St Matthew, Chapter 8, verses: 11-12, The Centurion's Faith

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ heals his servant) Part 2. 

Christ gives us a future prediction:  "And I tell you that many will come from the east and from the west, and will feast with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,  12 but the children of the kingdom will be put forth into the darkness outside; there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth."   Christ here tells us of the upcoming event and who will be present.  He says that many will come from the east.  He says that many will come from the west.  But the children of the kingdom will be put outside and not allowed into the banquet.  Who are the children of the kingdom?

This is an interesting segment of the paragraph.  Christ talks about the centurion and his faith and then these two verses are thrown in the middle of the discussion.  Who are the children of the kingdom?  Who are those from the east and the west?  If we consider that Jesus is in Judea then the east would be those from Syria, Russia, China, etc.   And those from the west would be Italy, Germany, France, England, and the Americas, etc.  From these areas then, are to come those souls who meet the criteria to enter into the kingdom and into the banquet.  But who are they who are the children of the kingdom?

Are they the Jews of Israel that he spoke, of not being able to find such faith in Israel?  Those who come from the east and those who come from the west will take precedence over those who are children of  the kingdom.  They will come in and the children will be put out.  They will feast and the children will not.  They will eat with the saints, Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, and the children will not.  They will be welcomed and the children will not.  Who are the children of the kingdom?

Christ tells us, here, in the middle of this topic that there is a distinction that will be made.  Christ implies that the distinction is faith.  Those who come into the kingdom have a different kind of faith than those who are the inheritors of the kingdom.  The children of the kingdom are heirs to the kingdom.  They have a right to be there according to some rule.  They are predestined to obtain heaven, according to their background.  They have met the criteria already through their relationship with the foundation that was laid by those who came before them.  Yet those who are children of the kingdom are to be put out into the darkness.

Those who are not the children, will take the place of the heirs of the kingdom.  They will eat with the saints.  They will enjoy the benefits of heaven.  They will reap the rewards because of their great faith.  The children of the kingdom accepted their faith as a given.  They who are not children must show their faith.  They must demonstrate their faith as did the centurion and the leper.  The leper took his belief and acted upon it.  He took courage through his belief and dared to brake the laws of the day to come before Christ.  He knew that Christ had the power to change his life and he took action.  He knew that in order to get to see Christ he had to come among clean people without declaring his uncleanness.  This was against the law and he could have been stoned for doing it.  Yet his belief in the healing power of Christ led him to push forward to seek healing for himself.

The centurion too had faith.  He broke the norms of his class to seek help for his servant.  Who in that time would care about the well being of a servant?  The master used the servant in any way he pleased.  A servant was dispensable.  Yet the centurion cared.  Yet the centurion took measures to save his servant.  Yet the centurion sought help for his servant.   Yet the centurion broke rank and went to the christian God to save one so dear to him.  This action required tremendous belief and courage.  For one does not take action unless one believes that the outcome is possible.  The centurion was a man of authority and he knew that Christ was a spiritual man of authority that could heal his servant.

Today we belong to churches and synagogues and religious beliefs.  Are we children of the kingdom, believing in our rights to the banquet?  Or are we lepers and centurions that have to take action to prove our great faith in a healing God?  Do we want to eat at the banquet with the saints or do we want to be put out into the darkness?  Being religious is no guarantee to the kingdom.  We must work to show our faith through our actions.  Take courage.  Take action.  Show your faith.           

St Matthew, Chapter 8, verse: 10, The Centurion's Faith.

Our paragraph topic is: (Christ heals his servant) Part 1.  

We continue our topic about the centurion's faith.  The centurion has professed his faith to Christ through his knowledge of being a man of authority.  The centurion knows about authority and has asked that Christ, a man of spiritual authority, to heal his servant.  He knows that if Christ gives the word that it will be done.  There is no question about whether he believes if it will be done, or if there are delays on it being done, or if the orders have to be approved by someone else.  The centurion has that unwavering faith that lets him know that it will be done.  Christ marvels at this because he has not seen this kind of faith before and especailly in a Gentile.  Christ says:  "Amen I say to you, I have not found such great faith in Israel."   

It is as if Christ is searching for faith.  He is looking all around for those who have some small spark of faith.  He has called the disciples but they are lacking in faith and need to be trained.  So he recognizes the faith in the centurion and announces it to his followers and the public.  What is it that the centurion has that others do not?  What is different in the faith that he has seen so far and what he sees in the centurion?  Why is there such great faith in a Gentile, a Roman, and such little faith in others?  Does it take sickness to bring about faith?  Does it take tragedy for faith to come forth in such abundance to be recognized?  Where does faith reside and how can we find it?

I recently asked the question in a forum, if anyone believed the words that the centurion spoke: Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.  These are some of the answers that I got in response to my question: 

   Unfortunately no.  But, I have been granted prayers that I didn't think
   would be answered.

