A Centurion – Finding God in Someone You Don’t Expect

For the last month in worship we’ve been talking about Finding God in Unexpected Places and those sermons were about finding God in undesirable circumstances like when we’ve been mistreated or can’t sleep, when our life gets turned upside down and we have to get used to a “new normal” or when we can’t get well. This morning, we’re going to hear from God’s Word about an encounter Jesus had with a Roman Centurion.


March 22, 2015
Matthew 8:5-13, A Centurion – Finding God in Someone You Don’t Expect
Pastor Doug Scalise, Brewster Baptist Church

Audio only[powerpress]

The centurion who approached Jesus was part of an elite officer core that formed the backbone of the Roman army. A Roman legion consisted of 6,000 troops, which was divided into 60 “centuries,” each containing 100 men and commanded by a centurion. The centurions were key middle managers who were responsible for army discipline. They were crucial to the Roman military machine.

When you hear the word “centurion” what’s the first image that comes to your mind? Some of us may think of centurions or Roman soldiers we’ve seen in movies like Gladiator, Spartacus, Ben Hur, Quo Vadis or The Robe. The image I think most of us have of a centurion is someone who is tough and battle-hardened.

A picture of Doug Scalise in a sweaterEven if we don’t realize it consciously, we often expect to meet God in people who are like us – people who look like us, dress like us, act like we do, and believe like we do. It can be quite surprising and stunning when we discover faith in someone who outwardly is utterly different than ourselves. This is what happens when Jesus meets a Roman Centurion and it can happen for us as well. Listen to Matthew 8:5-13,

5 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” 8 The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also 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 slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” 10 When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.” And the servant was healed in that hour.

This passage begins in Capernaum, the village on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee which was home for several of the disciples. A centurion comes to Jesus asking him to help his servant. Think about that for a moment. A centurion was the commander of 100 Roman soldiers like those occupying Judea in Jesus’ time. His presence was a reminder that they were not free, but an occupied nation and a conquered people. How do you think the people who lived there felt about the presence of Roman soldiers in their country? How would any of us feel about the presence of an occupying army? How do people in other countries feel about it today? Most of us would likely be angry, bitter, resentful, and want them to leave. If you were with Jesus, if you were Peter, James or John, what do you think your emotional response would’ve been to a soldier of a foreign army coming to Jesus asking him to heal his servant? If we were with Jesus, I suspect at least some of us would want Jesus to tell the centurion to get lost and go home and to leave us alone. Or we might be thinking the centurion had a lot of nerve to ask Jesus to heal his servant; we might even wonder if it was a trap. All these responses would be understandable…and not at all how Jesus responds to the centurion. Jesus has a love for and openness to other people that is greater than our own and I suspect he was intrigued by being approached by a centurion, someone in whom at this point even Jesus didn’t expect to find faith.

What set this centurion apart was his keen understanding of authority and the healthy use of power. For the most part, Roman centurions were too busy with the emperor’s business to spend time thinking about the well-being of slaves. Slaves were considered nothing more than property, expendable commodities that could easily be bought and sold. In demonstrating deep concern for his slave, the centurion showed that he was different than most men in his position. He did everything in his power to help his slave who had found a place in his heart and home. Battle-hardened and tough as the centurion likely was, he still had an intense desire to alleviate his slave’s suffering.

In Matthew 8:7, Jesus says, “I will come and heal him,” even though according to rabbinical law if Jesus were to enter a Gentile home he would have been made unclean. Jesus is willing to break the religious law in order to share God’s love and grace with a member of a group of people (a Roman centurion) that his fellow Jews viewed at best, as far less favored by God, and, at worst, were looked down upon as awful sinners who were to be avoided at all costs. You can be sure Jesus was criticized for being willing to go to the home of a Roman centurion. What are the implications for our attitude and approach to other people, especially those who may appear on the surface to be quite different than ourselves, if we followed Jesus example? Who would we be going to in our community and in our country if we did what Jesus did? Who are the centurions to us?

