A Centurion's Reputation

This week I'll be co-teaching a workshop on refugee outreach at Crescent Project's National Conference.  My colleague James will begin that workshop with a short devotional from Luke chapter 7 where Jesus is asked to heal a centurion's servant.  


It's a story that has caused me a fare amount of conviction the past few weeks as I've meditated on it.  I'll hope it does the same for you.


Jesus has just finished teaching the masses when a group of elders from the Jewish synagogue show up to ask him to come and heal a Roman centurion's servant who has fallen ill.  Roman centurion's were the senior officers of a legion of Roman soldiers.  


Roman soldiers who are occupying Israel.  


Roman soldiers who have brutalized and oppressed the Jewish people. 

Already this story is a bit crazy.


But when these elders get to Jesus they don't just ask, they plead with Jesus saying, "He is worthy for You to do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue."


Jesus goes with these elders and the story ends with the centurion telling Jesus he doesn't need to come, he just needs to say the word.  The centurion understands authority and Jesus famously praises the man saying, "​I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."

This is the part that is most often the focus of the story but let's go back to the request of the Jewish elders.  In every respect, the Roman occupation has been a terrible blight on the Jews in Israel.  And yet here are the oppressed pleading the case of a man who is supposed to be their enemy.  

Why?

Because he loves them.  He has poured out his love in generosity.  He has lived a life among them that has demonstrated extraordinary love.

And the question James challenges us with is this:  Is your church living in such a way with the refugee and immigrant communities in your context that if the government came to shut your church down, would refugees and immigrants be the first ones to come and plead your case?

Would refugees in your community come out saying, "No, you can't shut this church down!  They've loved us.  They've helped us with extravagant generosity."


Do our churches have a centurion's reputation?

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