January 20, 2025 | Be God's Family
Peeling Back the Layers
Scripture: Matthew 8:1-13(NIV)
1 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come 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 amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, 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! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
Devotional
Reading (and rereading) the Bible I am reminded of the movie Shrek, where Shrek tries to explain the complexity of ogres.
“Layers! Onions have layers. Ogres have layers! Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers.”
The Bible is not an ogre, but it certainly does have layers. Every time I read a passage I see another layer. Let’s look at the Faith of the Centurion.
At face value, a Centurion came to Jesus asking for a miracle, the healing of his valued servant. The Centurion didn’t need to have Jesus come to his house to perform the miracle. Instead, as the Centurion knew he had authority and his orders would be obeyed, he also knew Jesus has authority and His word will be done. Jesus praised him and it’s a great story of faith.
But is there more? Let’s look a little closer at this Centurion. A Centurion was the commander of 100 men in the Roman Army, roughly equivalent to a Captain. The Roman Army was his career and his life. Yes, he had the authority to command and knew that his commands would be carried out, but that authority, and morale, was always being tested. He could not show weakness to his men or poor judgment to his superiors.
And where or what was his “home” where his servant would be? It was the army barracks. To bring Jesus, a Jew subject to Roman rule, to the barracks to heal his servant would be seen by his men and his superiors. The Centurion of faith took a bold and risky step to publicly ask Jesus for a miracle. But taking Jesus to the barracks was a bridge too far.
And yet, Jesus revealed His true nature by His response. He could have rebuked the Centurion, as he did the rich young man in Matthew 19, but he didn’t. He knew what the Centurion had already risked. So instead of a rebuke, Jesus used it as an object lesion in faith, love and compassion. Jesus knew what this Centurion needed, and He provided it.
Jesus knows what we need too.
Poem
Your Power
Psalm 62
All power belongs to You, O God
And Your power is Your love for me
Though my frame is all weak
Leaning, crumbling to earth
Your power is Your love for me
When attacked from without
Or attacked from within
Your power is Your love for me
I can stand firmly planted
With nary a doubt
For Your power is Your love for me
So I run to you now
Though my leprous sin
Shouts a hopeless future
Far way from all kin
I can fall at Your feet
I can call on Your name
Your authority, pow’r
I can fully now claim
For Your power is Your love for me
O yes!
Your power is Your love for me
All power belongs to You, O God
And Your power is Your love for me
Though my frame is all weak
Leaning, crumbling to earth
Your power is Your love for me
When attacked from without
Or attacked from within
Your power is Your love for me
I can stand firmly planted
With nary a doubt
For Your power is Your love for me