The centurion replies to Jesus’ offer to come to his home by saying, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also 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 slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” When Jesus heard him, he was amazed.” In Mark 6:6, Jesus is “amazed” at the “unbelief” of people in his hometown. Here, he is amazed at the faith of a foreign soldier. Think about that for a moment. Jesus is amazed that the people who knew him best, who shared his heritage, culture, roots, and language with whom he had so much in common were skeptical, cynical, and dismissive. Yet this centurion who grew up in a different country with whom he had so little in common, saw in Jesus power, authority, and compassion to which he appealed, not on behalf of himself, but on behalf of his servant.

I believe this is the only story in the Gospels where Jesus is described as being “amazed” in a positive way and his amazement is at discovering great faith in someone he and his disciples and the first hearers of the Gospel wouldn’t expect. By the time the Gospel of Matthew was written, part of what the author is showing by sharing this story and that of the centurion at the crucifixion who said (Matthew 27:54), “Truly this man was God’s son!” is that some Romans recognized who Jesus truly was from the beginning.

Jesus is amazed the centurion had so much faith and trust in his power to heal as well as in his willingness to cross cultural barriers regardless of prejudices to help someone who was suffering. The centurion was also willing to risk the ridicule of the men under him who might criticize him for going to Jesus for help. He doesn’t care about what his men might say, all he knows is his slave is in terrible distress and he believes Jesus can help him. Compassionate use of power and authority characterized both Jesus and the centurion and is one of the habits we want to cultivate in our own lives. Many people say, “Seeing is believing.” In the Gospels, Jesus doesn’t look positively on people who say “seeing is believing,” who are always asking for “signs” that he is who he claims to be and yet are blind to what Jesus is doing right in their midst. The Centurion doesn’t need to see anything – all he needs is for Jesus to speak the Word and give the command and he believes it will be done. That’s faith!

Try to picture what the disciples looked like while Jesus and the centurion had this brief conversation. Can you see their jaws dropping? Can you see the stunned, surprised looks on their faces? This is still early in Jesus’ ministry, it’s not like the disciples are totally clear about who Jesus is and what he’s about, I mean he hasn’t even called Matthew to follow him yet (that happens in the next chapter in Matthew 9:9). But this centurion is already 100% convinced. It’s really stunning. Have you ever had the experienced of “being surprised” that someone you thought or judged to be far from God actually possessed strong faith – maybe even stronger than your own? It’s a pretty humbling experience. Some of us who have gone on cross cultural mission trips whether to other countries or other parts of the United States have often encountered people who are of a different race, ethnic background, or a totally different socio-economic group than we usually associate with, or with far less education than we have, – and yet the faith of many of these people puts us to shame. Their trust in Jesus power, authority, and compassion is on a whole different level than ours.

“When Jesus heard the centurion he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” If we’re among those following Jesus these words are unexpected and scary and exciting. Jesus’ words are unexpected because the idea that Gentiles, that non-Jews will be sitting at the table in the kingdom of heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is mind blowing for them. People of different races and nationalities and classes than us will be sitting with the greats of the faith in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus’ words are scary because those who are “heirs of the kingdom,” those who are insiders and think we’ve got reservations at the heavenly banquet no matter what we think, do, or say or how we respond to Jesus may find ourselves thrown out into the outer darkness, where people live with regret and tears because they didn’t believe. Jesus’ image of the banquet in 8:11-12 serve as a warning to us not to get too smug, sure, or arrogant about the level of our faith compared to other people. You can grow up “in” the faith and have no faith. Arrogance and judging other people are two of the most common sins that Christians commit even though when Jesus talks about judgment here, in Matthew 7:21-23 and Matthew 25:31-46 and elsewhere he makes it clear there are going to be unexpected surprises. Some people who are sure they’re in are going to be surprised to be out and others who didn’t realize they’d be welcomed and included will be. Humility, love, mercy, and grace are critical attitudes and virtues for us to have toward other people. Finally, Jesus’ words are exciting because they opened the doors of faith to all people including Gentiles like the Roman Centurion and us.

