jesus is Lord over all, and his confession and faith prove that without a doubt. We also see in the Luke account that this Centurion was most likely already a “God-fearer”, another term for a Gentile who believed in Yahweh but had not fully converted to Judaism, because under his authority in Capernaum, he helped the Jews rebuild their synagogue and was beloved by them. )
- His appeal to Jesus is based on an understanding of authority. (A Centurion usually had about 100 men under his command, and when this Centurion asks Jesus to just “say the word” he understand that when he gives an order to one of his men, because of his authority, it’s as good as done. He thinks of Jesus’ authority over sickness and disease the same way. In essence, what this centurion says to Jesus is: “I believe you have absolute power over my servant’s illness. So much so that you don’t even have to make the trip to my home. I believe if you say the word, even from here, he will be healed.)
III. Jesus’ Response
As you might expect, Jesus is blown away by this man’s faith. And where Luke’s account only shows the first part of Jesus’ response to this man’s faith, Matthew goes into great detail to explain the ramifications of such a faith according to Jesus himself.
Jesus uses the occasion of this man’s profession to make a hard prediction against Israel herself, in showing how the Gentiles are going to take the seat of the Jews as the banquet table.
In 8:11 we read that people will come from the East and West and “sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”
This is a theme we will see Matthew emphasize again in his gospel.
Consider:
Matthew 21:43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.” (Jesus’ words)
And this passage in chapter 21 is followed by Jesus’ well known parable of the Wedding feast, where the invited guests behaved horribly, and, therefore, the master went into the streets and invited strangers to come in and dine with him in their place.
Also, Paul repeats this theme in his epistles, most notably in Galatians 3:28b-29 “…for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
And then there is the fate of the Jews that were supposed to be at the banquet table, but because of their rejection of Christ, now we see that they will be cast out into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew’s Point of Emphasis: The Jews need to have faith like this Centurion, or they are in danger of losing their inheritance, and their place at the Master’s table.
What does this mean to us?
- Our place at the table is based on faith, not on ANY other factors.
- Just as the Jews trusted in their heritage, we often trust in our church attendance, giving record, church membership, service, or other factors that do no (necessarily) point to real faith.
- There will be people who sit at the table, but end up somewhere else.
Closing Thought:
Many scholars and theologians today want to understand what the plan is for Israel, is it combined, or separate from the future plan of the church? I’m not sure about all that, but I can say this: right here Jesus says flatly the “sons of the kingdom will be cast into darkness.” The safest theology is the one that realizes we need Christ’s blood to see God.
The Jews didn’t see it, and it was their downfall.
Let us never develop any system of thought that attempts to make the blood of Jesus irrelevant. Without it, we are lost.