Christ

m01550

TITLE: THE ODD COUPLE

SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 7:1-10

OUTLINE:

I. REALIZING THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES

II. REALIZING THE PROBABLE ALTERNATIVES

III. REALIZING THE PROPER RESULT

INTRODUCTION:

We all probably know of the movie and tv series the Odd Couple that is about two men that live in the same apartment. One is a neat freak and the other is a mess maker.

We also know that the whole basis of the show was the great antagonism that was set up between the two. The neat freak was always totally frustrated with the messes of the mess maker, and the mess maker was always totally frustrated with never knowing where the neat freak put his things.

We will see in this passage a very strange pairing of personalities. We will see Jesus Christ the Messiah of the Jews in touch with a Roman centurion. Jesus the itinerant preacher/healer and a Gentile officer. In this time the Jews had little respect for the Romans as a whole - they were the oppressors, yet in this account we will see the two brought together due to the close relation of this gentile with the Jews in Christ's adopted city.

We won't see the antagonism of the odd couple in this pair of personalities either. We will see the perfect melding of faith, and the God that honors that faith.

The parallel passages Matt 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10 have a few differences. Matt. seems to be a synopsis of the account while Luke, the doctor, gave the usual detail that he would be used to.

Matthew also was writing to Jewish people primarily and to mention a gentile centurion sending Jewish elders, would have taken more time and space to explain. Concerning the fact that Matt. pictures the centurion speaking to Christ personally, some say there is a contradiction between the accounts. Matthew is only using a way of speaking that he uses in Matt. 27:26 where he mentions that Pilate scourged Christ, when in reality his agents did the scourging.

The accounts are pretty much the same. Luke mentions that the servants returning home found the servant healed, while Matt. simply mentions that the servant was healed at that hour.

The context of the passage in time is immediately after Christ has delivered the well-known sermon on the mount. He has come from the sermon, being followed by some of his listeners and is confronted with this opportunity to express Himself in all His power.

I. REALIZING THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES

Vs. 1 "Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum."

Capernaum is a city on the western side of the Sea of Galilee. It is normally called a city in the Scripture showing that it was of some size. It is mentioned in the Gospels that Christ taught in the synagogue that was there - indeed, the one we will see mentioned later that the centurion had built.

Capernaum seems to have been where Christ returned from time to time and it is indicated that he had a place of residence there, whether his own or one provided for Him we don't know for sure. Most likely it was a provided residence for He and the disciples when they were in the area. Mark 2:1 mentions, "And again he entered into Capernaum after [some] days; and it was noised that he was in the house." One commentator mentions that it may have been Peter's house that was being made available to them.

Mark 1:29-34 mentions both the fact that Christ ministered in the Synagogue at Capernaum, and that Peter had a house there where his wife and wife's mother lived. "And straightway when they were come out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John."(29) Mark 1:21 lists this as capernaum. The account is also seen in Luke 4:38-41; Matt 8:14-17.

Christ was originally from Nazareth according to Mark 1:9, but Matt 4:13 records, "And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the seacoast of the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali," Take time to read the Luke account of this in 4:16-31 and you will see that Christ was run out of Nazareth and this is probably why He decided to live elsewhere.

Vs. 2 "And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die."

In the Roman army a legion was made up of 60 centuries and were led by six tribunes. Each Century was made up of 100 soldiers overseen by two centurions. There were different levels of centurions. I assume that there was one head and one lower centurion.

"Tertullian [one of the early church fathers] was born Quintus Septimus Florens Tertullianus in Carthage, the son of a Roman centurion."

The centurion in our account was a Roman officer, however he seems to have been very close to the Jewish community. This is seen in two items in Luke's account.

1. He was on speaking terms with the Jewish elders, which was something in this situation. The Jews were not all that loving to the Romans that were over them in Christ's time.

2. The man also had built the Jews a synagogue. This would indicate that the Centurion was close to the Jewish need - whether this was political, to get along, or whether this was spiritual and he was a proselyte, we don't know.

At this time in history a man could build a house and then give it to the people of a place for a synagogue and the Jews would view it as a synagogue. This may have been what the centurion had done - built a house with his own money and his soldiers labor - then given it to the Jews of the city.

Easton mentions in his dictionary that "The centurions mentioned in the New Testament are uniformly spoken of in terms of praise, whether in the Gospels or in the Acts. It is interesting to compare this with the statement of Polybius (vi. 24) that the centurions were chosen by merit, and so were men remarkable not so much for their daring courage as for their deliberation, constancy, and strength of mind.", Dr. Maclear's N. T. Hist.

Verse two mentions that this servant was dear unto the centurion. There was a closeness between the master and slave. This tells us a lot about the master I should think. A master does not normally view a slave with much emotion. The centurion had become attached to the slave over the time of their relationship. (We don't know, but assume that the servant was not a Jew.)

The term translated dear is translated precious in I Pet. 2:4-6 which speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ. "4 To whom coming, [as unto] a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, [and] precious, 5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded."

