Faithful Foreigner
We had a birthday tradition in my house when I was growing up: everyone else completely catered to you. Your wish was their command. It began the moment you woke up until you went to sleep. We still do this for one another. It is fun to allow each other to live it up on their day! The older I get the more I appreciate it for at least something good comes out of growing another year older.
I am only in charge one day every year. Most of my authority involves commanding people to get me more cake and ice cream. For the rest of the year, I am more like the servant, responding to the needs of others. Yet, for some reason I am drawn to the following verses on authority. I believe this model of leadership amazes me for it is rarely seen. Our idea of power involves being cruel and harsh. Often it is seen as pushing others down in order to advance your agenda. It is about looking out for “number one”. Leadership has been defined by control. And often, needs and wants are demanded, never requested. These abusive traits are found nowhere in these two men. Instead, they define what leaders ought to be.
There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 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.” So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to Him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go’, and he goes; and that on, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 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.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. (Luke 7:1-10)
A centurion was a Roman soldier who commanded at least one hundred men. His military regiment would have been within a legion of soldiers a unit of the Roman army, consisting of 6,000 men. He discharged orders frequently and also received them. Being a professional man of war, he would be unafraid to kill someone if he had to. I love the fact that this rough and tough military man truly cared for those around him.
There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. (Luke 7:2)
A servant in his household, not a family member, was on his deathbed. The centurion obviously saw him as more than someone who worked in his home, he saw the servant as a treasure, someone to be highly valued. This tenderness gets to me. In a time when people could treat their servants terribly, this soldier cared for his. This begins our look into this man’s heart. And we begin to know more in the following verse.
The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. (Luke 7:3)
The centurion was in the “know” about Jesus. He had heard about His power to heal and had faith that He could. His belief is shown in the fact that he sent some Jews to Jesus, to plead for His help. The fact that within his circle of at least acquaintances were Jews, speaks volumes about this man. For we know how Jews felt about Gentiles. The children of Israel hated foreigners and referred to them as dogs. To be Roman was to be one of the worst of all Gentiles, since they were oppressing the Hebrew people. What about this man led Gentile-haters to be his friend?
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.” (Luke 7:4-5)
Somehow in the middle of a foreign land, even while being hated for who he is, this Roman fell in love with Israel. He was so enraptured with the land, the people, and their God; he built the people a synagogue in Capernaum. This shows this centurion was a man of wealth and was willing to spend his money on a people that he was not born into, in a land that was not his original home, and on a religion of a people that claimed God as theirs alone.
It sounds to me that the Roman soldier was a missionary of sorts! Just like apostle Paul used his tent making trade to support himself while proclaiming the gospel, this centurion used his Roman paycheck to fund the religion of the people his government was oppressing. Crazy but true.
The elders of Capernaum, so moved by the generosity of this foreign man, willingly answered his request for help. The centurion asked the men to go to Jesus for help. You have to laugh how the Jews come to Jesus. They began begging, telling Jesus how this soldier really loves Israel and built them a worship center. They assumed Jesus, being a Jew, would have the typical response to Gentiles as most of the people that day, hate them and refuse to help. That is funny. They did not realize that Jesus had called all to be saved, Jews and Gentiles. He was the One who would break down the barrier of Gentiles being separate from God. That is why the apostle Paul wrote:
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth…that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household…(Ephesians 2:11-14, 19)
The Jews had no idea that one day they would be one family with the Gentiles. That was still in the distance. Right now, they thought they would have to beg a fellow Jew to come and heal a Gentile’s servant. But Jesus knew His purpose all along, and His heart was full of love for all people, not just one group.
So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to Him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.” (Luke 7:6-7a)
Humility is the key word to leadership. This man is a commanding soldier in the Roman army. Yet, he feels unworthy to have a Jew, a part of the oppressed people, come into his house. Do you know how many of his fellow soldiers would have mocked him? They would have said, “Demand this guy to come and help you. You rule over him.” But this centurion was a humble man. He did not feel worthy to come to Jesus himself, so he sent Jewish elders. But as Jesus approached, he was made more aware of his unworthiness to have the Lord in his home, so he begs Him to not take a step closer. Who is he to trouble the Lord and ask him to come to him? As this man sat and thought after the Jewish elders left his house, he realized he was nothing. And so he quickly sent out friends and asked them to stop Jesus from coming to his home. But he still needed a miracle.
