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T h e
K i n g ’ s . B u s i n e s s
October 1930
to come to his home. He had simply told the need. II. Centurion’s Second Plea (8-13). V. 8. Centurion answered and said. Luke ( 7 :6) tells us that he did not even yet venture to appear in person before Christ, but sent messengers to Him. Lord, I am not worthy. He held the Lord Jesus in such high esteem that he was afraid to receive Him into his own house. Such humility was not mixed with hypocrisy. St. Augustine remarks: “ Counting him self unworthy that Christ should enter into his doors, he was counted worthy that Christ should enter into his heart.” Only say the word. Literally, “say in a word.” The centurion recognized that the Lord Jesus had authority to command sickness to depart. It may be that he had heard of the healing of the nobleman’s son at Capernaum when Jesus dismissed the sup pliant with the words, “ Go thy way; thy son liveth” (John 4:50). My servant shall be healed, A very simple expression of faith. It does not seem to be mingled with a shadow of doubt. V. 9. A man under authority. The cen turion does not say, “A man o f author ity,” although he was that. With becom ing modesty he first mentions that he is under a higher authority in the army. Next, he recounts how he can say to a soldier, “Go,” and expect implicit and im mediate obedience. He argues that if he has such authority in a limited sphere, Jesus can say to palsy, leprosy, or any other disease, “Go,” and it will disappear. If at the beginning of his plea the cen turion had faith based on what he had heard about Jesus and His power to heal, he seems now to have risen to higher ground. He rested his whole case on his confidence in the power of Jesus’ word. V. 10. When Jesus•heard it, he mar velled. Jesus did not in the slightest way refuse to accept the ascription of power that the centurion had given. He had as much power as the centurion saw in Him and a great deal more. We marvel as we read the stbry that Jesus, the Son of God, could “marvel” .at anything. Did He not know all men (John 2:24, 25).? The only occasions when He is said to have mar velled at faith exhibited were in dealings with Gentiles. On one occasion He mar velled at unbelief, and that was among His own people (Mk. 6:6). Not found so great faith. He might have reasonably ex pected great faith among the Jews to whom God had given such great privi leges. What sadness there must have been in His heart and expressed in the tone of His voice when He said that He had not found in Israel such faith as this despised Gentile displayed. V. 11. I say Unto you. The repetition of this expression (cf. V. 10) indicates very special emphasis. He meant that His Jew ish hearers should carefully note what He was about to say. Many shall come from the east and the west. On another occa sion (Lk. 13:29) He spoke in a similar way, but added “ from the north and the south.” His meaning was that the king dom of God should be made up o f believ ers from all nations and races in the world. There is no narrow Jewish exclu siveness in these words. Sit down with Abraham. The figure is that o f reclining at a feast. The patriarchs represent the ancient people. Gentiles are to have part with them in the joys of the kingdom.
BLACKBOARD LESSON They Shall Cdme from the J^Jorth j j a s t ^ jjÿ’est Ofouth andShallSit Dorn in. theKingdomof Ood". &/ie Centurion 0. Built faith. Upon (I/ ii U ess ^ [¿.MadeatrueEstimate- 1411 NOTWORTHY. S ickness C ervant aviorsWORD. \ avco (tom ,4 dot All He Believed fbt — - J ¡¿knees. H eart of the L esson I. Centurion’s First Plea (5-7). V. 5. Entered into Capernaum. After the conclusion of the discourse which we call the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus went to Capernaum, a town on the western his plea through some Jewish elders who pleaded in his behalf that he was a lover o f the nation. Beseeching him. We are not told how the centurion came to believe in Christ’s power to heal. Perhaps he had heard o f the healing, just before this, of a case of leprosy (Matt. 8:1-4). Or he may have been informed about many mir acles o f Christ in Capernaum and vicinity. His faith, in other words, was based on general testimony. V. 6. Saying, Lord. The use o f the word “Lord” does not necessarily mean that he recognized the deity of Christ. Yet it is very interesting to note that all who came with a plea to Jesus Christ, address ing Him as “ Lord,” received a favorable response, while those who addressed Him as “Master” or “ Teacher” received no thing. My servant. The Greek word used by Matthew might be translated “my boy” or “my son.” The account in Luke uses a word which means “slave,” and adds the statement that this servant or slave “was dear to him.” We must not think o f . him as a slave in the sense usually implied by that term. Sometimes in those days such servants became trusted and confi dential stewards of their masters’ goods. Sick o f the palsy. Sometimes palsy or paralysis was accompanied by very violent pain. That is hinted in this case by the words “grievously tormented.” V. 7. / will come. Our Lord’s prompt response to this appeal of a Gentile indi cates (1) that He recognized in the man real faith; and (2) that Jesus came to be a Saviour o f all men and was not limited in His ministry o f blessing to Israel. No tice that the centurion had not asked Him shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus made His home there af ter His rejection at Nazareth. Came un to him a centurion. Luke ( 7 :3-5) states that he did not come in person, but sent
ready to share it with the One whom he so loved. The next glimpse we have of Thomas is at the beginning of the Lord’s Supper. He wanted to know positively about some things, so he asked Jesus directly. As usual, Jesus was ready to reply. In this reply we have those wonderful and beau tiful words which are to us, as to Thomas, an answer to our questions. Thomas loved Jesus and was eager to believe. When the risen Lord showed the nail prints in His hands and feet, and the wound in His side from which flowed that fountain for our cleansing, the whole heart of Thomas cried out in absolute faith: “My Lord and my God.” We, too, know Him as our Saviour “by the print of the nails in His hands.” Prayer. November 16, 1930 The Believing Centurion, a Gentile Whose Faith Jesus Commended Lesson: Matthew 8 :5-13. . Golden Text: “And they shall come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and shall sit down in the kingdom o f God” (Lk. 13:29), * * * L esson in O utline I. Centurion’s First Plea (5-7). 1. The need-—a servant sick of the palsy (6). 2. The extremity—“greviously tor mented” (6). 3. Importunity in prayer—“beseech ing” (5). 4. The Master’s response—“I will come” (7). II. Centurion’s Second Plea (8-13), 1. Humble attitude—“I am not worthy” (8). 2. Great faith—“only say the word” ( 8 ). 3. The Master’s response (10-12). a. Marvels at great faith. b. Contrasts the faith of Gen tiles and unbelief o f Israel. 4. The servant healed by a word 0 3 ). * * * A pproach to the L esson 'T'HE story o f the centurion and his ser vant is given with more detail by Luke (7:1-10). There are differences but no discrepancies in the two accounts. Both indicate that the centurion was a Gentile by birth (v. 10; cf. Lk. 7:5). According to Luke, he had shown a very favorable disposition toward the Jews and their re ligion, having built them a synagogue. This does not necessarily prove that he was a proselyte. The Roman centurion was a commander o f a hundred men, corresponding some what to the rank o f a captain in a modern army. It is very significant that nothing but good is told us of any of the cen turions mentioned in the New Testament. In both Matthew and Luke this healing is closely connected with the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew’s account it is one of a group o f miracles which are given to show the authority o f Christ over nature, over disease, over Satan, and over death.
A New Subscriber Please send me T he K ing ' s B usiness for one year. A sam ple copy has been sent to me and I am delighted with it. I am sorry that I did not run across a copy long ago. —From Canada.
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