Am I a Person of Great Faith?

In Luke 7:1-10, we see the story of a Roman centurion who demonstrates great faith that even surprises Jesus. In short, his servant is sick and near death, so he sends a delegation of Jewish elders to Jesus and asks for his servant to be healed. What makes this story unique is that the central character is a Gentile. While Scripture doesn’t give us a full breakdown of his background, it’s possible “he is a potential proselyte or, more likely, a soldier who follows the Roman custom of respecting religion as a socially healthy force in the empire.”^[1]

Centurions often “worked their way up through the ranks to achieve their position. Roman military units were stationed in Caesarea and in Jerusalem; they consisted of auxiliary troops, mostly recruited from Syria. ^[2] “As a centurion, he was a commander of approximately 100 men, a Gentile, and a Roman citizen.”^[3] This wasn’t a position that was easily achieved and involved a lot of hard work, discipline, and loyalty. Joel Green writes,

As Rome’s representative in an outpost like Capernaum, the centurion would have found himself in the role of intermediary between the local population and the demands of the Empire. It would not be unusual for such a person to adopt the religion of the local population, nor would it be unusual for him to have underwritten the building of the synagogue as a calculated maneuver to win favor among the local Jewish leadership.^[4]

Neither Matthew nor Luke gives us the whole motivation for why the centurion wanted his servant healed, but the wording suggests he had genuine compassion and not mere economic desires. The delegation of Jewish elders he sends are “probably Jewish civil leaders, not synagogue leaders.”^[5] As Jesus approaches, it’s clear the centurion understands Jewish custom. “Strict Jews considered Gentile homes unclean and would not enter there.”^[6] So the centurion sends friends to say to Jesus:

⁶ “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, since I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. ⁷ That is why I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

From this statement, “The centurion understands how authority works: just as soldiers obey the centurion because he is backed by the authority of the empire, every earthly harm, including disease, must submit to Jesus because he is backed by God’s authority.”^[7] It’s a simple faith. He doesn’t overthink it. He just accepts who Jesus is and asks him to do what he believes he can do. As N.T. Wright says, “This faith isn’t an abstract belief about God, or the learning of dogmas. It is the simple, clear belief that when Jesus commands that something be done, it will be done. He regards Jesus like a military officer, with authority over sickness and health. If Jesus says that someone is to get well, they will. What could be simpler?”^[8]

This story of the centurion invites us to look inward and outward. First, we should ask ourselves, “Am I a person of great faith?” What made the centurion’s faith so great was its simplicity. Just as he’d learned to obey his military leaders, he instantly did the same with Jesus. He didn’t spend excessive time questioning and worrying about his reputation. He simply believed.

Unfortunately, many Christians internally scoff at this type of faith. They see people like the centurion as immature, easily manipulated, and lazy thinkers. They mistakenly think “real faith” is forged in the fires of intellectual debate when it is most developed in the quiet calm of consistent, mundane, unhurried obedience. Also, while it’s tempting to only associate with Christians of a particular tribe, the most attractive quality in another human being should be their faith. It’s not whether they act, dress, think, or talk just like us. It’s whether they consistently demonstrate strong dependence on God even as they live in a world of unbelief.

One of the best ways to become a person of great faith is to stop giving yourself so many options to disbelieve. Yes, rigorous study and argumentation are good—but only to a point. At some moment, you will need to develop your faith muscles and learn to trust God even when it doesn’t make sense. If you don’t, you will settle for being a cultural Christian who knows a lot about God but never fully experiences his activity. But if you learn to exercise your faith, you invite God’s blessing into your life and become a person that is surprising to others. 

^[1]Darrell L. Bock, Luke, eds. Terry C. Muck, The NIV Application Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 202.

^[2]John H. Walton and Craig S. Keener, eds. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), paragraph 12102.

^[3]Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke, New International Commentary on the New Testament. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 285.

^[4]Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke, New International Commentary on the New Testament. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 286.

^[5]Darrell L. Bock, Luke, eds. Terry C. Muck, The NIV Application Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 202.

^[6]John H. Walton and Craig S. Keener, eds. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), paragraph 12104.

^[7]John H. Walton and Craig S. Keener, eds. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), paragraph 12105.

^[8]N. T. Wright, Luke for Everyone, vol. 4 of Accordance electronic ed. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 80-81.