“But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go’, and he goes; and that on, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” (Luke 7:7b-8)
The centurion knew how to command at work and at home. First, he discusses the soldiers who go and come on his demand. Then he talks specifically about his servant who does whatever is asked of him. A man of authority, yet a man dearly loved by friends and by Jews, and also a man who loves his servant. Does this seem a dichotomy to you? It is true leadership. Modeled by another Man. His disciples obeyed His request, because they knew He loved them.
“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by my Father and I too will love him and show myself to him.” (John 14:23)
In order to be a leader like Christ, we must love those who are under our authority. To show our love to Christ, we obey His commands. For we know His Word is powerful.
“But say the word, and my servant will be healed…” 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.” (Luke 7:7b,9)
And another thing, great leaders always brag on others. They are not too proud to commend the amazing work someone else did. They will not take credit but give it. Look at Jesus boasting about the centurion. He turns around and tells a group of Jews that this Gentile has shown more faith than anyone else in Israel. A compliment to the Roman, a challenge to the Jews. A leader is always pushing people further than whatever they thought possible. He is saying, “Look at this guy’s faith. You have more reason to have this kind of faith. Live in faith.” Some in that crowd took that dare and proved Christ is able to do more than we can ask or imagine and ran back to the house. Just as they believed by faith, Jesus had done a miracle.
Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. (Luke 7:10)
The friends of the centurion and the Jewish elders were able to come back and celebrate with the Roman soldier. They were able to walk in faith because this Gentile had walked in faith. They delivered the message and were able to see the Answer! His Name is Jesus.
What kind of faith do you have today? Is Jesus bragging on you in the courts of heaven about your great belief in Him? Or is He challenging you to believe more? Pray to Him right now. Ask for an increase of faith. Listen to His commands. Obey them. Be a servant of the Commander of the heavenly army!
Merry Mourner
My sister and I went to St. Augustine, Florida one year for Thanksgiving. Somehow on the trip, she talked me into going on a ghost tour. It is a historical tour of the town that is led by actors pretending to be ghosts. To know me is to realize I am skittish. To go on a ghost tour did not sound fun, for I knew they would purposely do things to make us jump and I do not like that. But like I said, she talked me into it.
As we went through the town learning interesting historical facts, I became emotionally overwhelmed when we stopped at a graveyard. As the tour ghost spoke on about different things, I was drawn into deep thought about the lives represented there. Who were these people? Did they live a full life? Who mourned them? One day, I will be in a grave, will there be people left behind that I was able to influence or will I be quickly forgotten? I was still in deep thought as we boarded the bus and quickly screamed when the ghost banged on my window. Not funny. My sister laughed. And so did everyone else in the group. Did I tell you that I did not want to go on a ghost tour?
You know what would have scared everyone on that tour? If suddenly, everyone in the graveyard began to rise to life. It would not need to be all the people. What if just one person came out of his coffin? Would that shock a few of those people who laughed at me? I hope so. A few people got to experience this, and it gave a mom back all she had in life.
Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and His disciples and a large crowd went along with Him. As He approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out-the only son of His mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, “Don’t cry.” Then He went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave Him back to his mother. (Luke 7:11-15)
A huge crowd is following Jesus. The disciples are mingling with the people. Everyone is laughing, having a good time, enjoying being together. As they approach the next town that Jesus will minister in, they see a funeral procession coming towards them. All the people stop smiling, as they see the tears, hear the wailing of the mourners. Someone ask, “Who has died?” A Nain resident answers, “A very young man. It was unexpected. Tragic case, too. He was the only son of a widow. She is the one standing near him. Heartbreaking, isn’t it?”
As He approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out-the only son of His mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. (Luke 7:12)
Heartbreaking, indeed. To have a loved one die is always tragic. This woman had experienced much disaster in her short years. At some point she lost her husband. And now death had claimed her one and only son. She was alone. Or at least she thought. For at that moment she did not realize that eyes of Someone who loved her deeply were on her.
