Tuesday, August 4, 2026
When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, pleading with him, Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony. He said to him, Am I to come and heal him? Lord,” the centurion replied, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does it. Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following him, Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith. I tell you that many will come from east and west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then Jesus told the centurion, Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you. And his servant was healed that very moment. Matthew 8:5-13 CSB
When is the last time you felt like an outsider? Maybe it was a long time ago. For me it was very recent. I recently moved into an apartment complex where I didn’t know anyone. I went to an event and felt so uncomfortable when no one talked to me for a while. It felt like I didn’t belong – like I was crashing a party I was not invited to, and they were wondering why I was there and when I would leave. It was very uncomfortable. Some seasons of life just have a way of naturally making us an outsider.
No one likes to feel like an outsider. We crave community and belonging and when we feel rejected or like an outsider it is a lonely feeling. The Centurion we heard about in Pastor Jim’s sermon Sunday was an outsider. I would imagine he didn’t often feel like an outsider because he was in a position of authority within the Roman government, commanding soldiers under him. One day his servant became ill and paralyzed in pain and evidentially the centurion cared about him enough to humble himself as an outsider, seeking Jesus’ healing powers. He had surely heard of the Messiah and his healing powers, but Jesus was a Jew, and he was a gentile. A gentile officer of the Roman government went seeking the Jewish Messiah because he realized who Jesus was.
Since the centurion was in a position of authority – wouldn’t it have been harder for him to surrender and trust the authority of Jesus who was acting in the authority of God? He did have those in authority over him, but he was accustomed to commanding those under him and demanding respect. Yet he respected the authority Jesus had and in his faith, he totally believed that Jesus only had to say the word and his servant would be healed. This amazed Jesus. Can you imagine those words being said about you?
Our needs can activate a level of faith that may stay quiet until we need it in our desperation. Then, like the Centurion, we come to Jesus desperate and surrendered. When we surrender and get out of the way, Jesus can work to accomplish his will and meet our needs. The centurion had a need, and he knew Jesus could meet that need.
It is not our worth or righteousness, but God’s grace, his unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor that chooses us. He invites us into his kingdom – to be a part of his family. As we have heard throughout this sermon series, All are invited to come and see the truth of Jesus. Jesus picks the unlikely recipients of God’s grace – the outsiders, the outcast, the ones no one else deems as worthy. Aren’t we all the unlikely recipients of God’s grace? We are, yet here we are walking in the light of his glory.
Are you surrendering and actually taking your need to God? Or are you looking somewhere else to fulfill that need?
How have you amazed God lately?
