David Bahn – Reflections

Matthew 8:5-13

When [Jesus] entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, ⁶“Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” ⁷And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” ⁸But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” ¹⁰When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. ¹¹I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, ¹² while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ¹³And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.

Faith is often strongly on display at the cemetery and in the hospital room. On the one hand that is understandable. In the throes of life’s challenges the props by which we hold ourselves up show their thin veneer. We discover that good looks, money, a powerful community reputation, or the new spots car are incapable of sustaining our souls. We need a Savior. It is a painfully difficult scene when we see a person without faith face death or critical illness.

Equally sad, however, is when the community of God’s people display little or no faith. Such was the case with Jesus and the religious leaders of his day. A Roman centurion becomes an example of faith – a greater faith, even, than that in all of Israel.

It wasn’t that Israel in Jesus’ day lacked religion. Religion was everywhere. Sacrifices, religious leaders, priests, temple activities defined Jerusalem. Questions about Sabbath law and temple holiness were front and center in the accusations against Jesus. But faith was lacking. That’s because faith has to do with faith’s object, not its external trappings. Whatever else the centurion did or did not do, he turned to Jesus, the true object of faith, and object of true faith.

Jesus is the object of true faith because Jesus is the way the truth and the life (John 14:6). He is full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Whatever else we may cling to may be an object of faith: money, reputation, good looks, or the latest gadgetry. But none of those are true; they will not last forever. They will not save us.

Perhaps you are facing a challenging time in your life today. Maybe you realize your need for a true Savior, a true object of your faith. Jesus is that One. Those who look to him will hear words of commendation and blessing: “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.”