David Bahn – Reflections

After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. ² Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. ³ When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, ⁵ for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” ⁶ And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. ⁷ Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. ⁸ For I too am a man set 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.” ⁹ When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” ¹⁰ And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

I love this story of the centurion. It has so much faith. So much grace. So much grist.

First the faith! The centurion heard of Jesus and sent for him to come and heal his servant. Faith comes from hearing. And hearing from the word of God. We hear all kinds of things these days—perhaps more now than ever. I can spend an hour reading the news from the various email news outlets I subscribe to each day. But the centurion’s hearing was quite different. He heard not just from the most reliable news outlet. He heard from God. Jesus is God’s Word made flesh. And the centurion hears about Jesus and believes. He believes. He realizes Jesus is the One in whom he can put his fullest trust. He will call for Jesus to come. Then he will say Jesus doesn’t need to come. He knows Jesus is over all things. He knows that one word from Jesus is one word from God. The God who spoke creation into existence can speak a word of healing and it will be so. The centurion is a man of great faith for his faith is in Jesus. God’s Son. Savior. Healer. Friend.

And what grace does Jesus have! His heart is moved by the centurion’s faith. He realizes that the centurion has honored him greatly by his faith in Jesus. He realizes that the centurion’s request honors him as the One who can do all things—including healing his servant. And Jesus—properly honored as the Son of God—responds not with a curt nod or a simple smile of appreciation. He heals the servant. No reason other than his grace. Accessed by faith. The gift of faith embraces the gift of healing. So much grace!

Then there is grist. I used to think that the centurion was all wrong with he spoke of himself as one “set under authority.” I would have thought he would have said, “I am a man with authority.” Like it was his own authority. But he is appealing by his wording to an even greater authority than his commission. He is set under the authority of Caesar. His commands are great and authoritative because they come from Caesar.

Jesus’ authority is from the Father. This man is under God’s authority. He is not speaking from his own. Just as the Holy Spirit does not speak from his own authority (cf. John 16:13). Somehow—and please don’t ask me to explain this, for this is within the mystery of the Triune Godhead—Jesus is true God, yet under the authority of the Father. His word is God’s word.

That’s why I want to be under someone’s authority when I serve. Whether it is of the church’s voters, their board or in the case of when I was senior pastor at St. John, the Mission and Ministry Council. I didn’t have authority just because I was ordained. I was acting under their authority. And they, as duly elected servants, were acting under the authority of God.

So when I pronounce absolution, I am ultimately doing so under Jesus’ authority, the One who has been given all authority (Matthew 28:18). Whenever we share the gospel we are doing so under the authority of Jesus. Whenever we forgive one another we are doing so under Jesus’ authority.

Grist. Grace. Faith. Authority. A powerful combination.

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, ⁴⁴ for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. ⁴⁵ The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? ⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Ron was a very intelligent man. Well read. Thoughtful. Faithful Christian. Biblically literate. Quick minded. He once told me of a conversation he had with a coworker. They were talking about one of their suppliers and his coworker made a very disparaging remark about the supplier’s motives and intent. Ron’s immediate response was to say something like, “Evil speaks as evil thinks.” He immediately regretted saying it, for it was a judgmental comment against someone who was being judgmental.

I say that because that thought echoes Jesus’ teachings here: “for out of the abundance of the heart the evil one’s mouth speaks.” There is much evil in the world. It flows from the hearts of evil men and women. We may wish it were not so, but we all get caught up in it ourselves. How many times have I called someone stupid (thinking of dangerous drivers)? How many times have I thought poorly of another person? How many times have I wrongly assumed another’s motives were unkind? 

Jesus does not pull punches when it comes to calling out evil in men and women. He called Peter Satan. He asked, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).

