“A Servants Healing” Matt 8: 5-13

I attended a college that had a very clear goal - to develop scholar servants, also referred to at time as servant leaders. When we had our baccularette service the evening before commencement, each of us was presented with a towel, to remind us that Jesus modeled what it was like for us to be servant leaders when he washed the disciples feet. We were then sent out into the world to do the same. 

I think of that commissioning to go and serve every time I see that towel sitting in my office. But in today’s scripture text we find a servant leader in an unexpected place - in a centurion whose servant is sick. This story begins with a twist - it is not a servant who is coming to Jesus on behalf of his master, but instead a master, a leader of the Roman army, who was coming to Jesus on behalf of his servant. The centurion was modeling servant leadership by even coming to Jesus in the first place, because this servant was so sick that he need someone else to come to Jesus and plead his case for healing. 

Jesus, didn’t even bat an eye. His immediate response was that he would go with the centurion to see his servant and heal him. Healing with Jesus is a tricky thing. The centurion was asking that his servant’s body be physically healed from the distress that it was in - and it would seem that was certainly what Jesus went forth to offer - but God’s healing through Christ touches us in so many different ways. Jesus doesn’t just heal our bodies. Jesus can heal relationships. Can heal the way that we see ourselves as he frees us from past sins. Jesus can heal our present and our futures by reminding us that we are in Christ.

A few months ago I had the wonderful experience of participating in the Philipsburg-Osceola High School Baccularette service. The pastor giving the mediation kept encouraging the graduates and those present to seek out the good life - not necessarily the good life as the world defines it, where nothing bad every happens to you, and you are wealthy, and live the American dream - but the good life in Christ - where we are so centered in the Lord that we can get through whatever we may face. That is the type of healing and hope that Jesus offered, far above and beyond the physical healing that took place in his presence as well.

Jesus has agreed to go and do what the centurion has asked for - but then there is a twist. He declares that he is not worthy to even have Jesus come under his roof, so instead he encouraged Jesus to speak the word of healing over his servant right then in there. The centurion had so much trust, so much faith in Jesus, that he believed that he could bring healing across distances. Jesus has that much authority. 

A centurion would have commanded one-hundred foot soldiers in the Roman army. He had authority over their lives - so much so that he said go or come and they would respond accordingly. The centurion believed that Jesus had so much authority over disease and sickness that he could change everything with a single word.

Jesus was amazed at hearing these words. Here was a Roman, not a Jew, who understood the power of God. Here was a solider, who had his own authority over people’s lives and yet he understood faith better then others Jesus had encountered up to this point Here was one who would be worthy of anything he wanted, by the world’s standards, yet in all humility he recognized that he wasn’t worthy to have Jesus enter into this home. Here is someone who could have commanded anyone else to come and make this request on behalf of him, because he was that important, yet he came with a servant leaders heart to plead his case. He came and humbly asked Jesus to simply speak, and change this servants life. 

Friends, the centurion in today’s scripture treated Jesus with a level of respect and authority that I sometimes fear that we are missing today. He acted with a faith that is seen only in glimpses in our culture. Do we ascribe to Jesus the authority he is due, or do we only go to Jesus when it is a last resort? Do we live as if we believe that a simple word from Jesus can change our lives, or do we try to gain everything by our own strength and determination? Do we act as if Jesus has a say in our lives, let alone the ultimate say in our lives, or not?

I mentioned before that I attended the high school baccularette service, but perhaps one of my greatest joys came few days before that. Every year the miniterium offers a scholarship (and sometimes two) to students who write an essay based on a prompt given. This years prompt was about living out your faith, and we had seven applicants, more then we have ever had in years past. Each of those essays were filled with stories of Jesus directing these graduates lives as they tried to give their very all to the Lord, trusting that Christ would use them to change the world and believing that they were to serve him in all they do every day. That is faith. Some of the students went on to speak of Christ changing their lives and redeeming awful situations they encountered. That is faith. And the winner spoke of seeing miracles every day - that is faith. 

Maybe we don’t have the faith of the centurion but do we have the faith of these teenagers right here in our community? Do we strive to live by faith - giving Jesus control and praise? 

The funny thing about the faith of the centurion was that it wasn’t about knowing all the scriptures - he honestly probably knew very little, if any, as a Roman. It wasn’t about knowing all the God speak or theology about God or what Jewish people believed. His faith was about trusting in the power of Jesus and knowing that he had the authority to change things for his servant, so he risked himself in humbly asking Jesus to do so. 

And you know what  - Jesus did it! He spoke over the centurion’s servants life - which wasn’t his original plan - remember he was originally going to go and heal him face to face -  all because of the faith of this particular Roman. 

Brothers and Sisters, sometimes we miss the point. We can get so caught up in making sure that we believe the right thing, or that our God-speak in just right, that we miss the beauty of having the simple faith to trust Jesus. The simple faith to risk ourselves on behalf of others, both in action and prayer. We miss opportunities to be amazed by Jesus, because we don’t give him the authority that he is due. Let’s change that. Let’s step out in faith, on matters great and small, and give Christ our trust. Give Christ his authority instead of pretending that we have everything under control. Let’s praise God as Jesus breaks through barriers in our lives and the lives of others. Let’s pray for healing in this community. Let’s let Jesus be Jesus. Amen.