The servant’s dearness to his master is also seen in the fact that he is sick unto death in HIS MASTER’S HOUSE. It was the custom in this day to have sick servants removed to infirmaries or slave quarters, not to the masters home.

II. REALIZING THE PROBABLE ALTERNATIVES

Vs. 3 "And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant."

The term beseeching is related to one of the terms used of the Holy Spirit that has the thought of calling someone along side for encouragement or assistance.

He knew that there was nothing that he could do - that he needed outside intervention into the situation to save the servant's life.

Vss. 4-5 "And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: 5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue."

It is clear that the Jewish elders held the centurion in high regard, and were really hoping that Christ would intervene.

Contemplate this picture for awhile. This centurion has authority over the city of Capernum and the population views him with high regard. The centurion must have been quite a man in his life before these Jews.

Now, consider those that have authority over us in our daily life. Can we say the same thing of them - that they are worthy of Christ's help, that they love us as a nation? Can we really say that of our city leaders, our state leaders, our federal leaders?

All are NEEDY of Christ's help, but I can't say that many of them are really WORTHY of Christ's help. I personally think this says something about our leaders today.

The comment that the centurion loved the nation of Israel is of some interest as well. The Roman empire was the greatest empire on earth in all of history to that time, yet the centurion loved the Jewish nation. He saw something in these Jewish people that he wanted to make his own. It would be of interest to know if he were a believer in the God of the Jews, and also whether he was a follower of the Messiah.

Vs. 6 "Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:"

Clarke mentions that the term translated Lord should probably be translated Sir rather than Lord. This would be the normal translation of the term when a Roman soldier is using this Greek word.

Gill mentions of this thought of the centurion being unworthy, "he might know full well the law of the Jews, that it was not lawful for a Jew to go into the house of an uncircumcised Gentile; and though he might be a proselyte of righteousness, and so his house was free of entrance; yet considering his own meanness, and the greatness of Christ, who was become so famous for his doctrines and miracles, he thought it too great a stoop for Christ to come into his house, and too high a favour for him to enjoy."

NOTICE: The centurion felt so strongly about his unworthiness that he jeopardized the possible healing of his dear servant. He really felt that it would not be right for Christ to enter into his home.

Vs. 7 "Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed."

The centurion did not feel that he was worthy of even speaking to the Lord. He had sent the Jewish elders to speak for him. The man knew much of the Jewish protocol I would think. The Romans and the Jews did not normally mix company unless there were political issues to be settled.

Vs. 8 "For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth [it]."

Verse eight is of interest to me. Why does it exist? Both Matt. and Luke mention this. I assume that he knew Christ would know what he was talking about or he wouldn't have said it. He knew Christ was under authority, yet in authority as he was. Remember this for later, as I want to comment on it briefly.

Vs. 9 "When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel."

Wow! What a slam in the face of the Jewish people. The Jewish elders of the local synagogue were there as were other Jewish leaders I would suspect. I CAN'T SEE THIS KIND OF FAITH IN MY OWN PEOPLE! I think that the Jewish community must have perked up their ears over that one!

So let's take a look at the alternatives the centurion had. 1. Let the servant die. 2. Find some other alternative - the only one being someone that had power over life and death - that being Jesus of whom he had heard. 3. Approach the man called Jesus that was reported to have power over life and death, and risk being identified as one of His followers, or at the least being accused of associating with Him - which wasn't all that popular.

This approach meant three things at the very least. 1. Risking his reputation as a Roman officer in his city and with his superiors. 2. Risking loosing status with the Jewish community under him and in surrounding towns. 3. Having a certain amount, if not a great amount of faith in the man Jesus.

Since Christ indicates that there was a great faith, I will go with His estimation of the centurion's faith. He had great faith in the Lord's power to heal. He in his heart KNEW that Christ could raise up his dear servant. How does that relate to the faith you have when you go to prayer?

Do you KNOW in your mind and heart that God is capable of doing this thing that you are asking? Or do you toss those prayers up by the dozens hoping that God will reach down and answer one or two?

When driving our son and dauther-in-law to the coast, it was raining like mad. This was back in our rainy season that brought about floods. As we were about half way to the coast, I just mentioned to the Lord that it would be nice if He would stop the rain for us while at the coast. As we entered Lincoln city, I shut off the windshield wipers. As we exited Lincoln city I turned on the windshield wipers.

I opened my eyes to what God had done and my thought was HE DID IT!

The centurion’s faith was manifested in three ways: 1. Faith in the approachability of the Savior. He had confidence that his friends could go to Him and talk to Him even though he was not worthy of talking to Christ himself. 2. Faith in the healing power of the Lord. He had confidence that Christ could raise up the servant. 3. Faith in power of Christ to speak this miracle into being. He only asked that Jesus say the required word.

The Centurion asked if Christ would do this. His faith was Great - he knew Christ could do it. He didn't know if He would or not.

