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109. Unmerited Favor


Luke 7:1-10, Matthew 8:5-13
Key Verse: "Say the word, and my servant will be healed."
Matthew 8:8B & Luke 7:7B

Did the centurion deserve to have his servant healed? The Jews thought so. That is the world's way of thinking. "If you are good, good things will happen." Here was this Centurion, the enemy no less, and the Jews were begging a favor of Jesus for him.

What had this man done? Well, he loved them and he had built a nice new synagogue for them. He was nice, and, he obviously had money. The Jewish elders obviously saw a way to keep a good thing going. Maybe, if Jesus were nice back, this centurion would stick around and do even more. Perhaps he would protect them from the more cruel element of the Roman occupation. Perhaps he would be even more generous toward them in appreciation of having his servant's life restored. The Jews were opportunists here, acting like the world always does, "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." In so many ways, the Jews were constantly showing disrespect to Jesus, but in this one instance, they saw how they could use Him to their advantage.

Jesus and the centurion, however, were operating on a different level. In Matthew 7:28-29, we read, "When Jesus had finished saying these things, (the Sermon on the Mount), the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority." That authority is what the centurion saw even if the Jewish leaders did not. The centurion recognized also that Jesus was a man with authority. Authority over what exactly may have been a mystery, but the centurion did recognize that there was something about Jesus that might be able to help. Evidently, out of respect for that authority, the centurion asked the Jewish elders, (Matthew calls them friends), to intercede on his behalf.

While I'm sure that Jesus' compassion is what motivated Him to respond, there are also two other points to this episode that we should consider for ourselves. First of all, though the centurion was an enemy by being both a Gentile and an oppressive Roman, yet Jesus demonstrated that God's love and compassion is not limited by the boundaries that man creates. God so loved the world, not just the Jews, or Americans or Christians, but all people, deserving and undeserving; and His grace is available for all.

Secondly, because the Jews had a worldly way of thinking, they probably continued to believe that Jesus responded because of their persuasive arguments concerning how much this man "deserved," this favor. In so doing, they robbed God of the glory that He deserves, thinking that the man had earned it by his good works. That is the pitfall of salvation by works. It diminishes from the glory and praise that God deserves for His graciousness. Our works blind us to the truth of His generosity. We give ourselves credit for having earned something that we can never pay for. But we are so proud of what we've earned that we don't see it for the generous gift that it is.

The centurion understood that he didn't deserve what he was asking for. He also knew that Jesus could heal with a simple word and for this way of thinking Jesus said the centurion possessed great faith. "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." (Luke 7:9B) Sadly, faith was something that the Jews lacked. We cannot manipulate God, but we can trust that when He says the word, we will be healed.

Hymn: Grace

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