Luke the beloved physician wrote when Jesus, “had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this. For he loves our nation, and he has built us a synagogue. Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not yourself: for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof”, and in chapter seven and verse seven of his book Luke shared how the centurion tells Jesus, “say in a word, and my servant shall be healed”, where we read:
Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto you:
but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
The verse reads, “Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto you:” Luke began with the word, “wherefore” or “therefore, consequently and on account” “neither thought I myself worthy” which means “nor and not in any way did I, the centurion, think, deem or entitle myself fit” “to come unto you” or “to arise, appear and come forth to Jesus”. Luke shared how the centurion's “friends” told Jesus that he did not feel “entitled or fit” to “appear before” Jesus himself.
The verse continues, “but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.” Luke added words, “but say in a word” which means “however, nevertheless, nonetheless and notwithstanding utter, declare and proclaim with a decree, mandate, declaration, dictum or maxim”, “and my servant” or “and the centurion's bondman or man of servile condition” “shall be healed” which means “will be cured, made whole and restored to health”. Luke shared how the centurion told his “friends” to tell Jesus all He needed to do was to “proclaim a mandate” and he knew his “servant” would be “made whole”.
When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we learn more of the humility within this centurion. He did not feel “worthy” to appear before Jesus himself, so he sent his friends to address Jesus. The centurion believed Jesus could “cure” his servant by only saying “a word”, and we shall learn his reason for believing this. God loves people, and He desires for them not only to approach Him in humility, but also to believe His word is powerful enough to meet their every need. Jesus Christ wants people to come to Him and understand, He is willing to “forgive” their sins, grant them “everlasting life” and meet their needs by simply saying “a word”.
Next time Luke shares how the centurion tells Jesus, “I also am a man set under authority”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
No comments:
Post a Comment