1 After Jesus had finished speaking in the hearing of the people, he entered into Capernaum. 2 A certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and at the point of death. 3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and save his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they begged him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy for you to do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he built our synagogue for us.” 6 Jesus went with them. When he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. 7 Therefore I didn’t even think myself worthy to come to you; but say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I also am a man placed under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude who followed him, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith, no, not in Israel.” 10 Those who were sent, returning to the house, found that the servant who had been sick was well.

Luke 7:1-10 - World English Bible

From his dialogue on discipleship in Luke 6, Jesus went to Caperrnaum and encountered what today Jews would title a “righteous Gentile,” a man who honored YHWH and gave support to his people. The irony of the man, of course, was his rank in an occupying military force; the Roman army had a reputation for extortion and cruelty, making them both feared and hated among the populace. As a centurion, the man commanded anywhere between 50 to 200 soldiers and made up to seventeen times more than the men he led. This officer dealt favorably with the people, even acting as a benefactor for the local synagogue.

The man desired a healing for his servant. When Jesus offered to visit the officer's house, the man demurred, implicitly sensitive to the scandal it might cause. If the Lord entered a Gentile's house, he became unclean. But, the man took the encounter a step further, flipping the social order; Jesus, the proclaimer of God's message, had more honor than that of a Roman centurion. In the officer's mind, the Lord only had to give the word and, like a military order descending the chain of command, the task would get done. Jesus marveled at the honor and trust the centurion gave him, in turn raising the man's status above that of any Jew he met, for this Gentile embodied the qualities the Lord wanted in a disciple: humility and unwavering faith.

How have you honored the Lord this week?