How do we build our houses on a solid foundation—we who do not follow Jesus’ words and commands as we should? The key is found in the previous chapter of Luke. He records Jesus’ words, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” Luke will also record Jesus’ teaching in chapter 13, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

The solid rock upon which we must build our lives is one of repentance and faith. From such a heart will flow good fruit of love and good works. The good treasure in the heart of such a one is the gospel: the message of God’s love, grace, forgiveness, and salvation. This treasure is centered in Jesus, sent from the Father, and made sure by the Holy Spirit’s constant work in our hearts. Without the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts our ruin would be great. Come, Holy Spirit, dwell in our hearts so that we build on the strong foundation of Jesus’ love and truth.

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; ³⁸ give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

³⁹ He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. ⁴¹ Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

I’m pretty happy with how I’m treated at the gym where Diane and I work out. There is not an excessive amount (or too little amount?) of Spandex. And the other much younger folks there seem genuinely welcoming and happy to have us in the class. I am definitely the oldest person in the class, and I have to modify in some manner almost all of the workouts we do. But it seems to be a no-judgement zone. No body shaming. No finger-pointing. No eye rolling.

Everyone has his or her own issue. We all have our unique challenges. I’ve got plenty to work on myself without worrying about how well my gym partner is doing – except to help her if she falls.

The church should be such a place as well. This is made clear in the teachings of Jesus. “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned,” he says. Take the log out of your own eye before you try to remove the log from your brother’s or sister’s eye. 

This could be regarded as wisdom literature: advice for getting along well in life. Jesus knew his Old Testament. These verses echo Old Testament themes about judging, forgiving, and giving. They are very much like the wisdom literature of Proverbs. These writings reflect how life typically works under God’s design but are not absolute promises. The book teaches discernment and virtue, shaping the heart and mind to walk in the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom.

But Jesus was not prone to espouse wisdom literature without some deeper application. In other words, these are important markers of followers of Jesus. These are markers of Jesus’ disciples. The world is full of judgmental people, who refuse to forgive, and close their wallets and bank accounts with two-factor authentication. And those two factors are greed and hubris. Jesus would say to that, “It shall not be so among you.”

Let the church be a no-judgment zone. Leave the judging to God. He’s much better at it. His judgment fell on Jesus so that we can approach the throne of God’s grace in faith and receive the blessings Jesus earned by his life of perfect obedience to these and all of God’s laws.

Several years ago we learned a beautiful hymn, Meekness and Majesty. I’ve included YouTube link of it below. IN this passage we see both – if in the opposite order – Jesus’ majesty and his meekness.

Jesus’ majesty shows up so very clearly when he says to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”He will not be cornered by the Pharisees as they questioned the Sabbath-breaking of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus doesn’t say, “Are you serious?!? You’re worried about my guys plucking grain to eat on the Sabbath!” I might be inclined to respond in that manner. Jesus, however, says that he is the lord of the Sabbath. I can’t say that. He, alone is Lord of the Sabbath and of all of life. Am I living as though that is true? Most often I do, but I need a Savior who is Lord of all of life.

When Jesus heals the man with the withered hand the Pharisees criticize him again. It’s on the Sabbath  after all. And those Pharisees! They hike up their majesty pants. They’re going to make the disciples see what’s really proper and what’s not. They appeal to the law. They can’t prevail by means of their own being or by the truth of what they say.

But Jesus will confound them by means of truth itself. And by action. He calls the man with the withered hand up in front of them all and heals him. Majesty on display. Sadly, however, it serves only to incite the Pharisees even more.

But Jesus is not only God. He is God in the flesh. Note “in the flesh.” Jesus shows his meekness as he withdraws and spends the night in prayer. It’s the night before he will call from his disciples a group of 12 as apostles, the sent ones.

God’s people are glorious beings. We are made in his image. But we’re also broken. Sinful. This calls for meekness. Humility. And if we take Jesus’ example most fully we will show our majesty by a life of humble service to others. Did you catch that? Jesus shows his majesty by defending his disciples and healing the man with the withered hand.

