Luke 7:6-7

The Roman officer who spoke these words was a fascinating character. He was not a Jew but was clearly deeply respectful of the Jewish faith. He had even paid for the construction of a synagogue and was, not surprisingly, much loved by the Jewish people.

When his slave became ill, he decided to invite Jesus to heal him. His concern for his slave was remarkable in itself. Slaves were usually regarded merely as tools, and a master was able to mistreat or even kill them as he chose. This Roman officer was different. He was eager to see his slave recover, and so he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask Jesus to heal him.

The faith of the Roman was so great that he didn’t even consider it necessary for Jesus to meet the slave. He knew that Christ’s word was powerful enough. All that was necessary was for Jesus to pronounce the healing. He reasoned that, as a military officer, he had authority to order people around; therefore, Jesus had the necessary authority to declare his slave was healed.

Here we see a supreme illustration of faith. Luke, throughout his Gospel and the book of Acts, was eager to show that Jesus came for the world and not just for the Jews. He recorded that, when Jesus heard the words of the Roman officer, he was amazed, saying to the crowd: “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” (v10).

This beautiful account is a reminder to us of the absolute importance of faith, and that it can be found in the most surprising places.

QUESTION

Why is faith so important?

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, I pray that my faith in you may continue to grow, day by day. Amen

Released on 9 Jun 2023