The prevalent belief system of the Jewish people was one of religious pride.  They believed God rewarded you if you did well and were "worthy" and punished you if you did bad or were "unworthy".  Their argument to Jesus is that he should grant the wishes of the centurion because he had loved the Jewish nation and had built a synagogue (verse 5).  This attitude was not only the mindset of the people but the mindset of the religious rulers as well who believed justification was based on following the law and not justification based on faith (Hab2:4).  This became a major bone of contention with Jesus.  It ultimately crucified him.  Jesus whose ministry was one of preaching, teaching, and healing goes with the crowd to meet the servant of the centurion.  We might conclude at first reading that the people are right because we learn that Jesus does heal the servant.  The question is does Jesus heal because the centurion is good as the people suggest or does he heal because of his faith?  Do we come to Jesus with our petitions on the ground of our own righteousness, our own goodness, or the goodness of the one we are praying for, or do we come because of who Jesus is, his nature and his purpose, through faith?   This is a fundamental question and our response will be a good indication of whether God moves on our behalf or not.

 
I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
And they that were sent returning to the house found
The servant whole that had been sick.  (Verse 9-10)


The centurion was unique to the culture in which he lived.  He was not Jewish and so did not have the Jewish upbringing to which Jesus was so opposed.  Jesus does not say that he had not found so great a man as this in Israel, though that might follow, but that he had not found so great faith.  What moved Jesus was not the goodness or badness of the centurion but his faith, a far different matter!  What did the centurion see that the rest of the Jewish people did not?  What kind of faith did he have that was different from the rest of them?  First of all what he saw was a man like himself and yet capable of doing far greater things.

Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou
Shouldest enter under my roof:  Wherefore neither thought
Myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my
Servant shall be healed.  For I also am a man under authority.....
I say to one go and he goeth; and to another Come and he cometh.
(Verses 6-8)


"I also am a man under authority" indicates to me that the centurion recognized that Jesus had power to heal in the same way that he had power over soldiers.  Jesus could tell sicknesses to leave because of his authority over them just like the centurion could tell a soldier to go and he would go.  How great is that!  Compared to the authority of Jesus, his authority was nil and therefore not worthy to be in the same room as Jesus or not worthy to command him or even ask him to come.  The Jewish people and the leaders, in particular, were so caught up in themselves and their own righteousness, they could not see what the centurion saw nor speak the faith the centurion spoke.  This is truly amazing.  Eyes but can not see and ears but can not hear.

What moves God is faith, not prestige.  Faith that recognizes one's impotence compared to the power of God and will humble oneself and repent.  Because of religious pride, the Jewish leaders could not acknowledge their impotence and so crucified the Lord of glory.  How many men today reject the power of God because they will not recognize their impotence but want to maintain their pride and power.  Pride and power follow humility and impotence...the pride and power of an almighty God who gives grace and authority to those born-again and filled with the grace of God.  The centurion saw in Christ what Jewish leaders could not and so moved God that he healed the gentile's servant.  Let us pray that we might preach the awesomeness of Jesus and the impotence of man and our need for a Savior and Lord. 

Amen