The centurion's slave and the widow

After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy of having you do this for him, for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.’ And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’ When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’ When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’ Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, rise!’ The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, ‘A great prophet has risen among us!’ and ‘God has looked favourably on his people!’ This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.

- Luke 7:1-17

These readings come after the Sermon on the Plain, in which Jesus has instructed us on building the qualities of mercy in ourselves, and instructed his disciples in how they are to represent the kingdom and become teachers. First of all we are presented with the Roman centurion, a good man who uses the abilities with which he does his job to do good. He is sympathetic to the Jewish people, he has respect for their traditions, and he has even built their synagogue. This Roman centurion himself is a man of merciful quality: he cares for his slave enough to ask Jesus to heal him.

The centurion also has respect for those under his care as representative of the Roman empire. He asks several Jewish elders to approach Jesus for him. So, in this story of the centurion, we can see a representative of a system of power - of rank and hierarchy. But he is a representative who uses the prerogatives of occupation power in a compassionate and respectful way. Furthermore, the centurion, accustomed to these hierarchies of power and to their use, also understands humility. He again asks intermediaries to approach Jesus, and to tell Jesus that he simply has to give the command, and the slave will be healed. So, what Jesus finds truly remarkable about this centurion is not merely his good character, and his ways of doing his job and fulfilling his duties with respect and love and compassion, but he is also a man of great faith. Jesus goes so far as to say that he has not found such faith even in Israel. The centurion becomes an example of someone who practices the quality of mercy - making it clear to us that even the most hated symbol of abusive power, a Roman centurion, turns his life into a monument for human character, and beyond - he is also a monument to true faith. We can use our circumstances to fulfill the teachings Christ has given us in the Sermon on the Plain, and we can also be faithful regardless of our responsibilities and where we find ourselves in life. This centurion stands as an example to anyone who wields power.

The second story in this reading is about Jesus' compassion on a widow. Her only son has died. This story in Luke is not found in the other gospels, but it is an illustration of mercy. Jesus' compassion for the widow moves him to revive her son. She will not face the poverty and misery of an old age alone and without someone to care and provide for her. This act begins the widespread knowledge of Jesus as someone with tremendous powers, even over life and death. ‘A great prophet has risen among us!’ ‘God has looked favourably on his people!’ These examples of glorifying God are examples that stem from compassion and mercy.

We should also note that the centurion - and his slave - and the widow are all in a sense "outsiders" whose normal station would invite contemptuous treatment socially. The centurion is not Jewish and represents the hated occupiers, his slave is not merely an outsider but obviously without rank whatsoever, and the childless widow - in a culture where children give women value - is at the lowest end of her society. Jesus' compassion will always include the outsider, and those who come to him in faith so often include the outsider as well. These relationships of faith are those of extended mercy and compassion, and they set for us an example we still need to remember. It is mercy that adds the quality to our lives that may make all the difference, regardless of the social inequalities with which we live. As individuals we bear this responsibility for the practice of mercy, for the poor we will always have with us. Our healer, Luke, has given us the keys for healing our society.