The Centurion's Faith
Matthew 8:5-13
This
is the story of the centurion, a commander in the Roman army in Capernaum, who
comes to Jesus and asks Him to heal his servant. Though Jesus offers to go to
his home to cure him, the centurion states he is not worthy to receive such as
Jesus in his home, but knows that Jesus only needs to say the words and his
servant would be healed."
This was a very
wealthy and powerful man in Caesar's army.
Yet, he humbled himself to a man, many considered an itinerant preacher, i
n front of all His disciples and the throngs of people who had come to see and
hear Jesus.
"In the story, Jesus then says, "I
tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this."
The reference note on this
story in my research Bible is poignant. It says, "The faith that Jesus asks
for from the outset of His public life and throughout His subsequent career is
that act of trust and of self-abandonment by which people no longer rely on
their own strength and policies but commit themselves to the power and guiding
word of Him in whom they believe."
This
is the type of faith we all should be striving to achieve.
I found this graphic on the
Internet in Google's image database, but unfortunately it wasn't linked to the
artist. Though I hate to infringe on copyright, I had to show you this. It is a
fantastic representation of how Jesus seemed to feel about the centurion's faith
and His welcome of this centurion into the kingdom. How fantastic it would be to
have such a welcome, when our time comes!
If anyone has the link to it's
creator, please email me. Thank you.
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