The
incidents we shall examine in this lesson are not normally grouped together.
Their only connection, it would seem, is that they happened in sequence. But
taken in that sequence we see three expositions of faith:
- The
centurion of great faith.
- The
widow of Nain, who shows no faith at all.
- John
the Baptist, who exhibits doubt instead of faith.
The
incidents happen in Capernaum and Nain; the map may be of some use.
We
may begin, therefore, in Capernaum.
Great
Faith
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Mat 8:5-13 NIV When Jesus had
entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. (6) "Lord," he said, "my servant
lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." (7) Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal
him." (8) The centurion replied,
"Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the
word, and my servant will be healed. (9)
For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this
one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my
servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." (10)
When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him,
"I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great
faith. (11) I say to you that many will
come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. (12)
But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (13) Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go!
It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was
healed at that very hour.
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Luk 7:1-10 NIV When Jesus had
finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.
(2) There a centurion's servant, whom his
master valued highly, was sick and about to die. (3)
The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking
him to come and heal his servant. (4) When
they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves
to have you do this, (5) because he loves
our nation and has built our synagogue." (6)
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. (7)
That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the
word, and my servant will be healed. (8)
For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this
one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my
servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." (9)
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." (10) Then the men who
had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
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Christ
brings out faith
It
is a fact: Christ often acts to bring out the faith we already have. The
centurion wants Christ to heal, but – being a Gentile – sends the Jewish elders
to ask Jesus for this work. Jesus could simply heal the servant, and send them
on their way, but He doesn’t. Christ’s reply is somewhat startling: He will
go into the house of a Gentile (and thus become unclean ceremonially). Think
what an encouragement that must have been!
The
centurion reacts in kind. His faith has been called upon, and on it he will
lean.
Authority
and faith
The
key perception we need here is in one word. The NIV translates the centurion’s
words as “I myself am a man under authority.” The NASB and the KJV use, “I
also.” The key is not that the centurion is under authority, or even under
Christ’s authority. The key is that the centurion sees in Jesus a man under
authority just like himself. It is a simple leap to ask whose authority;
the answer is God the Father. This, then, is what drives the centurion’s
faith.
We
will do well to remember some things about authority:
- All
authority is given to Christ; therefore all legitimate authority on earth
must be connected to Him somehow.
- Authority
is given for the benefit of those in submission to it.
- If
you use authority given to you, you must acknowledge the validity of the
source.
Such
authority is best used in humility; veterans will recall “salute the uniform,
not the wearer.”
On
his own terms
Christ,
having encountered such a man, deals with him in his own terms. He does not
explain why it would be better if Christ actually went to the house; the
centurion is willing to take his word for it. The uncleanness is avoided, the
man goes on his way. He doesn’t ask Jesus to come anyway – “just in case.” To
those in authority, Christ responds in authority.
No
Faith Required
Luk 7:11-17 NIV
Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large
crowd went along with him. (12) 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.
(13) When the Lord saw her, his heart went out
to her and he said, "Don't cry." (14)
Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He
said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" (15)
The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. (16) They were all filled with awe and praised God.
"A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has
come to help his people." (17) This news
about Jesus spread throughout Judea[1]
and the surrounding country.
The
faith formula
It
is perhaps surprising that in the last section I did not encourage you to have
the faith the centurion had. It would be a wonderful thing, of course, and the
requirement of such faith is often preached. But faith is not a magic potion
to get what you want; want of faith is not necessarily the reason you’re not
driving a Mercedes.
Make
no mistake; God loves such faith. He rewards it, too. But that does not
necessarily imply that He will do nothing in your life without it.
The
compassion of Christ
We
need to know that the “coffin” referenced here was probably nothing more than a
couple of boards which held the body, wrapped in linen. The mourners would be
in somewhat of a hurry, as they were required to get the body into a grave
before nightfall. Jesus halts the procession, which probably irritated them.
But note what he does next: He comforts the widow. He’s about to raise the
dead, and He comforts her in her grief. Why not get to the action?
Perhaps
it is this: real friends are not those who have laughed together as much as
those who have cried together. The heart of Jesus went out to this woman’s
grief, and the Son of Man therefore need to comfort her – if only for our
example. I think it much more than that.
Then
He gives her back her son. Love precedes divine power. It is the very nature
of God that He is love, and Jesus will not neglect it.
Reaction
As
there was no trial of faith here, the results no doubt surprised the crowd.
Their reaction is a lesson to us:
- They
were “in awe.” The word in the Greek is phobos, from which we get
our word “phobia.” Other translations make this, “Fear gripped them.”
Well it should; consider the power they suddenly discovered.
- They
praised God – how often we forget to praise Him after thanking Him
- They
acknowledge that “God has come to help his people.” It’s not just a
statement of the obvious; it’s obvious and I will acknowledge it anyway.
Doubt
and Uncertainty
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Mat 11:2-6 NIV
When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples (3) to ask him, "Are you the one who was to
come, or should we expect someone else?" (4)
Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: (5) The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those
who have leprosy[2]are cured, the
deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. (6) Blessed is the man who does not fall away on
account of me."
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Luk 7:18-23 NIV
John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, (19) he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are
you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" (20) When the men came to Jesus, they said,
"John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to
come, or should we expect someone else?' " (21)
At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil
spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. (22)
So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you
have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have
leprosy[2] are cured, the deaf
hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. (23) Blessed is the man who does not fall away on
account of me."
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Doubt
happens
It
is a fact. Many of those who doubted are recorded in the Scripture. Elijah,
Gideon, Peter and doubting Thomas are among them; so doubt is a fact of the faith.
What causes such doubt?
- Circumstances.
John is in jail, a very depressing and lonely place. A dark dungeon
challenges your memory of the light.
- Impatience.
Just because God hasn’t done it yet, we fall into the thought that He
never will.
- Other
voices. If those around you deny that you could have heard in the
darkness, it’s more difficult to shout it from the housetops.
Courage
is easy on the parade ground. In battle, at three AM in the morning, things
are a bit different.
How
Christ deals with doubt
First,
note two things that Christ does not do:
- He
does not just reassure John. Jesus never does answer John’s question
directly; nor should He.
- He
does not criticize John either. There is no blame for the doubt; Jesus
knows what’s going on.
Jesus
answers by simply pointing out the facts.
Listen to what He says:
- Old
Testament prophecy is being fulfilled.
- The
poor hear the Gospel; it is brought to the lowly, not to the rich who
could fill the coffers of his pledge drive.
Then
we see the gentle encouragement in verse 23.
Who
I am; who you are
Permit
me some personal experience. When God deals with my doubt, He does it this
way:
- He
confirms the task to which I have been set. Even when I think my efforts
futile and my direction wrong, He will not permit that error for long.
- He
adds to such tasks those things which seem fitting for my growth. It is
not just a laundry list, but a vote of confidence.
Finally,
He reminds me that I am a child of God, and my Father will refuse me no good
thing. It is His good pleasure to build the kingdom of God, and He has been
kind enough to share that pleasure with me.