Matthew 8:5-13
March 26, 2025
This summer another “Mission Impossible” movie is coming out, the eighth one in the series, and one of the things that has made these movies so successful are the jaw-dropping stunts that Tom Cruise performs in each movie. According to the movies directors, some of the stunts could have actually killed Tom Cruise, such as an underwater scene which required him to hold his breath for several minutes, which due to the length could have caused suffocation and even brain damage. Another movie involved Tom Cruise dangling off the wing of a plane. While he was held on to the plane by a wire, apparently he passed out several times during filming.
Like some of the stunts performed in the “Mission Impossible” movies that could have led to death for some of the actors, our Gospel reading for tonight involves the very real possibility of death. A centurion, a military leader in the Roman government in charge of about 100 soldiers, comes to Jesus and says, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” The centurion was a man of great power and authority and he had been sent to Capernaum to make sure there was law and order. His work usually kept him very busy as he had to coordinate and monitor the soldiers who were working in the city to keep the peace. So when it came to servants, centurions usually did not have time to be bothered with them. However, for some reason this centurion is very concerned about one of his servants. Was this servant some sort of family friend? Was he the son of someone he knew? What was it about this servant that made the centurion so compassionate toward him?
Plus, why did this centurion come to Jesus for healing? I’m sure there were doctors in the area and probably even better doctors back in Rome. But for some reason the centurion comes to Jesus for healing. Even though this centurion grew up in an area where people worshipped many false gods, somehow he knew that this man named Jesus was the Savior of the world. I would
guess that he had probably heard about Jesus healing people, so he put his trust and confidence in what Jesus could do for him. After all, since his servant was paralyzed and suffering terribly, the possibility of death was probably imminent.
So what did Jesus do? He spoke an encouraging word to the centurion saying, “I will come and heal him.” With these words, Jesus showed that He is the encouraging friend that we all so desperately need. Though he was filled with despair, Jesus brought some encouraging words of hope and healing to the centurion. In fact, we see the effect that these encouraging words of Jesus had on this man, because as soon as Jesus said He would come and heal the servant, the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.” The centurion’s response revealed the depth of his faith and trust in Jesus. The centurion knew the great power he had as people would often tremble in his presence, knowing he could do whatever he wanted to them, but he also knew that his power failed in comparison to the power of Jesus. In verse 9 he said, “For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” But the centurion realized he did not have the power to heal – a power that the prophet Isaiah said only the Savior would have as he would heal the blind, the deaf, and the crippled – so he trusted in Jesus in a very humble way.
This centurion had all kinds of reasons to trust in himself, but he didn’t. He did not put his faith in trying to figure it out on his own or strategizing his way through the situation or being the most courageous man in the room. Though this centurion was capable and competent, he knew that Jesus was the only one who could bring hope in his situation. That is why Jesus marveled at his faith saying, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.”
It’s interesting to note that there are only 2 places in the Bible where Jesus is amazed at an individual’s great faith. This story and a story several chapters later about a Canaanite woman who
pleaded for her daughter who was possessed by a demon. The reason these are so interesting is because neither person grew up in a Jewish or Christian home. They both had backgrounds and circumstances that should have made it difficult for them to have faith in Jesus, and yet they both believed. All around us our world says, “If you trust in Jesus, you are not going to get ahead in this world. But if you trust in yourself, you can succeed.” While trusting in Jesus may not get us ahead in this world, we do know that trusting in Jesus will get us straight into heaven. It will get us through all of the trials, difficulties, sorrows, and disappointments in this life with strength, comfort, and forgiveness. This centurion was a leader who probably had many accomplishments, but he realized that he was not worthy to even stand before Jesus. However, at the end of our Gospel lesson it states that our encouraging friend, Jesus, said to the centurion, “‘Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.’ And his servant was healed at that very hour.”
God’s Word tells us that “the righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17). Notice what it does not say. The Bible does not say, “The righteous shall live by success, perfection, power, achievement, or strength. It does not say that the righteous shall live by getting it right all the time, having all the answers, or knowing what to do in every situation. The Bible does not say that the righteous shall live by wealth, intelligence, luck, or anything else. It says, “The righteous shall live by faith.” This is a definitely a word of great encouragement to us all.
We do not have to be like the Tom Cruise character in the Mission Impossible movies – smart, bold, daring, strong, and courageous in order to live as God’s children. Instead, we ought to be like this centurion – full of faith and trust in Jesus. May our hearts take courage in the One who has gone to the cross to pay for our sins. May our hearts take courage in the One who has left the tomb empty to ensure our victory over sin, death, and the devil. And may our hearts take courage in our encouraging friend, Jesus, who against all odds did everything necessary to save us.
