Luke 7:1-10
Whilst this story is
about a very strong faith that surprised even Jesus, it is also a picture of a
remarkable individual.
Let me paint in some of the background so we
understand the context in which the story is set. The Romans had taken over this tiny country
and had a reputation for being hard and unforgiving in their dealings with the
population. Throughout the land at this
time were to be found many crosses containing the decaying bodies of those who
had been executed for crime. The Romans
left the crosses there to remind the people what they could expect if they
stepped out of line. They wanted people
to see them as hard and unforgiving.
They needed to be seen as strong governors.
The centurions were
the key officers in the Roman Legions.
They received orders themselves but were men who were obeyed by their
soldiers without question and passed on their own orders to their minions. They were posted throughout the region where
the rule of Rome held sway. Most of
them did not understand the Jews or their religion. This made their tasks difficult. But in this gospel passage we hear of one
who did understand the population he controlled. You get the impression that he had found a
better way than most in governing his particular district. He obviously achieved excellent results
through finding ways of getting the people on his side. They would be easier to control if they had
a level of belief in him as a human being.
I would not mind betting that he would be ribbed by his fellow officers
for his style of government. Equally I
bet he could take it, because he achieved success.
I wonder if this
centurion was, by any chance, the same one who stood at the foot of the cross
and declared that Jesus really was the Son of God. If not, then we are aware of two centurions
finding something unique in Jesus. In
our gospel reading we find a story involving a Roman who had interacted with
the people he controlled and learned from them. Before the story we are told that he had
been so involved with the community that he had built their synagogue. He had obviously seen something in Judaism
that appealed to him and seemed very worthwhile. Sometimes an outsider can become impressed
by another religion and see it working out in daily life. It is even possible that such an onlooker
can see a value not perceived by a member of the particular religion.
We can be sure that
this man had a lot of time for the people he controlled in Caesarea. No doubt he had come to know the value of
encouragement over compulsion. Many
have found that it is futile to run around expending energy trying to impress
one’s will on others.
Let me tell you about
a recent case involving my daughter.
She recently started in a new job where the work of the organisation was
helping young adults with learning difficulties. After a while, one day, she decided to go
outside for a little fresh air. She
went to the small farm they ran at the back of the building. She noticed a woman running round a compound
desperately trying to catch a rabbit. A
veterinary nurse was due to call and clip the nails of the rabbits they kept
there. The rabbit in question was not
for being captured and outran her keeper each time she pursued it. My daughter enquired about the
activity. She then asked for a pair of
wellingtons which she put on and went into the compound. She squatted down on her haunches and called
the rabbit. It came to her and she
handed it to the very surprised keeper.
She has kept rabbits for a number of years. This was not the end of the story. The keeper did not feel able to cut the
nails of the rabbits there and so a veterinary nurse had been called. They possessed the clippers so she took on
the job and clipped the toenails of all the rabbits. The keeper was amazed and delighted. Additionally she had saved the organisation
the cost of the veterinary services!
Encouragement can
often entail getting working at the level of those you want to work with and
gaining their confidence. This is what
the centurion did when he began to work with the Jews he was under orders to
control. Back in the early 70s I worked
in a small rural town in what was then the Isle of Ely in the fens of East
Anglia. The Clerk of the Council was a
fellow northerner and he told me that the way to get the locals to do something
new was to suggest it to them so that they would later introduce it as their
own idea. If all that matters is making
a difference then you forget getting the credit in favour of getting the job
done. The amusing part of this is that
when I wanted to make a change in our office I asked the Clerk what he
thought. The new system came about with
the Clerk getting the credit for thinking of it!
Our centurion was a
man who could see that there was a number of ways to achieve his ends. As an officer he knew quite well that what
he said went. But this did not prevent
him seeing that if he made a contribution by building a synagogue the locals
would be eating out of his hand. Spike
Milligan wrote a number of books about his time as a soldier during the Second
World War. The officer commanding his
training unit was a true Colonel Blimp and got very little respect from his
men. Spike Milligan was once up before
him on a charge and got a period confined to barracks. On hearing his punishment he asked if he
might speak. The officer was surprised
to hear, “Sir, would you mind going to Beachy Head and throwing yourself
off?” His sentence was increased. When the officer was replaced his successor
was the sort of officer whose men loved him and would follow him anywhere.
I think that our
centurion was this sort of leader. He
obviously had an open mind and he had heard about this wandering Galilean who
healed the sick and brought back people from death’s door. He had listened to the stories and decided
to put his faith in Jesus in order to make his servant well. It tells us too that he valued his
staff. They and their lives were
important to him. One of the signs of a
good employer is the way that staff are valued. For a few months I worked for an IT supply
company who were highly regarded by their staff. Whilst I was in my temporary placement with
them they moved to new office accommodation.
It was in this period that we experienced a great deal of stress. Suddenly, one morning, a stranger walked
into the office and started performing conjuring tricks at our desks. He had been brought in by management to
bring down the stress levels of the staff.
I had never seen that done before (or since).
In like manner the
centurion was in touch with his community and knew how to get the best out of
them. I have no doubt his fellow
centurions were working quite differently elsewhere in Palestine. No doubt too they were getting results, but
from a grudging community with no harmony there at all. The story here in Luke’s gospel has much
more to say than telling about Jesus healing the man’s servant. The point to the story is all about the
centurion calling in Jesus and having faith in him to help out.
We are challenged,
therefore, to bring Jesus in to make a difference in the lives of ourselves and
others. This brings us to the point
where we have to say whether we truly believe that Jesus can make the
difference so badly needed. I remember
reading in Reform, he magazine of the United Reformed Church, some years ago
about a church who were looking at making a change. I can’t remember what that change was but I
do remember the response of their new minister. She advised taking up some time for prayer
in order to test their idea against what Jesus was leading them to do.
Sometimes, churches
are so set on doing something that they don’t stop to think if it is the way
they are being called and directed to go.
It is always easy to set off in a certain direction without planning the
journey. Planning that journey means involving
our Saviour in our efforts. It is
sometimes faith that calls us forward.
That happens when we involve our Lord in all our doings. Every single aspect of church life and
mission is spiritual in one way or another.
Many years ago I said to my minister, “I am fed up with constant
discussions about buildings in Elders’ meetings. What about our mission?” The answer came back, “It’s all spiritual,
Keith.”
Looking back over my
life in church circles I can see how some congregations have experienced great
difficulties, not least in terms of numbers trying to keep up with the
work. There have been some churches
that have had to close because of the great burden of building problems. But I can point to small groups who have
kept going in the faith and have done a great job. I was approached one day by the Girls Brigade
captain at a small church. She said she
had run out of ideas to keep the group going.
Not long before I had been at a District Meeting when two young people
had spoken to us as advocates for Pilots, a non uniform youth organisation in
the URC and Congregational churches. So
I suggested this organisation as a new approach. Within a year there were over 40 children
attending Pilots each week. I went in
one day and saw what they were doing and the scene was mayhem as the children
played indoor hockey in the little church hall. This was a small church with around 15
members. They are still active to this
day.
It’s all about seeing
in Jesus a way forward to make a difference.
If we can’t see this we are in trouble.
Even small groups of Christians can achieve great things when they are
walking with Jesus. It is not about
numbers, as many believe. It is about
properly directed faith. A few years
ago I remember Lawrence Moore of the Windermere Centre referring to a church in
America who were successfully making a difference under the banner “God is
still speaking.” This campaign also
used a quotation from Gracie Allen who once said, "Never place a period where God has placed a
comma. God Is Still Speaking."
