The Faith Jesus is amazed

Bible: Luke 7:1-10 JAN 1 2017 Sunday afternoon service

Title: The Faith Jesus is amazed

1When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.

2There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die.

3The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.

4When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this,

5because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue."

6So 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.

7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

8For 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. Isay to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

9When 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."

10Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

In one American church, there was one teacher who served as a Sunday school service for long period. The teacher taught children for long time, but gradually had feeling of doubt. So, he was concerned about quitting the job or not.

One day, he got a letter, and the letter was from the boy who was taught from the teacher about gospel and bible, now became a soldier.

Unfortunately the letter was the first and the last letter of the soldier. The content of the letter was like this. The soldier was injured seriously while dispatched abroad and had lot of surgeries but is diagnosed, that he cannot maintain life anymore.

The soldier recalled two people before death and that was the soldier’s mother and the Sunday school teacher. The soldier sent letter to his mother, that he is sorry to leave this place earlier than the mother.

And to the Sunday school teacher, he wrote that thank you for teaching God’s word and the bible so he could live faithful life, and not be frighten at this moment. And he was thankful to teacher for the guidance so he could go to heaven.

It wasn’t a long message, but truly sad and touching. After receiving the letter, all the feeling of doubt disappeared. Faith is like a hidden treasure, if we have seeds planted in our heart, it will sprout and will be in leaves and will be in fruits. Hallelujah.

Faith is very important. Some people are like without faith but genuine, some people have huge faith that world is unable to handle. Some people live with unshakable faith.

Especially in our Korean churches, there are traditions and history that producedmany faithful people. Nowadays, they say Korean Christians are more than 10 million, and this is all thanks to many faith people’s commitment and loyalty.

I want to share God’s word with title ““The Faithful man Jesus is amazed””. This morning, you and I came to God’s front, and I wish you to become the protagonist of faith, delight God, be helpful to believers and at the end, when we stand in front of God that listens compliment ““Well done, my servant. You did well””.

Let us all read verse 1 to 3.

1When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.

2There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die.

3The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.

Amen.

When Jesus was entering Capernaum, he met some of the Jew elders. The elders heard Jesus coming to Capernaum and came in rush to meet Jesus.

The reason why elders of Jew met Jesus, was because the beloved servant of centurion died.

Please think. The elders of Jew were in hostile relationship with centurion. Centurion was a stranger. And the centurion was the one who took all the rights and freedom. The centurion was a soldier that executes colonization by the power of Roman Empire.

The centurion was a barbarian, and an enemy that invaded Israel. But today, the elders of Israel met Jesus not because to solve their own problem, but the problem of the invader centurion. And today’s second verse is not the problem of the centurion, but the problem of the loved slave of centurion.

Today’s text says that the slave is not normal ordinary slave, but a slave loved by centurion. Who would express a slave as ““the beloved slave by centurion”” with modifier ‘beloved’

The centurion were in hostile relationship with the Jews. But the hostile relationship can become respectful, trustworthy and develop as relationship of representing. One step further, the expression of ““the centurion’s beloved slave”” shows that the relationship with centurion was maintained personally.

Hallelujah! The personality of the centurion was showed through the elders of Jew. The elders of Jew saw centurion’s life and the personality that was shown through the life and respected him so that was the reason why they came for the beloved slave by centurion.

Look at verse 4. Let us read.

4When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this,

Amen.

The elders of Jew came to Jesus and asked. They told Jesus about the centurion ““This man deserves to have you do this””.

This man deserves to have you do this. The centurion’s beloved slave is sick and saving the slave is deserved. Saving the slave means ‘Diasojo’ to cure. The elders of Jew thought curing the centurion’s slave is deserved.

What does mean curing the centurion’s slave is deserved? This means, it is coincide or bear comparison with.

If we read verse five, you will understand the elders talking easier.

5because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.“

Amen. The elders of Jew saying the beloved slave by centurion being cured is natural, means they love our nation. The dominant country’s soldier loving the nation under colonial rule is a nonsense.

Why? The purpose to invade a nation is to plunder and invade to nation and country.

