THE KING’S BUSINESS
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sense of personal unworthiness that kept the centurion back from personal approach to Jesus, though the earnestness of his de sire for his slave, add the thought that he was not worthy for Jesus to come under his roof, sent him out at last to meet Him in order to save Jesus the trouble of coming further. His tender care for his slave is only second in beauty to the simplicity and strength of his faith (cf. Luke 7:2; contra 1 Sam. 30:13). The case was desperate. The lad was at the point of death (Luke 7:2). There was no one else who could help him but Jesus, but there is nothing too hard for Him and we can always turn to Him when there is no other place to go. The centurion built his faith upon what he had “heard concerning Jesus” (cf. Rom. 10:17). He who witnesses for Jesus never knows what may come of his testimony. The centurion’s prayer was short and defi nite and very intense. How gracious the Lord’s answer, “I will come and heal him.” Jesus said, “I will come” because He was invited. He is always ready to accept -an invitation to any home or heart (Rev. 3: 20). “He is worthy,” had been the testi mony concerning the centurion by the Jew ish elders (Luke 7 :4) : - “I am not worthy,” was his testimony concerning himself. The man who thinks himself unworthy is the man who is most likely to be thought worthy by others, and he is always the surest to get a blessing from God (Ps. 10 17; Luke 18:10-14).^ The Roman soldier had got a glimpse of the Deity of Christ; he considered sickness to be as absolutely subject to the word of Jesus as were his soldiers to his own word. Thank God, the centurion was right about that (cf. Luke 4:35, 36, 39; Mark 4:39; John 11:43, 44). In this heathen’s faith Jesus got a glimpse of the great coming day when the Gentiles would be gathered (v. 11) together unto' Him. The centurion got what he sought because he believed (v. 13; cf. James 1 : 5 - 7 ; Mark 11:24). The centurion got all he believed for (Matt. 9:29; 17:20; Mark 9:23; Luke 1:45).
Jesus, faith that He was able to do what He would. It was, however, imperfect faith. He had perfect confidence in Jesus’ ability, but doubted His willingness to help. Many today put the “if” just where the leper did, on the willingness of Jesus to help. It there is any “if” in regard to a blessing sought of Jesus Christ, it belongs not on His willingness or power, but on our faith (Mark 9:22, 23). Imperfect as the leper’s faith was, Jesus responded to it. He is just the same today (Heb. 13:8). It was God’s compassion, not the leper’s worthiness, that led Jesus to answer the leper’s prayer (Mark 1:41. cf. Matt. 14:14). Jesus exerted His healing power by a touch. That touch was in itself an act of great compassion, for it would make Jesus ceremonially un clean. He took the leper’s uncleanness upon Himself that He might make the leper clean (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21). There is many a moral leper today needing the touch of a clean hand. This “I will” of our Lord, taken in its context, proves His Deity (cf. Gen. 1:3; Ps. 33:9; Mark 4:39). AH He had to do was to will and to speak, and that which God alone could do was done. It is to be noted that the leper expressed his belief in the Deity of Jesus by worshiping Him (v. 2), and Jesus proclaimed Himself to be Divine by accepting the worship. The leprosy left immediately; the cleansing was complete. Our Lord, unlike most modern “healers,” avoided publicity (v. 4). Thursday, January 21. Matthew 8 :5-13. This centurion occupied a much higher social position than Jesus, but he recog nized the infinite superiority of Jesus to himself (cf. Luke 7:6-7). If Matthew’s gospel contained the only account, we would get the impression that the centurion came himself, but he certainly did not until after he had sent the Jewish elders and then his friends (Luke 7:3-6). It is worthy of much thought how one gospel story sup plements another, and how each is evidently an independent account. It was a deep
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