I visited Diane one weekend when we were in college. She went to Valparaiso University. I went to SEMO University. These were two remarkably different schools. The biggest difference I noticed is that the students at Valpo actually studied. SEMO was more of a party school. Studying was relegated to the must-do cramming before finals, if then even. But it was different at Valpo. Those students were serious. I had to learn a whole new way of school when I went to Concordia Theological Seminary. Those students also actually studied. We had lots to learn, and we really wanted to learn it all.

This encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees isn’t so much about studying as it is about context and appropriate decorum. The Pharisees were quite serious about their religion. They wore long prayer shawls with fringes to denote their strong commitment to religious practice. They observed strict Sabbath laws as well as other uber-religious practices.

When they saw Jesus’ disciples feasting (with sinners and tax collectors no less), they were offended. They thought that was totally improper behavior. It was just not right for them to behave that way.

Jesus tells them that this behavior was totally proper. Afterall the bridegroom was with them. He had come to take his bride. These were festive times. Celebrate! There would come a time when Jesus would be taken from them. They would have occasion to grieve, fast, and mourn. But that time was not yet.

The Preacher says, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). This season of Lent is a more somber time. It’s a time to reflect on our Lord’s life, suffering, and death. There will come a more joyful time. The Day of Resurrection, Easter Sunday, will see our mourning turn to resplendent joy.

But even that does not compare with the Wedding Feast in the life of the world to come. That will be something truly joyful.

After this Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” ²⁸ And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.

²⁹ And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. ³⁰ And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” ³¹ And Jesus answered them,“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

I do my own taxes. It’s a week-long process with a large table set up in my office and papers, receipts, records, and forms strewn about in strategic piles. I use an online program that shows me what taxes I have due in real time. The number it shows before I begin entering my withholdings, deductions, and credits is alarmingly frightening. I hope to get to the place where at the end that I owe Uncle Sam $100. I don’t really want to loan him any money interest free!

Levi here in Luke’s gospel as well as in Mark 2 is the same as Matthew who shows up in chapter 9 of his gospel. I wonder if maybe Matthew was ashamed of his profession, being a Jew which would be highlighted by the name Levi (the priestly tribe allusion). It might also be that Matthew wanted to retain a name that was more Gentile-friendly. For whatever reason Levi/Matthew the tax collector was called by Jesus to come and follow him. And leaving everything, he rose up and followed Jesus. 

I love the scene in The Chosen miniseries where Jesus sees Matthew, calls him, and Matthew closes up shop, leaves it all behind, and follows Jesus (see the link below). And I wonder if I ever would be able to do that so suddenly. Was this precipitous? Abrupt? Spontaneous? Unhesitating? We don’t know Matthew’s motives here. But we do know he left his tax booth and followed Jesus. We do know it was a long-haul following. This wasn’t a purely emotional decision. Sudden and spontaneous as it was.

This was also a major realignment of his social order. He makes a great feast for Jesus and invites his friends – a collection of all manner of folks: the good (Jesus), the bad (tax collectors or Pharisees – you choose), and the beautiful (prostitutes???). And they come. And they party. And the Pharisees grumble. What’s the guy doing? Does he have any idea of who he’s eating with?

Of course Jesus knows who he is eating with. He’s eating with sinners, sick persons who need the touch of the great healer and physician of the soul.

There are some people who are bold enough to hold such a party. There are others who would be severely uncomfortable at such a party. If Jesus is there, I would be glad let him manage the situation, and enjoy the fellowship of the redeemed.

Matthew! What a hero of conversion and hospitality. Perhaps we can all follow his example in one manner or another!

Here’s the link to The Chosen episode:

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, ² and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. ³ Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. ⁴ And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵ And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” ⁶ And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. ⁷ They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸ But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” ⁹ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, ¹⁰ and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” ¹¹ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

¹² While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” ¹³ And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. ¹⁴ And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” ¹⁵ But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. ¹⁶ But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

¹⁷ On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. ¹⁸ And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, ¹⁹ but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. ²⁰ And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” ²¹ And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ²² When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? ²⁴ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” ²⁵ And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. ²⁶ And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

I’ve carried bundles of shingles up ladders to roof a house. It was hard work. I don’t envy those who have that hard job. Every time I see roofers today, I remember the burden, heat, sore back, and knees. I notice the foam pads they use as they work. And I don’t blame them.