This encounter between Jesus and the Centurion challenges us to live in such a way that we don’t judge who we think is “in” or “out” when it comes to faith. Are there groups or types of people that you may need to look at with new eyes in light of this gospel story? How many of us have friends of a different race or nationality, friends whose socio-economic status is significantly different than our own, friends who may dress differently, cut their hair differently, even ink and pierce their bodies differently than we do? Can we look at individuals who are different than ourselves and not see what we think “they need to fix, change, or cover up” and instead see someone God loves and for whom Christ died? That is the spiritual challenge for all of us. And one of the beautiful things about a healthy church is it gives us the opportunity to befriend people from different races, ethnic backgrounds and social and economic status than ourselves as many of us have done and we’ve been blessed as a result, haven’t we? At BBC on Sunday mornings we can be intentional about taking the first step to talk to someone with a different ethnic background or from another country. Being part of the body of Christ which is the church gives us the opportunity to widen our circle of relationships and interaction.

In many ways, today’s story about the faith of the centurion is an illustration of what Jesus says in the previous chapter in Matthew 7:1-2, “Do not judge so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” Some of Jesus’ followers would have assumed that a man like the centurion was beyond God’s grace, and incapable of faith or being part of the banquet in the kingdom of heaven. And they would have been completely wrong. It scares me to think that we may do that as well about people in our time. Each individual has to wrestle with his or her own prejudice or bias that might cause us to dismiss modern day “centurions” as being beyond God’s reach and incapable of saving faith. It’s important for us to take Jesus’ words seriously in Matthew 7:1-5 about not judging other people. Jesus’ parable of the Weeds in the Wheat in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 also makes it clear that at the end of the age the Son of Man (Jesus) will send angels to do the “sorting” of who is “a weed” and who is “wheat.” It’s not our job to usurp God’s authority to judge others. It’s our job to have faith, to love God and our neighbors, to serve, and to grow in Christlikeness. As people of faith we also look at other people, no matter how different they may be from us as people God loves and for whom Christ died.

Jesus wants to see in us the same attitude of faith and expectation that was present in the Centurion. Jesus invites us to come to him in faith, trusting in his power and desire to help us; and expecting God to show up in unexpected people and unexpected places.

Prayer God of mystery and surprises, we thank you for the ways you show up in unexpected places and unexpected people. Remind us when we’ve been mistreated that you see us and hear our cries. When you speak to us in the middle of the night or even in the light of day, help us to say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” When circumstances take us to places we would never have chosen to go – help us to keep choosing to make the best of life where we are. When we’re sick and coping with chronic physical challenges pour your power and grace upon us. Grant us faith as strong as the centurion that we might trust your power to do us good and not harm as long as we live. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Questions for Discussion or Reflection

  1. A centurion was the commander of 100 Roman soldiers like those occupying Judea in Jesus’ time. How do you think the people who lived there felt about their presence in their country? If you were with Jesus, what do you think your response would have been emotionally to a soldier of a foreign army coming to Jesus asking him to heal his servant?
  2. In Matthew 8:7, Jesus says, “I will come and heal him,” even though according to rabbinical law if Jesus were to enter a Gentile home he would have been made unclean. What are the implications for our attitude and approach to other people if we followed Jesus example?
  3. Why do you think Jesus was so impressed with the faith of the centurion?
  4. Have you ever had the experienced of “being surprised” that someone you thought or judged to be far from God actually possessed strong faith? Who was it and what happened?
  5. In what ways does Jesus’ image of the banquet in 8:11-12 serve as a warning not to get too smug, sure, or arrogant about the level of our faith compared to other people?
  6. How can we live in such a way that we don’t judge who we think is “in” or “out” when it comes to faith? Are there groups or types of people that you may need to look at with new eyes in light of this gospel story?
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