I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, pleading with him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I am also a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And 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." When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Then Jesus said to the centurion. "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. So he touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. When evening had come, they brought to him many who were demon-possessed. And he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all when they were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"He himself took our infirmities
And bore our sicknesses."

- Matthew 8:5-17

Jesus continues his healing ministry in today's gospel reading. In the previous chapters, he has given the great Sermon on the Mount as a preparation for the healings we now witness through the gospel (see readings and commentary from Monday, April 26th through Saturday, May 8th, 2010 - beginning with The Beatitudes and ending with The Narrow Gate, and for Friday, May 14th, Build your house upon the rock). Taken in context, the first healing after the Sermon on the Mount took place in Saturday's reading (see Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean), in which Jesus healed a leper - a man forcibly declared "outside" the community by virtue of the disease which was considered to have made him "unclean." In today's reading, Jesus' encounter is with a centurion, symbol of the Romans (and their oppressive foreign rule) and, hence, of Gentiles.

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, pleading with him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." A centurion commanded 100 men in a Roman legion. My study bible notes, "The man is a Gentile (Luke 7:3-5). Jesus is the Savior of all; for him ethnic and social distinctions are void." The phrase, "I will come" has been read as a question by many Greek language scholars as "Shall I come?" My study bible continues, "Regardless, Jesus is ready to deal graciously with a Gentile and even to enter his house, which would make him [Jesus] unclean in the eyes of the Jews." It's interesting to note that in Luke's version of the gospel, the centurion is praised by the local leaders who themselves ask Jesus to help the centurion; as the centurion has built their synagogue.

The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I am also a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And 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." My study bible notes, "The centurion recognizes Jesus' authority, calling him Lord. Although the centurion has authority over men, he understands that only Jesus has authority over disease." The centurion's phrase, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof," is frequently quoted in liturgical language. It is used as a perfect example of our relationship with Christ - our humility before him. What is notable to me is the centurion's immediate recognition of Jesus' personal authority when he first makes his request. Then, when the centurion asserts his command of servants, it is clearly a statement made to one that he considers above his own station of authority and rank. This speaks to me of something discussed in Saturday's reading - that the common people heard Jesus with astonishment, "for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." It says to me that an important element of faith is this recognition of authority in the Person of Jesus, of Christ. This immediate trust and recognition crosses all religious and other boundaries: Jews, Gentiles, "clean" and "unclean," strangers and members of the community. But, as with the leper, the ones who put their immediate trust in him and ask for help are "unclean" outsiders.

When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" My study bible notes that twice in the gospels it is said of Jesus that he marveled: (1) at the unbelief in his hometown, his rejection in Nazareth (Mark 6:6); and (2) at the belief of this centurion that Jesus could heal his servant by simply speaking the word. It's quite impressive that for Jesus this seems to be a surprising revelation. It is those outside of the community who recognize and put their trust in his authority. We can look at the experience among his neighbors in Nazareth as a form of reverse confirmation: among those who knew him best before his ministry, his closest community, he could do nothing because of their unbelief - at which he also marveled.

And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Then Jesus said to the centurion. "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour. My study bible notes, "Jesus praises the centurion, a Gentile, and lifts him up as a model of faith. Jesus nullifies the ethnic supremacy of the Jews, saying that many from other nations will share the heavenly blessings with the Jewish patriarchs. the centurion's faith in Christ places him also in the kingdom of heaven. The sons of the kingdom are Jews, who had a sense of racial superiority as the chosen people of God. Outer darkness and weeping and gnashing of teeth are not Old Testament references but descriptions of the state of the unrighteous dead in Sheol recorded in Jewish tradition (see Enoch 103:8; Parables of Enoch 60:12). These are common expressions in Matthew (13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30) - also occurring once in Luke (Luke 13:28). This accentuates the critical situation of all - Jew and Gentile - who do not follow Christ." For myself, Jesus' words accentuate once again the importance of our response in the presence of holiness. It conveys a responsibility - how we choose, what we can see and perceive - as well as what we reject - becomes a decision of great impact in our lives. This is a part of ourselves that responds to the holy, the things of Spirit, which we cannot ignore - and it crosses all boundaries of community and identity, no matter who we are.

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. So he touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. When evening had come, they brought to him many who were demon-possessed. And he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all when they were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses." My study bible notes, "This passage and 1 Cor. 9:5 ... indicates Peter was married. Jesus' healing miracles are diverse. In this case, he heals by touch; in v. 13 he healed by the power of his word. This healing is immediate and complete; others are gradual (see Mark 8:22-25) or require the cooperation of the person healed or of his or her loved ones (see Luke 8:54, 55). But as the quote in v. 17 indicates, all of Christ's miracles manifest his redemptive ministry on behalf of ailing humanity." Jesus takes on this responsibility for healing - he manifests faith in his Person, in his authority, through redemptive healing. In both cases of healing in this passage, Jesus restores those who serve to service. He - his power - is the servant of servants. Both the centurion's servant and Peter's wife are beloved members who are necessary to a household - and in both cases, they serve. Both are restored to their places through Jesus' work, his redemptive power.

Jesus takes on all that we are and restores us. Again, in these examples, it is not merely "servants" who are healed - but Jesus' restorative power reaches beyond accepted boundaries of community, rank, and identity. It does not matter that the centurion's home is "unclean" ( as in, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof"). It does not matter that it is a servant in the household who needs the healing, nor that it was not Peter himself but Peter's mother-in-law who was ill and needed healing. This is a power that reaches to our depths and heights, and breadth and our deepest internal reality. Nothing stands in its way - save faith: belief or unbelief. In Saturday's reading and commentary, we noted the themes in prayers of women in the bible: the joyous prayer of Hannah (1 Sam. 2:1-10) and the Magnificat of Mary (Luke 1:46-55), in which the lowly are uplifted and the afflicted are healed. Today, the same "type" is fulfilled, but we can add another: the song of Simeon.

Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word,
For my eyes have seen your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.

The fulfillment of promises and prophesy, the manifestation of the Law, are fulfilled in Christ's healing work. We can see it as a testimony to this. It has the action of setting free, breaking boundaries, embracing all in love, and restoring us to our places - to who we are. It turns worldly boundaries upside down. This is the work of the holy. But first, we must remember our responsibility in our response to it: we need the eyes and ears of spirit. We must choose. Only then is the Spirit free to do its work of love in action. It needs our "yes" to open the door. We must be awake to its reality, in whatever form it is present to us, when it manifests itself in our lives.