Luke 7:1-10 - KJV

7 1Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.

1. And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. (Matt. 8:6 6 “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”)

Background:

Notice who the main characters are in this true account:

Jesus, the Jewish elders, a Roman centurion, and the centurion’s slave.

Jewish Elders = Members of the Sanhedrin, or Jewish Supreme Court. elderly men in leadership positions. Generally, not well spoken of in Scripture.

Centurion = Gentile pagans, but generally regarded positively in scripture.

Slave/servant = regarded at that time as a farm tool, little more than mere property.

Jesus broke through all those barriers, all the way to the sick man’s need. The gospel travels across political, gender, ethnic, racial, national, and religious barriers. Let’s go about spreading/living the gospel of Jesus.

Observations:

Capernaum should have had the most faith in Jesus, but apparently, they had virtually no faith. (Matt. 11:20-24)

The centurion should have had no faith in Jesus but had the greatest in Israel at the time. (Luke 7:9)

This proves that God can save anyone. From the gutter-most to the utmost, Jesus saves! Jesus is not a respecter of persons, and He does not play favorites. All are welcome with Him!

Like Capernaum, many of us have heard and witnessed God’s mighty power in our lives, but our faith is woefully lacking. Ask yourself why? What can you do to build your faith in Him? (Romans 10:17)

Monday Morning Moment: “Jesus is God!” Heb. 1:3

The key to this entire encounter is that the centurion believed that Jesus was God in the flesh.