INTRODUCTION TO DECEMBER LESSONS
The God of the Bible is a God of surprises. About the time we think we have God figured out, he does a “180” and leaves us with our mouths open. Luke’s Gospel of messianic joy holds surprises for soldiers, disciples, shepherds, religious leaders, and others. The ultimate surprise to the crucifixion may well be the resurrection. Buckle up for a study in Luke about a God who surprises.
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Unit: Luke
Theme: Surprise!
Lesson Text: Luke 7:1-10
Supplemental Text: Luke 8:26-39; Philemon 10-21; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Philippians 2:1-9
Aim: Let the centurion’s unexpected faith spur you to make life changes out of trust in Jesus.
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Download a PDF of this week’s lesson material (the Study by Mark Scott, Application by David Faust, and Discovery Questions by Michael C. Mack): LOOKOUT_Dec5_2021.
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By Mark Scott
Faith can come from the most unlikely places. When Jesus told his parable of the two men going up to the temple to pray (Luke 18:9-14), who would have guessed the tax collector would outstrip the Pharisee in his prayer of faith? Or who would have guessed the power of the Roman government would be the place to look for great faith? But surprise, surprise.
The story of the centurion’s faith has been a major battleground for scholars due to how the story is told by Matthew (8:5-13) and Luke (7:1-10). Matthew says the centurion came to Jesus and requested the healing of his servant. Luke says the centurion’s request was made through Jews who advocated on his behalf. Is this a clear-cut contradiction? Is there a way to harmonize the accounts? Is it an allowable literary device for how stories were told in the ancient world? Or is the difference located in the theological purposes of the writers (Matthew wanting to show Rome bowing to the kingdom of God and Luke wanting to show the unity between Jew and Gentile in the kingdom of God)? We may not know for sure, but we do see that the centurion demonstrated unexpected faith.
Unexpected Candidate
Luke 7:1-6a
After Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17-49), Jesus entered Capernaum. This city is still called “the town of Jesus.” It was the base of his ministry operations. Many of his miracles were performed there. It was a beautiful middle-class fishing village on the northern part of the Sea of Galilee.
A centurion was a Roman soldier on the order of a modern-day lieutenant. He oversaw 100 men, as the term implies. Centurions were viewed as the backbone of the Roman army and were given special privileges. So, it was a stunning scene for an oppressor to bow before someone he was oppressing. Surprisingly, centurions are given very good press in the New Testament. They stub their toes only once (Acts 27:11).
This centurion valued highly (esteemed someone as dear) his servant. The servant was sick and about to die. Matthew’s account says the servant was paralyzed and suffering terribly (Matthew 8:6). Jesus was well known by this time, so the centurion sent some elders of the Jews to him. Normally this would have brought disdain from the Jews. But they made an exception in his case because the centurion loved the people he oppressed. He might even have used some of his own money to build their synagogue. (This is an impressive synagogue to this day—the fourth-century one perhaps sits atop the one the centurion built.) So, the Jews pleaded earnestly for Jesus to come. And Jesus, ever putting himself at the disposal of people evidencing faith, got up and went.
Unexpected Response
Luke 7:6b-8
As Jesus made his way to the centurion, the soldier was overwhelmed by Jesus’ graciousness. He didn’t wish for Jesus to trouble (to harass or make weary) himself with coming. He acknowledged through his friends that he did not deserve for Jesus to come to him. This not only was surprising faith, it was true humility. He did not consider himself worthy (sufficient) for Jesus to come. He pleaded for Jesus to just say the word (i.e., let the Living Word speak the spoken word). He believed Jesus could heal from long distance. Perhaps he had heard of such things (cf. John 4:46-54).
This centurion understood how authority works. He answered to people, and people answered to him. By making such a statement, the centurion clearly acknowledged Jesus’ authority, which was the reaction to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:28-29). For a Roman to make such a statement about a Jew was remarkable and most unexpected.
A Marveling Messiah
Luke 7:9-10
God can surprise us, but can God be surprised? In the Gospel record, Jesus was surprised—well, he marveled—twice. Both times had to do with faith—its lack (Mark 6:6) and its abundance (Luke 7:9). Jesus was amazed with this centurion’s faith; it was off the charts when compared to the average Israelite’s faith. Matthew expanded on this response; he quoted Jesus as saying this kind of faith ensured such people would be present at the messianic table (Matthew 8:11-12). Not all miracles demand faith as a prerequisite, but this centurion’s request was granted in conjunction with his faith. The men went home and found the servant well. Surprised? Not really—when Jesus is in the equation.
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