The Centurion's Faith
T. Manton. Luke 7:1-10 Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.… Now, that we may profit by this example, let us consider these three things — 1. What was his faith, and wherein the greatness of it lay. 2. How this faith was bred and begotten in him. 3. The effects and fruits of it, or how it discovered itself. I. THE NATURE OF HIS FAITH. It was a firm persuasion that all power and authority was eminently in Christ, and that He could do what He pleased. 1. You must distinguish of the times. In that age there was no human reason to believe this truth. Antiquity was against it, and therefore, when Paul preached Jesus, they said, " He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods" (Acts 17:18). Authority was against it: "Which none of the princes of this world knew, for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:8). The universal consent of the habitable world was against it; Only a small handful of contemptible people owned Him: "Fear not, little flock " (Luke 12:32). At that time it was the critical point, the hated truth, that the carpenter's Son should be owned as the Son of God. Those bleak winds that blow in our backs, and thrust us onward to believe, blew in their faces, and drove them from it; those very reasons which move us to own Christ moved them to reject Him. For many ages the name of Christ bath been in request and honour, but then it was a despised way. At His first appearance a certain persuasion, impressed upon the soul by the Spirit of God, of the Divine power and all-sufficiency of Christ, so as to repair to I-lira for help, was faith and great faith; when the veil of His human nature and infirmities did not keep the eye of faith from seeing Him to have a Divine power, though they could not unriddle all the mysteries about His Person and office, this was accepted for saving faith. 2. The speculative belief of this truth was not sufficient then, no more than it is now, but the practical improvement. Grant that truth, that Jesus is the Son of God, and other things will follow, as that we must obey His laws, and depend upon His promises, and make use of His power, and trust ourselves in His hands; otherwise the bare acknowledgment was not sufficient. II. How was THIS FAITH WROUGHT AND BRED IN HIM? I answer — The groundwork was laid in his knowledge of the omnipotency and power of God, and his acquaintance with the Scriptures of the Old Testament, though he were not a professed Jew. This prepared for his faith in Christ; the report or hearing was the ground of faith: "Who hath believed our report?" (Isaiah 53:1.) He had heard by fame of His excellent doctrine: " That He taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matthew 7:29). And he had heard the rumour of His miracles, more particularly the late instance of curing the leper, which was notorious and public; for Christ biddeth him "show himself to the priests" (Matthew 8:4); and also the miracle in recovering the ruler's son, an instance near, which was done in time before this: "And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum; end he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, and he went unto Him, and besought Him that He would come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death" (John 4:46, 47). By all which he was moved to ascribe the omnipotency of God, which he knew before, to Jesus Christ. Thus the Spirit of God blessed the knowledge of this centurion, and the rumours that were brought to him of Christ's doctrine and miracles. III. THE EFFECTS OR FRUITS OF IT, OR NOW IT DISCOVERED ITSELF. 1. In that he applieth himself to Christ. They that believe in Christ will come to Him, and put Him upon work, whilst others prize His name but neglect His office. A gracious heart will find occasions and opportunities of acquaintance with Christ, if not for themselves yet for others; for when they have heard of Him, they cannot keep from Him. 2. That He accounteth misery an object proper enough for mercy to work upon. The centurion came to Him, saying, "Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented " (verse 6), that is, grievously affected with the disease. Alas! what can we bring to Christ but sins and sicknesses? 3. When Christ offereth to come and heal him, "I will come and heal him" (verse 7), (which was the great condescension of the Son of God to a poor servant), see how the centurion taketh it, "He answered, and said, Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof" (verse 8). Humility is a fruit of faith. Why are true and sound believers so ready to profess their unworthiness? They have a deeper sense of God's majesty and greatness than others have, and also a more broken-hearted sense of their own vileness by reason of sin. They have a more affective light and sight of things; God is another thing to them than before, so is sin and self. 4. He is content with Christ's word without His bodily presence: "Speak but the word, and my servant shall be healed." God's word is enough to a believer. 5. Here is Christ's power and dominion over all events, and events that concern us and ours, fully acknowledged, and that is a great point gained: "He is Lord both of the dead and living" (Romans 14:9). Health and sickness are at His command. "I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I, the Lord, do all these things" (Isaiah 45:7). 6. He reasoneth from the strict discipline observed in the Roman armies, where there was no disputing of commands or questioning why and wherefore: "I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me; and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth." Reasoning for God and His promises is a great advantage. We are naturally acute in reasoning against faith, but when the understanding is quick and ready to invent arguments to encourage faith, it is a good sign. Use. Go you and do likewise. From the example of the centurion let me encourage you — (1) To readiness of believing (James 3:17). (2) To represent our necessity to Christ, and refer the event to Him, to commit and submit all to Him. (3) To be humble. In all our commerce with Christ, faith must produce a real humility. Faith is most high when the heart is most low (Luke 18:11-14). (4) To meditate often on the sovereign dominion of Christ, and His power over all things that fall out in the world. (T. Manton.) Parallel Verses KJV: Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. WEB: After he had finished speaking in the hearing of the people, he entered into Capernaum.