Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” 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. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 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.” 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.” And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. (Luke 7:2–10)
The elders who pleaded with Jesus valued the centurion for what he had done for them. His generous contribution to the construction of their synagogue certainly influenced their opinion. Anyone who loved them that much had to be a good man.
They also thought that Jesus dispensed healing based on merit. Perhaps this was a Jewish idea, but most people think that way. When life turns sour, prayers include bargaining beginning with, “I’ve been a good person . . . .”
When Jesus met the centurion, this man gave a different estimation of himself. He didn’t consider himself worthy even to invite Jesus into his home. But he did know something about authority, and this was his appeal to Jesus. He recognized the Lord as one who could say the word and things happened. Jesus commended him for his faith saying it was greater than any faith He’d seen in God’s people, the Jews.
By Jesus’ definition, faith is not about merit. It didn’t matter what the Jewish elders thought of this centurion, nor did it matter what the centurion thought of himself. The point is, what do we think of Jesus?
My opinion of myself can be all over the map. I can pat myself on the back when I do something that pleases me or pleases others, but I can also moan and wail that it wasn’t “good enough” or that I didn’t give my best effort. When it comes to pleading with Jesus for anything, woe is me if the basis of my plea is my opinion of my own worth, or even any opinions of others about my worth. An inflated ego has no grounds before God, nor does a self-pitying, poor-me focus. What really counts is that I believe in the promises and power of Jesus Christ. Faith is about Him.
You teach me at least two lessons in this story. The first is that whenever I think I’m a hotshot, others will likely have the opposite view. Beware of an inflated idea of who I am. The second is that regardless of private or public opinion, asking You for anything is not about merit, earning or deserving it, or my reputation. It is about faith that You can deliver, that You will keep Your promises. I must never come to You thinking that I deserve anything, but rather come because I know that when You say, “Do this” — it gets done.
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