But today’s text tells that when the elders of Jew defended the centurion, they mentioned that centurion loved our nation. When the expression ‘he loves our nation’ was used, it wasn’t an ordinary expression, but word Acapao.

The sacrifice of Jesus dying on the cross was called ‘Acapao’. And the expression of Acapao was used to centurion, loving Israel nation.

The love of centurion to Jew nation was not an ordinary love. The love of centurion was a love passing through nation, language, bias and discrimination.

The centurion showed love of transcend border. He transcended nation, country, value and bias. At the latter half of verse five, introduces the track of love that was shown with act, not just word. I will read if for you.

5because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.“

Amen.

The centurion loved Jew nations. The centurion built synagogue for Jew nations. Then we can connect the loving of nation and building synagogue.

He came to Jew as an officer of invading country but in his life, he has no greed of invading, does he? And also, he build synagogue for the Jews.

At that time, synagogue was a place where the Israel people gathered and listen, learned God’s word, we can say it meant church. Jews have lost their country and wandered for 2000 years but could rebuild country because they had synagogue.

Think about it. Is building a church easy thing? To build a church, not small amount of finance is needed. And in Jews perspective, a stranger centurion building a synagogue is impossible.

Look at numbers 3, verse 38

38Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, in front of the Tent of Meeting. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.

Amen.

The Jewish people lived a camp centered which was the role of church. Anyone else could not get close to the camp. In here, word Jur for ‘anyone else’ was used and it could be interpreted as foreigner, traveler.

But the centurion build the synagogue for the Jews. Of course, the synagogue cannot be identified as church. But still, putting mind that the Jews did not associate with strangers, the stranger centurion would have had hard time building synagogue.

Jesus heard from the elders of Jew and went to centurion’s house. But centurion sends another friends and talksto Jesus like this. verse 6 to 7. Let us read.

6So 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.

7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

Amen.

The centurion knew Jesus coming to his house and sent other friends to Jesus. And he confesses that he cannot deal Jesus coming in to his house.

What does this mean? The centurion cannot deal Jesus coming in to his house means there is a hidden sufficient concern.

At that time, the Jews did not deal with the strangers. They didn’t go in to the stranger’s house, they didn’t get married, it eating at their house was the hardest thing.

Zacchaeuswas a Jew, but a tax collector so people treated coldly. And when Jesus went in to Zacchaeus’s house, people gossiped about it. Is he friend with a tax collector? Is he one of the tax collector? Did he take bribe? The whispering all over Zacchaeus’s house.

Jesus said, I am here to call sinners not righteous person. Jesus also found Zacchaeus’s root that he is also the descendent of Abraham. But the centurion is a stranger. They say, don’t even go to stranger’s road. But Jesus tried to get in the stranger centurion’s house, he thought maybe Jesus would have hard time because of coming to his house, so he said, ““I cannot handle it””. Hallelujah.

How great would it be if Jesus came to his house and save the dying slave? But centurion did not do it. The 80s was revival period of Korean church. When opening revival service, many people tried to participate the service and sit at front.

They wanted a good fortune, so they prayed with prayer in tongue, screaming, not caring about others. And the pastors also taught that way. But if you see the faith of centurion, we know what maturity of faith is.

Not sacrificing others for my need, but to know others situations and difficulties more than my need. That was centurion’s faith and that is the true faith.

Not only that. From verse 7 to verse 8 it is written this way. Let us read.

7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

8For 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.“

Amen.

He says “I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.” The centurion considered coming to Jesus is also one of the things that would make Jesus difficult.

The faith of the centurion was to think others. Jesus says things about faith of the centurion. Let’s read verse 9.

9When 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.“

Amen.

Jesus complimented the faith of centurion. And said, that he did not see faith like this in Israel either. The declaration of Jesus was that, the faith of centurion was the best faith of Israel.

Have not found such great faith even in Israel means Jesus was surprised with the faith. Hallelujah. Yes, it is. Dear believers! What is our faith today? The faith cannot be forced.

Concerning others than me and thinking circumstances of others. That is the faith Jesus complained. I hope you all be the faithful man.