Jesus was Amazed. Luke 7:1-10 Jesus’ second journey began in Capernaum, and it marked a turning point in the ministry of the Lord. In this part of Luke’s account, He includes Gentiles in the narrative. This would be of great significance to Gentile readers, who would then realize with certainty the Lord Jesus Christ included them in His mission of saving grace. Up until this time, His ministry had been exclusive to the Jews. Many had been healed and had been taught the principles of the kingdom of God but only accepted what He did for them instead of putting their personal faith in Him.
This is similar to the attitude of most people in the world today. Their consciousness of God is limited to what they want Him to do for them rather than to come to know Him as their Savior from sin personally. People complain because God doesn’t stop the wars human beings bring on themselves. They can’t understand why there are hungry and poor people. If there is a God, why doesn’t He eliminate the problems of hunger, natural disasters, and man’s inhumanity to man? People want to be independent of accountability to God, but they want God to clean up the mess they leave behind them.
Luke began this part of his orderly account by telling of the great faith of a Gentile centurion. The centurion recognized he could do nothing for his sick slave, and at the same time, he knew he was unworthy of the Lord Jesus being called by him to his home. In this chapter, several people are recognized as unworthy: the centurion, the widow, the poor and needy, the tax collectors, and the sinful woman at the end of the chapter. Amidst these testimonies of people who put their faith in the Lord, the Pharisees and lawyers remained unrepentant, and they rejected Him.
In both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, Luke pointedly included both women and men in the narrative, showing that gender does not interfere with the value of a person. He also clarified that Jews and Gentiles are equally the subjects of divine grace. The Gospel removes all barriers and reaches people of different genders and ethnic groups, as well as racial, national, and religious groups. Barriers erected by humanity are no obstacles to the mercy and grace of God. He is no respecter of persons nor artificial human-caused divisions. God loves all men, women, and children worldwide and through all generations. He created everyone with the potential of glorifying Him, believing in Him, loving Him, serving Him, and living with Him eternally. By giving us freedom of our will, He has left the decision as to whether we want to be with Him up to us. Rather than being mindless robots, we have been made living souls. A person who rejects the Lord Jesus will be valued and loved by God right to the door of hell.
“Never soul in hell shall burn, Who has not had a chance to turn; Whether he be a pagan wild Or born a Christian’s favored child, God will not suffer them to go Unwarned to everlasting woe; For nothing but rejected light Will doom a soul to endless night.”
One of the two times we read of Jesus “marveling” or being “amazed” is in this passage of scripture where His amazement is at the faith of the Gentile centurion. The other time it is recorded that He was amazed was at the lack of faith by the people of Nazareth, who knew Him well but still rejected Him. Our faith in Christ is affirmed when we read the Bible, apply its truths to ourselves, and act on what God teaches us in His word. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”
The centurion would have been used to the one hundred men he led doing what he said without question. He knew what authority was and knew the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ over disease and demons was far greater than his. He would have heard of Jesus through the words of others and had no reason to doubt what he heard because the evidence was all around the area. This man had been kind and generous to the people and kept law and order. He certainly valued his personal servant. A person with standards of integrity and a personal interest in the welfare of others usually has a degree of humility that indicates he has an honest evaluation of himself and his limitations.
People given authority over others often become overbearing because they have an exalted opinion of themselves and their position. This man appears to have been humble and sensed his own unworthiness to come to the Lord Jesus Christ, who was performing notable healing miracles in the area where he was responsible for keeping the peace.
A sense of unworthiness of the least of God’s mercies to us is uncommon to most people if it is from the heart. A true evaluation of ourselves and our sinfulness makes us conscious of our need for God. When we hear with the hearing of faith that Christ died in our place to bring us to God, that is the best news we could ever hear. Then, a person draws near to the Lord with an honest heart and puts faith in Him to meet our needs. To an anxious soul, being saved by grace through faith in Christ is as easy to grasp as a life ring to a drowning person.
The surprising faith of this Gentile centurion is like a preliminary view of the book of Acts, where the Gospel goes out to the Gentiles in many nations. Perhaps the centurion sent others to ask Jesus to heal his servant without coming to his house because of the dynamics between the Jews and their Gentile oppressors. Cultural differences can make things hard to deal with, especially if it causes a confrontation. The Jewish elders did what the centurion felt unworthy to do himself. Jesus did not heal the servant because the centurion deserved it. That was the thinking of the Jewish elders. He healed the servant because of the centurion’s faith in Him. He knew the Lord Jesus could heal the servant if He were willing to. “Say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
Racial differences are not a factor in the body of Christ, the dispensational church. “In every nation, he that fears God and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” Such differences should not be in the local house of God either. Barriers made by people are removed when grace comes in. Appreciating God’s grace to us all takes care of many complicating factors in an assembly of believers. “Not that I have my own I’ll call, I’ll hold it for the Giver. My heart, strength, life, and all are His and His forever.” It is incumbent on all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to make sure we do not create barriers because of our own personal preferences and opinions. Salvation is offered to all and is upon all who believe. Far be it from us to make our own distinctions.