What Word?
1 When he had concluded saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 A centurion’s servant, who was highly valued by him, was sick and about to die. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, requesting him to come and save the life of his servant. 4 When they reached Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy for you to grant this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.”
6 Jesus went with them, and when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, since I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. 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.”
9 Jesus heard this and was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Israel.” 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant in good health.Luke 7 CSB
This has all to do with that fact that the first shall be last, and the last first. It has to do with not just presuming and taking the place of honor, but rather sitting far down the table…
No matter who we are or what we have done…
… and then…
Why do we think we have a right to bother Him? Jesus, I mean?
But we do—we want to bother the Master. We think we have all the rights in the world to do so… with Him!
And yet—it is true… we do… we can… NOW… but only for the right reasons.
It is not because somehow God owes us—that God is obliged to do something for us… because we are “worthy”—
I mean this Roman solider was said to be this… by Jews—now that is a first…
… a Jew saying that a gentile is worthy…
Because… he built their church for them, instead of destroying… desecrating…
No, he is said to love the nation of Israel…
And that, you know, has gotten America into trouble with the rest of the nations of the middle-east…
But if anyone ought to get grace… get something… help… from God, it is… who do you think?
Aunt Sue… or old man Walt… they are saints…
They are worthy… in our eyes.
But no… not really… they are not—worthy.
You know what they deserve? Hell and damnation. You do. I do—we all do. The best of our best do.
Nothing we can do about it. We could build a hundred churches. We could go to India and be like Mother Theresa. And still… .
You know what, though? Mother Theresa said the longer she lived, the more of a sinner she realized she was and how much she needed saving. After all that…
All that—all that we do, have done, or plan to do… earns us nothing with God.
And this Roman solider in our text knew it! No matter what the people… what the church leaders said.
And Jesus did nothing for him because he did so much for the church. No.
And so… this man—this solider with authority—was he going to sit way down—at the very end of the table?
No… correct that… he was not even… according to many… he wasn’t even coming to the dinner. He wasn’t invited…
People’s honor and God’s honor are two different things. One lasts a very short while, the other forever.
This is how we think:
We will ask, okay, so you did this and that—so what? What have you done for me lately?
God says, you don’t need to do a thing to get His attention. He has been looking your way your entire life. He has been there. He has been trying to get your attention so He can invite you to sit up next to Him at dinner.
We have to stop mixing this up. We are always beggars before Him, but He makes us kings in His Kingdom.
But this is His doing. This is all by His work.
What do we do? We learn of Him. Hear and learn His Word. We believe Him at His Word… about all things.
And we do what we can do. Not to earn favor, but rather because we know what He does them… and we are glad to do the same.
Building a church? Big deal, we have the builder of everything here with us. We have the One who made you and I; and with that…
… the gift He gives…
He gives it so that we have the very power to lift our arms to swing a hammer, to walk… to breathe and to talk.
We have the One who designed the trees we use for lumber, and formed the stones that we laid the foundation with.
We have the One in whom all ideas—buildings, farms, machines… where they all came from—He designed our very minds that could invent all that we have invented.
Our little church? You call that bragging rights? It is neat and wonderful and all that… but it is just refrigerator art compared to… His work.
When you look up into the sky on a clear night and see that expanse—unimaginable! When you see the Rockies or climb a mountain to look out, or when you are near or on the ocean. We are struck with awe.
And so, what we have done? You say … what now?
Saint Paul says if you are going to boast, boast in Christ. We are to look at what He has done. Know what He can do… … and will do.
This is whom we trust. This is whom we take at His Word. Whom we believe.
He just says the Word and it happens. The wind. The waves. The mountains. The figs tree. Diseased bodies. Demons. Dead bodies. They all obey His command. When He says do this, they do. When He says come forth, they do. When He says arise, the dead obey. Even the sun itself stood still in the sky because of His Word—just ask Joshua.
He makes and unmakes His creation according to His Will.
This is our God.
This is whom we confess and believe according to what He says. That’s our big Brother. That is our Father.
Remember when we would tell our friends how great our dad is—what he can do? Remember when we would warn the bully that just wait till my big brother hears about what he has done?
It is Him. Jesus. And He has already spoken. You are here. His Word has gone and gathered us to Him. You have been given His Word of Faith. Believe it. Believe Him.
This is what the Roman solider gets praised for. Not by the people. But by God. Faith alone pleases God.
Taking Him at His Word is the highest honor we can pay Him. And this—this soldier’s actions—these responses of faith show that this man was already made worthy to have God hear and grant him Grace.
Made so. He was made so by hearing God’s Word and being enabled by God to believe, and so He believed…
And too, God has also done all that is needed to make us worthy of Him—to have Him even under our roof.
He is there anyway. But He actually wants to be there. We have been made acceptable by Him, so that we can have Him with us to the very end.
By His blood it has been done to us—that what has separated us from Him has been taken away… by water… that He mixes with that blood… so that we are even worthy enough to come into His house…
… enough so even… that we can eat with Him—in that place of honor, no less!
Since He was First, He became the very last—dying for all, and so now He is first. When we are with Him, we too are first. At the head of the table.
All done by Jesus, with His elements… His creation… all by His Word, water, bread and wine.
So, come. Come and eat… come and drink. Come and rest. Come and bother Him. Ask Him. Expect from Him.
He already has answered. All things are Yes and Amen in Christ Jesus our Lord. Believe this—believe Him at His Word.
Amen.
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