The Faith that is Rare

After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set 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 these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well (Luke 7:1-10).

After presenting the kind of teaching that would transform hearts, make disciples, and advance the kingdom of God on earth, Jesus turned His attention to another indispensable requirement for kingdom building disciples. As a demonstration of His sovereignty, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17), Christ arranged for a living illustration of His next disciple-building and equipping lesson. Jesus stirred the grieving but believing heart of a Gentile centurion to reach out to Him for help in order to teach His disciples an invaluable lesson about the faith that is rare.

The faith that is rare comes from hearing Christ’s Word. The Spirit leads us to note that the centurion “heard about Jesus”. His faith was prompted by a report about the preaching, teaching, and healing ministry of Christ. The Spirit teaches through the pen of the apostle Paul that genuine faith comes from hearing the words of Christ… “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Faith-filled disciples spend much time listening to and storing up the words spoken by and about Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible… “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). Earnest disciples are eager to share the truth-filled words of Christ in order to sow seeds of faith in the hearts of others… “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14). Abiding in and sharing the gospel of Christ builds the faith that is rare.

The faith that is rare prompts a love for Christ’s people. The Spirit inspired Luke to note that this Gentile centurion “loves our nation”. Because he saw through the politics of his day and beyond the legalities of his official position, the centurion was able to recognize the Jews as God’s special people… “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6). Because he showed favor to the Jews, the Gentile centurion was blessed… “I will bless those who bless you” (Genesis 12:3). His blessing was the gift of faith to believe in Jesus Christ… “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Genuine disciples are born again, having received by grace the gift of the faith that is rare.

The faith that is rare respects Christ’s authority. The Spirit exhorts us here to imitate the centurion’s submission to Christ’s authority. He did not want to disrupt Christ’s agenda with a demand of his own. He simply trusted Jesus to respond in whatever way He would, and he knew Christ’s words had the same kind of spiritual power that his own commands had among his soldiers… “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14). Productive disciples trust the same authority today… “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you” (Luke 10:19). Christ’s authority is released through the faith that is rare.

As we grow up into Christ we are increasingly more effective and productive disciples through…

The Faith that is Rare.