   I absolutely believe that if Jesus said the word they would indeed be healed 
   without doubt!  

   Yes no one believes any more and it no longer happens vary often and
   when it happens no one believes, and even though it is real it will always
   be denied by everyone so lets say its a lie.
  
   Jesus was present on earth at that time, performing miracles so people would
   know that he was the prophesied Messiah.  Miracles aren't performed like
   that now, and we can't just say certain words and get miraculous healing.
  
   Your question won't be easy to answer briefly.  For one thing, the event
   you're quoting or describing was a miracle, performed by Jesus Himself,
   while He walked this earth before He was crucified and raised from the dead. 
   Besides that, this event was never intended to be a pattern or precedent for
   all such requests.

One can find today, many preachers who teach that we have the power, here on earth, to achieve our dreams.  Through the Blood of Christ we will have no more sickness.  Through the Blood of Christ we will have no maor lack.  Through the Blood of Christ we will suffer no more loss.  It is spoken that this year, 2011, will be the year of abundance.  2011 will be the year of restoration.  2011 will be the year that the body of Christ will have great success.  These are the things that are spoken to us that we should believe.  This is what we hear through the TV broadcasts as we listen to what we are being fed.  There are even witnesses to the principles that are being given to us via a DVD or a CD that we can purchcase and thereby have the life principles that will bring about a change in our lives. 

How is this possible if there is no faith?  We are given, in the Bible, these great examples of the faith of the centurion and the faith of the leper.  Why are they here for us to read?  Why are they an example of the miracles that Christ perfomed?  Was Matthew merely providing us with history?  Is there some purpose that we are not able to comprehend?  Christ is alive today.  He lives in heaven with his father, our God.  We talk to him through our prayers.  The centurion talked to him as he walked the earth.  We talk to him in heaven.  Does the distance between earth and heaven mean that we are not talking to Christ face to face?  Does the distance make a difference as to whether he hears us and will answer our prayers?  Or is the difference the lack of faith that we have in Christ?  No one believes any more.  This does not happen.  This is not a pattern or prescription for having miracles performed.  Where is your faith?  Do we really have faith?      

St Matthew, Chapter 8, verse: 9, The Centurion's Faith.

We continue our paragraph topic:  (The centurion's faith) Part 3. 

The centurion now speaks to Christ telling him of his beliefs.  He tells Christ, "I too am a man subject to authority"   The centurion is indicating his beliefs in authority.  He is telling Christ he recognizes that Christ  is an authority figure and he believes that when Christ speaks by his authority it will be done. 

The centurion knows about authority.  He knows that when a person with authority speaks that one can believe that action will take place.  He knows this because he is a man of authority.  As a man of authority he gives orders and they are carried out.  As a man of authority he carries that power upon himself.  He tells a soldier to go and he goes.  He tells a soldier to come and he comes.  He tells his servant to do this and it gets done.  So as a man of authority he knows that Christ has the power to get things done.  As a man of authority he knows that if Christ says that it will be done then it will happen. 

It is amazing to read this paragraph today that happened over two thousand years ago.  A man of great influence acknowledges the authority of Christ over his life.  How times have changed today.  The presence of Christ has little to no influence in the world today.  The authority of Christ is mocked, denied, expressed as unreal, claimed as irrational, trampled upon, rejected and abused in every way imagined.  People in the world today live as though there is no God.  People work and play, laugh and cry, live and die, without seeking to know the true authority of God.  His words are discarded as something that has no value, to be thrown in the trash.  The world has created its own authority.

People today live by the world's authority.  They live by what is seen on the television.  They live by what is read in the newspaper.  They live by what they read in social media.  They live by what is published by the media as being the authority on life principles, whether it is Doctor Spock, Doctor Joyce Brothers, Desperate Housewives, Hellcats, or Oprah Winfrey.  The world has defined today how we should live, how we should work, how we should play, how we should think, how we should be in our hearts.  The authority of Christ lives in the churches but in many instances it stays in the church and is not taken out into the world and practiced.  

We go to church at our designated times and perform our religious duties and return to our life in the world.  We wear our church clothing in the church and take them off when we leave the church.  We wear our church masks in church and put on our world masks outside in the world.  The authority of Christ has no impact on our lives and our hearts.  It is a duty that we perform just as eating and sleeping.  We have no concept of what it means to take Christ with us everywhere we go.  We have no belief in the authority of God to live with us daily.  We miss the concept of being aliens in this world and living for Christ. 

When Christ is in us, we are not in the world.  When Christ is in us, we are in the kingdom of heaven.  When Christ is in us we operate on his authority and his power.  When Christ is in us, we are in him and he is in the Father.  When Christ is in us the Holy Spirit is in us and no demonic stronghold can prevail against us.  When Christ is in us his protection is all around us and he provides for us.  Who's authority do you operate under?  Is it the world's authority or is it the authority of Christ?