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 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 our recent readings, Jesus has been preaching what is known as the Sermon on the Plain.  (See the readings from Friday and Saturday for the earlier parts of this sermon.)  "And He spoke a parable to them:  "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.  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 lank 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 the 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 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."  This is another example in the Gospels in which one of a group nominally hated by the common people is shown to be surpassingly righteous.  In Luke's Gospel, Jesus has already chosen a tax collector to "Follow Me" (Levi, who becomes Matthew).  Here a Roman centurion, a Gentile under whose command are soldiers of the occupying Roman Army, is unusual in his devotion to the Jews.  My study bible says that his characteristics are notable:  he shows compassion, love for God and God's people, humility, and great faith.  Even Christ marvels at his faith, which he calls greater than any He has found in Israel.

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 notes that this is one of three resurrections performed by our Lord as recorded in the Gospels (see also 8:41-56. John 11:1-44).  It remarks that these resurrection narratives 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).  There are many who have exercised authority over the living.  But only Christ, as Son of God, "has power over both the living and the dead" (Orthodox funeral service).  My study bible adds that while Christ has power through His word alone (see John 11:43), here He also touched the coffin, showing that His very body is life-giving.  This event is also a prefiguring of Christ's own Resurrection.  Ambrose of Milan comments that just as Mary would weep for her Son at the Cross, and her tears turned to joy by the Resurrection, so this widow's only son is raised from the dead, putting an end to her weeping.  This account of the widow of Nain and her son is found only in Luke's Gospel.

What is authority, and why is it important to the Gospels and to the mission of Jesus?  Repeatedly we hear the Jewish religious authorities ask Jesus by what authority He does what He does (see here, for example).  Authority becomes essential to a broader perspective on Christ's ministry, beyond the questions of the leadership regarding, for example, His cleansing of the temple.  Christ's authority is paramount over the unclean spirits, as we see right from the beginning of His ministry in Luke, such as when they appear and identify Him in the synagogue at Capernaum (see this reading).  Even before that, right after His Baptism by John, the devil tries to challenge His chain of command from the Father (in this reading).  This is followed by the outrage of His neighbors in Nazareth at the authority with which He speaks in their hometown synagogue (here).  There are constant references and challenges with regard to authority in the Gospels, and surrounding Christ.  He Himself references this authority when He speaks of Himself as the "stronger man" who can liberate people from the "strong man" Satan (11:14-23).  Just prior to this, in the same chapter, He gives us what is called "The Lord's Prayer" or the "Our Father," in which we are taught to pray for deliverance from the evil one (Luke 11:1-4), a clear reference to a liberator or redeemer who overthrows a tyrant.  Each one of these examples from the Gospels involves questions of authority within a basic framework telling us who exactly Jesus is.  Over and over again, His authority is questioned and challenged.  So important is it that this theme plays itself out even in today's reading, nominally about healing, but truly about an understanding of authority and the power that goes with it.  The centurion tells Him both that he is unworthy to have Christ come into His house (deference to a higher authority) and that in fact he did not even think himself worthy to come to Christ.  Then he adds, "But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I 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." The centurion's display of surprisingly great faith -- most notably in the eyes of Christ -- is tied to his understanding and experience of authority.   Christ commands the dead son to arise in the story of the widow of Nain, prompting us to ask who could possibly have such authority.  But there is an important note both to the authority with which the centurion governs and also the authority as exercised by Christ.  Both are compassionate.  The centurion's compassion is testified to by the elders of the synagogue and also by his concern for his servant.  Jesus' first command in our second story is to the widow herself:  "Do not weep."  Authority is something we may struggle with in a modern world.  Who has legitimate authority?  From where does that authority come?  What are our rights and how far do they extend in terms of how we treat one another?  But Jesus gives us the key to the highest authority in the universe, and it is compassion.  In the recently given Sermon on the Plain, Jesus tells us that the disciple must be as his Master.  He holds God the Father as the highest example of authority, and tells us, "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  How do we, then, show ourselves as pupils of the Master?  Is it in our compassion, our graciousness to others?  Or is it found, as some would say, in a belligerence to nominal enemies,  in the name of a more abstract concept of justice or mercy?  Which one does He call us toward?   Who is your highest authority, and what are the qualities associated with that power?  Let us observe with what quality of authority Jesus speaks His truth and conducts His life, even as it leads Him to the Cross.  So much depends on whom we truly place our faith.