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

 Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.  And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.  So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.  And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, "for he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue."  Then Jesus went with them.  And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.  Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You.  But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to 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 these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.

Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain, and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.  And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."  Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still.  And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."  So he who was dead sat up and began to speak.  And He presented him to his mother.  Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"' and, "God has visited His people."  And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

- Luke 7:1-17

 In yesterday's reading, Jesus completed His Sermon on the Plain in Luke's Gospel.   We began reading this Sermon on Friday, when Jesus preached to His disciples, "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."  On Saturday, we read that He taught us, "Love your enemies."  In yesterday's reading, He asked, "Can the blind lead the blind?  Will they not both fall into the ditch?  A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher."  He asked us, "Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye."  He taught us, "For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  For every tree is known by its own fruit. . . .  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."  He warned against hypocrisy, and taught that we must not call Him Lord, and then do nothing to follow His teachings.  He said, "Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:  He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.  And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.  But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.  And the ruin of that house was great."

Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.  And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.  So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.  And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, "for he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue."  Capernaum is a place of mixed cultures, and here in this reading from Luke is a very gracious Roman soldier, a man of great rank, a centurion (who would command approximately 100 men).   The first thing we note about this professional man of command is that he didn't send others under him to Jesus, but rather the elders from the synagogue.  This shows a particular sort of sensitivity in command, an understanding of the proper ways to deal with others.  Let's understand that as a centurion he was in position to command or compel whatever he wanted, but this professional is a remarkable example of authority.  Although he represents a generally detested occupying power, the elders of the synagogue praise him:  "he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue."  Luke tells us that they begged Jesus earnestly, telling Him that the centurion was deserving.  So, in all this we are already told many things about the centurion:  that he loved his servant, he's been gracious and impressive to the Jewish community in Capernaum, supportive and even nurturing to their faith,  He can call upon the elders of the synagogue to approach this Jewish Teacher with great respect.  My study bible points out his humility in this respect.  It also notes that he is considerate and has great love for the Jewish people.

 Then Jesus went with them.  And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.  Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You.  But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to 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 these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.  The centurion again shows his unusual character:  he's humble so that he tells Jesus that he wasn't worthy to come to Him, nor that Jesus should enter under his roof.  One does not expect this of a centurion!  And yet, his understanding of authority is astute, complete, and insightful -- because he understands what Jesus can do.  He even recognizes the authority in Jesus, so much so that Jesus marveled -- this man has greater faith than anyone He's encountered so far in His ministry. 

Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain, and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.  And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."   My study bible points out that this account of the widow of Nain is only reported to us by Luke.  The first thing we notice, coming after the report of the centurion at Capernaum, is something that both Jesus and the centurion have in common:  compassion.  This woman is a widow who has lost her only son, and that means here her sole provider - and so much more. The community mourns with her.  His words of comfort, "Do not weep," are words for all of us.

Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still.  And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."  So he who was dead sat up and began to speak.  And He presented him to his mother.  Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"' and, "God has visited His people."  And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.  Jesus returns the son to his grieving mother, a gift from God.  My study bible points out that there are three stories in the Gospels in which people are brought back from death:  this one, that of Jairus' daughter, and the raising of Lazarus.  Although these people are restored to life, this is not resurrection:  that is, they will die physical deaths again.  "Nevertheless," it notes, "their new life manifests Christ's divinity, and gives assurance of his Resurrection and ours, a transformation to glory."  The large crowd from the city speaks the truth like a chorus in an ancient Greek play:  "A great prophet has risen up among us" and "God has visited His people."  To glorify God, in this circumstances, is to teach us who Jesus is.  My study bible says, "In the glorification of the Father through these incidents, the Son of God is Himself glorified.  In raising these people who were dead, though they would return to death one day, Christ shows forth His divinity and gives assurance to all who believe of His Resurrection and ours."

Today we have two remarkable stories.  One is of the centurion who understands rank and authority, and the other of the unfortunate widow who has now lost her only son, upon whom Christ takes compassion.  I think it's important that we understand the graciousness of authority on display here.  The centurion models a kind of character taught by Christ:  compassion.  There is no mistaking his community-mindedness, his authority, his faith, his love for what is Good, although he is from another culture.  As a colonial and man of great authority, he would have the capacity to compel anyone in the name of Rome, but this isn't the way he uses power and authority.  His command is for other purposes.  And he's humble, recognizing the authority of Jesus in a way that shows great - even remarkable - faith.  Jesus, of course, is our model of how we think of gracious authority.  The centurion may command a company of soldiers, but Christ commands leagues of angels, He is only-begotton, and beloved of the Father.  And yet, He comes to our world in humility as one of us.  He has compassion on those who are powerless and destitute and bereft.  He teaches us what love - and real authority - looks like.  No one understands authority better than these two examples in the centurion, and of course, in Christ.  Wikipedia's entry on centurions contains some interesting information for our purpose.  Writing about the disproportionate casualties in battle among centurions, it says, "They usually led from the front, occupying a position at the front right of the century formation. They led and inspired their men by example. They also sought to display the skill and courage that may have brought them to their rank in the first place."  So with this gracious, humble and brave centurion, we also have our own leader in Christ, who fought the good fight before all of us, showing us all by His courageous and eternal example of authority.  His sacrifice was for all of us.  Let us remember the faith of the centurion and the faith of Christ.  If we are ever to understand what true authority and command are, and Whose true authority we may reflect in our own lives, it is here.