Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10
5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6“Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I too 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 servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
Matthew 8:5-13
1After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” 6And 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. 7Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8For 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.” 9When 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.” 10And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.
Luke 7:1-10
As I write this post it is the first thing I am doing this week. While reading the accounts of Jesus and a Centurion in Capernaum I was noticing the similarities of the passages and one core element stood out on this Monday. After Jesus hears of the Centurion’s trust, logic, and resultant faith both Matthew and Luke record that Jesus “marveled at him”. This reaction sparked my interest and after a quick reference to my lexicon I learned that the world “marvel” the ESV uses in translation is the greek word “thaumazo” meaning to wonder at, be amazed or astonished. Humm….
So think about what Matthew and Luke are saying. Jesus, who is God and is all that was, is, and will be. Jesus who knows all things encounters this Centurion and His reaction is “thaumazo”! Wow.
I will finish this post in a few sentences and then complete my “weekly to do list”. I will then meet with Glenda and Aaron in around an hour for our weekly MCBC staff meeting and then pursue ministry, family, and life during the last week of May 2021. I’m convicted though before I go forward. Will any of my plans cause Jesus to react in “thaumazo?”
Both Matthew and Luke make clear Jesus’ reaction was directly due to this man’s faith. A faith that was humble, confident, intentional, and reactive. As I pursue this week I want to model my planning after the Centurion. Planning that is rooted in obedient faith. Planning that is aware of the loss and decay of a world without Christ centered faith. Planning that is humble in purpose and my personal in-ability. Planning that is challenging my heart, mind, and physical abilities. Planning that is reactive in anticipation for Jesus to work in ways only He can. Planning that will leave my Lord “thaumazo”.
What are your plans for the week and why are you making them?
