The Centurion of Amazing Faith What is a Centurion?

 

The Centurion of Amazing Faith

What is a Centurion?

The Centurion said

9 For 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."

Jesus said in response

10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.

This military leader did not consider himself worthy of Jesus’ presence

Because as a military leader he understood what is was to serve

As front line leader for those in authority over him

He understood honor, respect and trust

He understood discipline and humility

He understood what it was like to serve a kingdom

He must have understood the message Jesus was preaching

The Kingdom of Heaven

Maybe we, too, should put on the helmet of a Centurion leader

To think like a military leader so we might have great or amazing faith

The Centurion of Amazing Faith

What is a Centurion?

 

Matthew and Luke both write about a Centurion.

 

A Centurion who Jesus said had amazing faith.

 

This account has a lot to unpack

so let’s start by answering the question…

 

What is a Centurion?

 

A Centurion was a Roman army commander.

 

A Commander of 100 military men

thus, we get the word centurion

from the word century, meaning 100.

 

The size of the century changed over time,

and from the First Century BC through most

of the Imperial Era (Rome fell in AD 476)

the century was reduced to 80 men.

  

A centurion was a leader.

 

In battle, he wore a helmet with a large feather

or horse hair crest from left to right.

 

The reason is he is a leader who needs

to be seen by his followers.

 

This would give his soldiers courage.

 

To the enemy it brought fear but…

 

 Also made him an easy seen target.

 

So, the Centurion was a man

who led by example…

 

Putting his life on the line and expected

his soldiers to have the same commitment.

 

The Centurion and his men were

a unit of measurement in the Roman army called…

 

 A Legion, a unit of 5000 men.

 

In battle, the Centurion had to work

alongside other Centurions

and under other leaders.

 

He had to be in authority

and a team member, as well as,

 under authority.

 

A Centurion could move up in rank but…

 

 As you got higher in rank, the role

of soldier became more political.

 

As you went up the line of authority…

 

 Centurions would get orders from not only

those skilled in battle, but…

 

 Political leaders whose motivation may not

be the motivation of the Centurions.

 

A Centurion had to understand authority.

 

He had to know how to gain respect and honor.

 

A Centurion needed to understand humility,

honor, respect, confidence and trust.

 

These were highly disciplined men.

  

Centurions did more than fight wars.

 

They led their disciplined men in keeping peace,

watched over the trade routes,

the collecting of taxes and

many other areas of social life.

  

They not only dealt harshly with law breakers…

 

But served to make life better for the communities

and cities where people lived.

  

The Centurion would use his men

as construction workers

to build infrastructure.

 

In the case of the Centurion in Matthew 8 and Luke 7…

 

 He loved the Jewish people or nation

and built their synagogue.

 

We must appreciate this man as a Roman Centurion

in order to get the message in Matthew 8 and Luke 7.

 

He was not a Jew, not a descendant of Abraham.

 

He was compassionate and caring for His servant.

 

There a centurion's servant,

whom his master valued highly,

 was sick and about to die.

Luke 7:2

 

He was a friend of the Jewish Elders.

 

The centurion heard of Jesus

and sent some elders of the Jews to him,

asking him to come and heal his servant.

Luke 7:3

 

He used his authority to help the Jewish people

and built their synagogue.

 

Jewish elders pleaded earnestly with him, Jesus,

"This man deserves to have you do this,

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

Luke 7:4,5

 

The Centurion showed humility.

 

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. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.

Luke 7:6,7

 

The Centurion understood the power of Jesus Words

But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

 Luke 7:7

 

The Centurion understood the power

of Jesus’ words from his experience.

 

For 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."

Luke 7:8

 

Jesus is the God of the universe.

 

He rules over the heavens and the earth.

 

Jesus rules with authority and power.

 

Jesus cares and loves the people He rules over.

 

The Centurion could identify with who Jesus was

through His experiences as being a Roman Centurion.

 

Jesus said the Centurion had great or amazing faith.

 

We should ask ourselves…

 

 What was it that Jesus would say?

 

When 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." 

Matthew 8:10 and Luke 7:9

 

The Centurion understood

what it took to rule a kingdom.

 

What it took to make life better for others.

 

He knew the role of authority, honor, respect,

power, confidence trust and humility

played in making a kingdom great.

 

The Centurion recognized

and understood the message of Jesus…

 

His message of the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

The Centurion saw Jesus as more then a man

with some special gift to heal.

 

He believed and addressed Jesus as “Lord”…

 

 See Matthew 8:6,8 Luke 7:6.

 

A ruler with greater authority and power then Himself.

 

In order for you and I to understand why Jesus said…

 

When Jesus heard this,

he was astonished and said to those following him,

"I tell you the truth,

I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith

Matthew 8:10

 

We must view ourselves as military leaders.

 

As a good friend of mine

who served in the U.S. army said…

 

 “I belonged to the Army”

 

He was enlisted to do good,

to protect and serve.

 

To obey, honor, respect and trust with great humility.

 

Matthew 8:8 and Luke 7:6,7 says…

 

 The Centurion said he was not worthy.

 

What makes a person worthy of God?

 

Jesus helped answer this question in Matthew 37-38…

 

"Anyone who loves his father or mother

 more than me is not worthy of me;

anyone who loves his son or daughter

more than me is not worthy of me;

38 and anyone who does not take his cross

and follow me is not worthy of me.

 

The positive side of Jesus’ statement

of being worthy is…

 

Love others…

 

 But love God more.

 

No matter what battle the Lord sends you into…

 

 Take up your cross and keep following Jesus.

 

Being a military leader who led his troops

by being in the front of the attack

and doing it because he submitted himself

to the authority above him cause him…

 

 To understand something John

records many years later.

 

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

"Now have come the salvation

and the power and the kingdom of our God,

and the authority of his Christ.

For the accuser of our brothers,

who accuses them before our God day and night,

has been hurled down.

11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony;

they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

Revelation 12:10-11

 

What a powerful story to help us understand

what Jesus calls Great or Amazing Faith.

 

 

A good video on what a Centurion was

https://youtu.be/vfxk5ckqq4o?si=yg36sV6vwP44dRFs

 

 

Scripture Reading

 

Matthew 8:5-13 NIV

 

 *Highlighted words are those not found in the other Gospel 

 

5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 "Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."

7 Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."

8 The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For 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."

10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.

 

 

Luke 7:1-10 NIV

 

1 When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." 6 So 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. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.   8 For 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."

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