I think there is a principle here. Faith needs to be in God's ability to do, not in a confidence of His doing. Let me repeat, FAITH NEEDS TO BE IN GOD'S ABILITY TO DO, NOT IN A CONFIDENCE OF HIS DOING.

To illustrate this: If I need a different car for my ministry, when I pray my faith KNOWS that God is capable of providing me with a car. The fact of whether He will or not is up to Him. He will consider my need and His will and answer accordingly.

You say what is the difference whether my faith is in God's ability to provide and whether He will provide. If my faith is based on God's ability - that is fact - that is truth - that is God's attribute - He can do anything that does not contradict His character. If my faith is based on whether God provides or not then If I ask God to provide me with a needed car, and He doesn't provide, then my faith was not big enough to get God to do what I ask.

Notice the difference? Faith in God and His abilities is the key to our faith in prayer, not whether or not He does what we want.

III. REALIZING THE PROPER RESULT

Vs. 10 "And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick."

With the proper faith, you will always get the proper result from God.

OBSERVATIONS:

1. The centurion knew that Christ was the answer to the situation.

2. The centurion knew that he had no right to expect Christ to come to the house.

3. The centurion knew that he had no right to expect the Lord to come to the house, yet knew that Christ could say the word and the servant would be healed.

4. The centurion understood a lot more about Christ than most of the other people around the Lord at this time.

He knew: a. Christ was worthy of great honor - he a centurion was not worthy of Christ being in his home. b. Christ had great power over death. c. Christ had people under His authority. d. Christ was under Someone else's authority. Namely the Father's.

APPLICATION:

1. CONCERNING CHRIST:

I see clear expression of who Christ is in this passage.

a. He is an approachable Savior.

b. He has power over life and death.

c. He is a compassionate Savior.

d. He is interested in ALL people not just the Jews.

e. He is a working Savior. He had just taught for hours to a large crowd yet had time to be concerned over the desires of a gentile. Any preacher will tell you that Sunday is not a day of rest, that it is a day of labor. When teaching you are on the spot. You are supposed to have all the answers. Christ had it made in this area - He had all the answers!

2. CONCERNING PRAYER:

A well focused, well defined request is needed as we go to the Lord with our requests. Lord bless us isn't very specific and we need to focus on our need.

Years ago one of the Radio mission agencies was preparing a large transmission site in a tropical area. They had the site built except for the generator to power the transmitter. The generator was on the way by truck and they needed to pour the cement foundation and pad for it. The forecast was for heavy rains the day that they were to pour the pad. The mission workers met for prayer that morning as they saw the clouds rolling in heavy with rain.

The prayer meeting finished, they went to work on the pad. They worked and worked until the work was complete. As they were observing their accomplishment and the nasty weather all around them, some of the mission leaders were flying in to watch the setting of the generator the next day. The plane circled the area so that the leaders could see what their workers had accomplished. When the plane landed the workers on the ground were told that the plane had been in rain the entire time they had been flying around the site. The only dry area was over the mission compound.

3. CONCERNING FAITH:

I would like to read some brief quotes about George Mueller:

"Few men of modern times have been given to know the meaning of faith in personal experience more than George Mueller, the founder of the Orphan Houses of Bristol, England. Mueller's whole life and life's work were a demonstration of implicit faith in God and His unfailing faithfulness.

"Mr. Mueller often likened faith to some of the organs of the body. Faith, he would say, is the eye, for by it we look to the Lord Jesus. An eye that is dim is still an eye, and an eye, though it be tear filled, is an eye none the less.

"Faith is the foot also, for by faith we go to the Lord Jesus. A foot that is lame is still a foot. It may cause a halting walk and delay progress, yet it does not prevent eventual arrival at a set destination. He who walks slowly nevertheless walks.

"And faith is the hand with which we lay hold of the Lord Jesus. A hand may tremble, but it is still a hand. It was a trembling hand that touched the hem of the Savior's garment, yet that faith resulted in the healing of a stricken body.

"Faith, then is that disposition of trust that looks toward Christ, and lays hold of Christ, finding in Him the answer to every need. It is founded not upon feelings but upon the promises of God, and His Word cannot fail."

4. CONCERNING AUTHORITY: He was under, yet in, authority as a Roman Centurion. Christ was under, yet in, authority as the God man.

The centurion, I believe, was stating he wanted to be under Christ's authority. I know you can do it, but I bow to your authority over me - do it or not do it according to your will. I know you have authority over death, but I also know the authority over you may limit what you do.

This relates back to faith in Christ's power to do, not in what He does. God is sovereign, God is all powerful, and God is our authority.

5. CONCERNING ACTION: The centurion did not sit at home wringing his hands in worry. He set the logical course and acted. Had he not acted the servant would have died.

Apply that to many churches today - people are not acting and churches are dying.

SO WHAT?

We have talked of Christ in this study.

We have talked of prayer in this study.

We have talked of faith in this study.

We have talked of action in this study.

SO WHAT? IS THE QUESTION BEFORE YOU NOW?

I want to leave you with that question.

So what does this study have to do with your life?