Roofing in Jesus’ day was much different. The roofs were flat, made of mud and thatch, small twigs with wooden beams, reeds and straw. In this case it was a tile roof (see v. 19). It would be a challenge to open a hole in a roof today. But in Jesus’ day it was much easier.

Easier, however, doesn’t mean appropriate or a welcome alteration to one’s house. The hole might have been easily made and easily fixed. But it was still likely an unwelcome intrusion.

There is no mention, however, of the homeowner’s annoyance. The Pharisees, though, were upset. The paralyzed man was let down through the roof. The Pharisees went through the roof in anger. For them it wasn’t about the hole in the roof or the interruption to Jesus’ teachings. It was about Jesus’ absolution of this man’s sins. Only God can do that. True. And Jesus is God in the flesh.

Maybe they didn’t want the man to have what they thought to be a false hope. Likely they thought he needed to make his confession to the priest, offer the appropriate sacrifice, and pay the necessary offering to be forgiven. Certainly they knew that if Jesus’ teachings caught on they would lose power and influence.

But the man walked away(!) forgiven(!!). Jesus can do that. He can heal diseases. He will confound the prideful and lift up the lowly. He will pay the price for doing that. The proud and mighty will put him to death. But Jesus will rise, and those who put their hope in him and his love will never be put to shame.

And Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, ³² and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. ³³ And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ³⁴ “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” ³⁵ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. ³⁶ And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” ³⁷ And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

³⁸ And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. ³⁹ And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.

⁴⁰ Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. ⁴¹ And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

⁴² And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, ⁴³ but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” ⁴⁴ And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

We play a card game we call The Bahn Game. It’s a card game with six rounds, each of which has a different scoring scheme. The last round of the game is a scoring combination of all of the previous rounds scoring schemes. The bottom line of this is that the last round of All of the Above (AOTA) scoring changes everything. You can be in first place at the end of round 5 and come in dead last after the AOTA round. You can also go from last to first.

Jesus is no game. Nor does he keep score. But in this passage I notice how different people respond to Jesus’ message and ministry. Some are rightly astonished at his teaching. He taught with authority. It must have been quite different from the authority of the scribes and Pharisees. They claimed authority. But Jesus had it. They relied on the traditions of the Jews. Jesus relied on the truth of God. They used their authority to bolster their power. Jesus used his authority to cast out demons, heal diseases, and to bolster their faith. Jesus touched a deep chord in their hearts by his teaching.

The demons were alarmed at Jesus’ teaching. They mocked him, thinking that by calling him “the Holy One of God,” they could disarm him and thwart his mission. Alarmed or not, they could not prevent Jesus from silencing them and sending them out of the man they had possessed. 

Simon Peter’s mother-in-law was healed by Jesus. He rebuked the fever and it left her. He alleviated her suffering. So fully was she healed that she immediately began serving those who had come to offer her aid. Others come to Jesus to be healed and freed from their demons. And he heals them and frees them.

All this Jesus does because he came to “preach the good news of the kingdom of God.” This good news is that Jesus is astonishing, amazing, alleviating and more. Sometimes we jaded folks need to be astonished by Jesus’ work in our lives. Sometimes we should be amazed at God’s glory. Sometimes we ought to be alarmed at our straying and brought back to our Savior. We should always remember how gracious, glorious, and good, he truly is. 

The message of the Kingdom of God is good news. It is centered in Jesus. He amazes, astonishes, alarms, and ushers in God’s good and gracious reign and rule in all who believe. He was astonishingly dedicated to doing that. He was amazingly focused on the purpose for which he was sent. He was alarmingly intrusive into the plans of the devil. He alone alleviates our deepest pains and saves us from an eternity of despair and hopelessness.