Matthew 8:5-13
Quick Summary
A powerful military man in charge of 100 Roman Soldiers came to Jesus. He told Jesus how powerful he was, but then said he was not anywhere as powerful as Jesus. He asked for Jesus to heal his servant. Jesus was impressed that someone so powerful would be meek enough to ask for help, and trust Jesus to help. Jesus healed the servant, and praised the man for his faith.
The Point
Even though there are things we don’t have power over, God
is powerful and working for our good.
Questions for Family Time
1. Who
was sick?
a. The
Centurion’s (Roman Soldier) servant
2. How
did the centurion practice “meekness”?
a. He
said Jesus had more power than him
3. How
can we be meek?
a. Asking
Jesus for help over the things we don’t have power over.
By
not using our power in mean ways
Deeper
The other night, I was watching an episode of Chicago Med in
which there were two very different patients. The rich Saudi prince had the
best heart surgeon in the country for his procedure. A chief officer in the US
military had untreated cancer due to the backlog at the local VA. The doctors
spoke to the injustice of the situation. A man who had sacrificed for our
country given so little while a frenemy of the state was given so much.
Our scripture this week has similarly complicated
relationships at play. The Centurion, like the Saudi prince was a frenemy of
the Jewish community. He was in a place of power, and in fact names the power
he holds. Then he does something interesting…he tells Jesus how powerless he
really is over his daughter’s health and that Jesus himself has the power this
Centurion could never have. Jesus is amazed that the Centurion would have the
meekness to recognize someone more powerful than himself.
Meekness in Jesus world was a way to describe the powerless.
Jesus says it is those with no power who will rule in his kingdom. We see with
the centurion that even someone powerful can understand they are powerless
compared to Jesus. So for those of us who feel powerless in our world, Jesus
says to us that we have power in his name. For those of us who know we hold
power we are called to do as the Centurion did, and recognize that our power is
so very limited compared to God. And in taking our position of meekness, God’s
powerful love is with us.
Personal Reflection
What are the
parts of your life that you are powerless over? How can you trust God with those
areas more fully?
