Matthew 8:5-13
[The Faith of a Centurion]
When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this,he marveled and said to those who followed him,
“Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
Devotional Question:
Why does Jesus marvel in this story? Can you remember a time where Jesus declares: "O you of little faith"? In this story, Jesus declares the opposite: "With no one in Israel have I found such faith?" Why does this Gentile find the most favor ... even above all in Israel? Which King and Kingdom is your faith in?
Did You Know?
Jesus promises that many Gentiles will recline at the table. We also see his promise that some sons of the kingdom (referring to sons of Israel) will be forever lost. What point about faith is he trying to warn us of? Perhaps Jesus' closest twelve disciples are not the only ones who need reminders about "little faith?" Here are the "little faith" references:
How devastating it is to think that a person can mistakenly trust in the wrong thing... and be refused a seat at the table in the kingdom of heaven! This is devastation ... for lack of faith. Jesus says to trust in him - any other king and kingdom will have perilous consequences.