When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her…(Luke 7:13a)
His heart went out to her. Have you lost a loved one? His heart goes out to you. Are you feeling alone? His heart goes out to you. Are tears your constant companions? His heart goes out to you. He loves you so much.
But you ask, “Why then did He not stop the pain? Why am I going through this?” May I tell you that God offered a perfect eternal life in the Garden of Eden and we chose our own way. The consequence of sin is death. Each person is appointed a time to die. We cannot change this. We have brought this upon ourselves. No, it should not feel right. Deep down, we know that we are somehow meant to live forever. And we will. But it just cannot be on earth. Yes, it hurts. I will not deny that. But you are not unloved. I cannot explain the sovereign plan of God of why and when things happen. But I do know, that He can relate to your pain. His heart goes out to you, for He has seen the pain of an only Father giving up His only Son to die. Jesus has felt loss. That is why He is able to meet us in our deepest time of need. He can relate.
and He said, “Don’t cry.” (Luke 7:13b)
Does this sound callous to you? Don’t cry? She just lost her son. She is a widow without children. She is alone. No one to care for her, no one for her to care for. What is Jesus thinking? Is He saying that we should not cry when someone we know dies? Should we just pretend everything is all right and sing, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”? Was He just giving a pat answer because He could not think of anything to say? Can I tell you what I think? I believe He wanted to get her attention. He did not want her to miss what He was going to do. In her rightful state of wailing, she would not be able to witness the most amazing miracle of her life. Some of you are hurting so deeply right now. But there will come a point when God will want you to temporarily to focus beyond your pain and look at Him. When He has your attention, He will do something amazing.
Then He went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” (Luke 7:14)
If there was silence from the crowd during this moment, it did not last long. For one person was getting ready to talk up a storm.
The dead man sat up and began to talk…(Luke 7:15a)
I just have to think this was one outgoing guy. He was probably chatting excitingly to everyone in Paradise and in the middle of the conversation heard a voice saying, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” He was obviously in the middle of a good point and just continued talking from death to life.
He seems to be the only one capable of doing anything. For it seems no one knew what to do with the young man. Finally, the Lord intervened
…and Jesus gave Him back to his mother. (Luke 7:15b)
Can you imagine the smiles, the joy, the laughter, and the reunion? I bet Jesus just watched with pure glee. I wonder if He thought about how life would be after the cross. Finally, believers would be able to go to heaven and have a reunion with the Father, the Son, and with the friends and family who have gone on before. He recognized that at some other time, the mother and son would be parted again through death, but reunited once again in eternal life. Never to worry about the pain of separation for eternity!
Some of you long for the day of seeing loved ones again. You had hoped the person would be restored on earth, healed from illness, or spared from an accident. But it didn’t happen that way. The funeral took place. Jesus did not stop it and perform a miracle to cause such celebration. Or at least, that is how it seems. But life was given, it was of the eternal kind. A party is going on right now in heaven. A reunion of unparallel proportions is taking place, your loved one is meeting all kinds of family they never knew they had. They are meeting the father of their faith, Abraham, and laughing with the matriarch of the family, Sarah. And so many other relatives that I could never name! A miracle took place. Jesus put his hand on the coffin leading to eternal decay and said, “Rise up! I’m giving you back eternally to your Heavenly Father!”
Will you smile in your pain as you think on heaven? A friend of mine lost her grandmother and was asked to sing at the funeral. As she looked around at the relatives there, she realized how many lives her grandmother had touched. Earlier, when they sat around and talked about her, they kept smiling and laughing for she had brought them so much joy. And they knew she would not trade heaven to come back and be with them. They were actually happy for her. She had finally gone home to the reunion of her dreams. They cried tears of pain mixed with joy, knowing that one day she will be a part of their welcoming committee.
As my friend spoke, it made me long for heaven! She made it sound so fun, that my cubicle at work seemed so dull. I wanted to burst out and go running. (Which is weird for me since I complain that the mailbox is too far away from my door.) But until that day, I want to live like the young man who had seen Paradise and then was brought back to earth, an excitement that bubbles over into all my conversation. And I want to live like the widowed mother who probably could never stop thinking or talking about what Jesus had done in her life. I want to celebrate that I can look forward to being with my friends and family forever!
“Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3b-4)