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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 am also 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
Over the past few days, we've been reading Jesus' Sermon on the Plain. (See earlier readings Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God, and Love your enemies.) Yesterday, the Gospel reading completed the Sermon: And He spoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lea 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. And 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. 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. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 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. But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say? 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." 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 am also 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. My study bible says about this story that the centurion, who is a Roman Gentile, is unusual in his devotion to the Jews. His characteristics are notable: he bears compassion, love for God and his people, humility, and great faith. These are all character traits to emulate!
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. My study bible says, "This is one of three resurrections performed by our Lord as recorded in the Gospels (see also 8:41-56; John 11:1-44). They confirm the promise given to the prophet Ezekiel that God will one day open the graves and raise all the dead (Ezekiel 37:1-14). Many people have exercised authority over the living; only the Son of God 'has power over both the living and the dead' (funeral service). While Christ has power through His word alone (John 11:43), here He also touched the coffin to show that His very body is life-giving. This event also prefigures Christ's own Resurrection. As Mary would weep for Jesus at the Cross, yet her tears would be turned to joy by the Resurrection, here a widow's only son is raised from the dead, putting an end to her weeping (Ambrose of Milan)."
In addition to the things that my study bible notes about today's reading, there is something else common to both stories -- and that is the restoration of something (or someone) precious that has been lost to these people. In the first story, the centurion is an exemplary foreigner, a Gentile, a member of the occupying power. He supports the religion of the Jews, even building a synagogue for the local population. He "loves our nation" according to the local elders. But like the widow, the centurion is losing someone -- even a servant -- who is dear to him. So, one thing that links the widow and the centurion is their love for someone else. Although lesser in stature in both cases (in the first, a servant; in the second, a son), both are individuals upon whom the other depends. What is restored to both the centurion and the widow are people whose worth to them is valued above any substitute, someone who is loved. In the first case, Jesus marvels at his faith, and in the second, he feels compassion for the widow. Consistent in His portrayal in the Gospels, Jesus responds to the woman's weeping, just as He did to Mary at the death of Lazarus. But it's the restoration here, in both cases, that we focus on. This restoration is a kind of justice; it's justice as a form of grace and mercy. What was lost has been restored, found again -- the loss replaced. And I think this is a very important aspect of what Jesus does in His compassion and His willingness to listen and understand. The centurion, a man of power, seems to understand Jesus in some way a little better than everyone else does; he realizes what power is and what commands are, and what is possible. And so, for him, the restoration happens from "another space," so to speak, already completed when his friends return home. The weeping widow touches his compassion. But in both cases, it is restoration that is the end result. In our own lives, these exemplary healings also can be signals for God's restorative powers. We may not find the exact thing we lost -- although that can often happen! But if restoration doesn't take place exactly as we envisioned or without a replacement of the precise object that is lost, we just may find that through prayer, restoration happens although it takes a different form than what we lost. How many people, through prayer, even in sadness at loss, eventually find a kind of restoration that is eventually seen to be better than what was lost. There were times in my life I thought I'd lost something I loved that was irreplaceable: a particular job, for example; or the pursuit of a kind of study. But eventually, those things were to be replaced with something else that gave me a different and better direction, something that placed me more directly on a path toward God. I know countless others who can tell me the same thing. It's important that we understand we turn to Christ in our losses. We may not find an exact replica of what or who we've lost, but we also may find something new, something that places us on a surer path to Him that comes our way. A loss can even be an opening, clearing the way for something new and better for us, even surprisingly so. One way or another, restoration is part of God's love and mercy, and thereby God's justice for us. We should always remember these stories, and learn to place our loss in the hands of Christ. And then it is time to keep our faith strong, to open our hearts, our minds, and our eyes to what may be restored in our lives -- even the gift of a new direction not previously understood nor considered. God's grace becomes something that works with our patience. His love is what we must hold in our hearts. And there in that love we find, also, the communion that includes beloved ones who may be deceased -- to whom we also will be restored in "another place."
