The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany (CL)

Luke 7:1-10

After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. ² Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. ³ When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, ⁵ for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” ⁶ 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. ⁷ Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. ⁸ 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.” ⁹ 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.” ¹⁰ And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

There is a strange contrast between the elders of the Jews and the centurion with his friends. Most of the time we want to present our friends as worthy individuals. We can recall the good things they have done in their life. We will even tell about how they helped build the addition onto the church. But the centurion does not view himself as worthy of anything. He rather says, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.”

This text is more about faith than we would generally think. It is about the faith of a humble servant. A soldier that knows he is supposed to follow certain commands. The centurion knows that he has failed to live of to the standard of the Jewish God. He knows that he is not worthy for such a God to even command him. But at the same time recognizes the power of Jesus Christ. He is certain that Jesus Christ can heal his servant.

This text is also about the power of the Word of God. When you speak the simple phrase, “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” This word brings with it great authority and power. This word speaks it brings things to life. This word heals people. This word actually does have the power to forgiven sins. It has this power because the Word of God was made flesh and took your sins upon himself. This word is not just any other word, it is the Word of God, Jesus Christ who was crucified for the forgiveness of your sin.