Sermon Tone Analysis

.1-10

Jesus comes back down the mountain and heads back to His base of operations in Capernaum.

We are immediately introduced to a Gentile, someone who is not a Jew; a Centurion.

Centurions were commonplace in the Roman Empire.

They were equivalent to a modern-day army captain and commanded up to 80 soldiers not 100 as is supposed by the name.

In these days people rarely got beyond what we call middle-aged but there is something extraordinary in the centurion’s concern for his servant.

The Greek word translated “valued highly” means the servant was honoured by the centurion.

He was not just a slave to him but he cared for him as ‘someone’ rather than the usual ‘nobody’.

And he wanted him to be get well.

What I find surprising is not that he asked the Jewish elders to ask Jesus for help—but that the elders went immediately!

What Jew would take a Gentile’s word and go.

I am sure that the synagogue leaders were not normally running errands for anyone, especially one such as an occupying enemy Gentile soldier.

They must of held him in high esteem.

Well, we don’t have to guess for when they came to Jesus they declared their love for this man;

‘This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue’ ”.

Of course, the Centurion could have hoodwinked them into thinking he was benevolent and bribing them to maintain peace but surely he would have only done the minimum, however, this Centurion did not just contribute to their building fund but he built the whole Synagogue!

Were they right, though, to say ‘he deserves’ to have Jesus heal his servant?

They were making judgements about him which were the outward show rather than of the inward heart.

He deserves it for he has done all these good works.

There have been many through the ages till this present day who think that if they do something for the Church and/or contribute to its running they can earn Heaven.

But, we know that such works cannot get you forgiveness or eternal life from God.

The Jews here could only see the outside of the cup in just the same way they judged their own lives.

But the thing that matters is the heart; what it is like is revealed in Scripture:

Jesus though starts on His way with them and, by then, the Centurion had heard He was on the way and so he sent his friends to stop Him in His tracks.

Now we are to see not the external show but the inward heart: “Clearly” says the Centurion, “you are much more than I and I sent the elders for I was not worthy to come myself and I certainly am not worthy for you to come to my house.”

Right here we see humility and the recognition of his own unworthiness.

The Centurion was completely conscious of his own sin and had realised who he was in comparison to Jesus.

When we take into account what we are, not only in our outward show but those things that we never show anyone else; such as those things which we desire with corrupt thoughts, we can never count ourselves of ever being worthy.

We sometimes judge ourselves with others who perhaps we loathe in society thinking we would and could not do the things they do but actually we have all had murder in our hearts at some time.

We have to have a healthy view of our own sinfulness but let us not forget we are also forgiven.

And when we look at the world that is mired in sin let us understand that Jesus did come for the worthy but the unworthy:

The centurion now showed his faith through his words: “But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.

I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes.

I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it”.

The centurion understood that Jesus can heal up close as much as He can heal from a distance.

From the beginning it is clear that he believed that Jesus could heal his servant which means that the Centurion knew who He was.

He must be divine to do the things He does.

What soldier would show reverence to a Jewish leader?

The answer is that he knew that He was more than this and greater than him in every way.

Jesus really was of the Divinity, something that Jesus said to Peter could only be revealed by His Father.

As a result his faith had produced a load of activity:

He had called the elders and being unworthy himself to go he sent a delegation of elders to Jesus.

Jesus had approached his home.

A second delegation of friends had met Jesus, expressing the centurion’s faith.

But now the officer’s faith rested.

He knew his own limitations and unworthiness, and he knew who Christ was.

He believed that Christ could heal his servant with a word.

His faith had found a resting place.

What is amazing is that Jesus was amazed.

Such faith had not ever be found before.

There is only one other time when Jesus was amazed found in:

Amazed at the amount of faith and amazed at the lack of faith.

Thankfully, in this case, today, the Centurion had amazing faith.

Why was Jesus so amazed?

He was a Gentile with none of the Jewish history and understanding of the Scriptures.

He was a soldier who had come to oppress and use his power.

But above all these things was the absolute certainty of his faith.

"say the word, and my servant will be healed” Wow!

There was zero doubt Jesus could do it.

He knew that if Jesus used His power it was like his in that a word is all it takes to get things done.

This is reminiscent of what it says in:

Then what he believed happened.

The servant was healed.

And the faith of the Centurion pleased Jesus.

Anyone who puts their faith in Jesus will not be let down for it is the one thing we know that pleases God; our faith.

And those whom we pray for can be the recipient of answers to those prayers.

.11-17

A little time later He arrived in a city called Nain.

Today the city is a village but recent archaeological digs show it was a city in Roman times.

The journey from Capernaum would have taken 1 or 2 days as it is about 25 miles south west and Jesus had his disciples and a large crowd with Him.

They arrived at the city gates when another large crowd was coming out of the city to the burial grounds.

A widow was mourning for her son, her only son.

There would have been great noise and a melee with music and wailing and professional mourners.

But she was alone in the universe.

She would have been a pitiful sight.

Desperate, weeping and crying, knowing that when she got home it would be empty and she would be destitute but these things still do not compare with the feeling of loss that she would see her son no more.

After all it just does not seem right that the children die before the parents.

No wonder the words of Jesus to her was one of trying to comfort the comfortless and speaking from His heart he said: “Don’t cry”.

But Jesus’ words are never empty gestures they give hope.

No sooner had He said these words He approached the open casket and touched it.

For a Jew to do this was a no no.

It would make him unclean.

But Jesus knew that mercy triumphs over rules.

Those carrying the body stopped.

I expect that did not know what to do for this had never happened before.

And certainly what happened next had not happened before either, He spoke the word: “Young man, get up”.

You know.

The dead body cannot hear.

Why?

Because he was not there anymore.

Yet, wherever this man was, he heard the voice of Jesus and he had to immediately obey.

And suddenly he is awake.

This must have been quite a bit disorienting for him.

And Jesus, it says, gave him back to his mothers.

Wow, again, right!

The story is very similar to one that happened in the day of Elijah when he, in 1 Kings 17 was sent to a widow .

The similarities here are not by mistake.

Elijah to the widow at the city gate

Felt compassion for her dire situation

and raised to life her only son

And in Jesus who gave him back to his mother is an explicit allusion to the Elijah narrative: