It is one
of the most familiar and beloved stories in the Gospels. Jesus is stopped by a group of elders of the
church. They come to Jesus with a
heartfelt request. They ask the Lord to
consider healing the servant of a centurion, a Roman soldier, an uncircumcised man. These Jewish religious leaders point out that
the centurion deserves to have this favor granted. This soldier, in charge of a 100 men, has
been a real friend to the Jewish nation and even helped with the construction
of the synagogue. It seems that without
any hesitation, Jesus agrees to go and see the centurion’s sick servant.
They are
not far from their destination when the centurion does something that simply is
amazing to Jesus. The centurion has a
message for the Lord. He says, “Lord,
don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have You come under my
roof. That is why I did not even
consider myself worthy to come to You.
But say the word and my servant will be healed.”
The Gospel
writers make it clear that Jesus is not impressed by power or possessions or
prestige. But the Lord marvels whenever
He sees faith at work in the life of a person.
Of the centurion, Jesus says, “I tell you, I have not found such great
faith even in Israel
Now surely
this is a story of faith. Only faith in
Jesus could say, “But You, Lord, just say the word, just one word from You, and
my servant will be healed.” But I want
you to notice something else about this story.
When faith resides, you will also find humility.
Remember
what the Jewish elders said to Jesus: “This man (the centurion) deserves to
have you (heal his servant).” Contrast
that attitude with the centurion who said to Jesus, “I do not deserve to have
You come under my roof.” That’s humility
talking.
In fact,
you might say that humility is faith’s best friend. Humility comes to live in those hearts that
recognize the damaging effect of sin and the need for the forgiveness and grace
that only God can give through Christ.
It was humility that led the apostle Paul to write to young Timothy:
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.”
It was the
knowledge of his unrighteous standing before God that led Paul to hold onto
Jesus with all his might. Jesus was
Paul’s hope, his only hope through which he might receive peace with God and
joy for daily living. As Paul emptied
himself of his pride, his intellect, and his resume of good deeds, the Holy
Spirit filled the apostle’s heart with faith and humility and covered Paul with
the very righteousness of the Lord. Our
prideful hearts are focused on only one thing – lifting ourselves up before
family and friends and even God.
Humility receives all things from God. God gives us forgiveness for
Jesus’ sake and sets us on the path of righteous living. The Lord lifts us up.
Real
humility, Godly humility is always a gift of God’s grace to us. Humility doesn’t think in terms of “what I
deserve from God,” but always looks to God in faith and gratefully receives the
good and wonderful blessings God offers His faithful children. May you, too, cling to Jesus in true
repentance and faith. Receive God’s
gifts with humility – faith’s best friend.
