They Shall Come From The East And They Shall Come From The West
Today’s message will focus on the Centurion who came to see Jesus so that he could heal his Servant. The passage comes from Matthew Chapter 8, verses 5-13. When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
It doesn’t matter which direction that those who sought Jesus came from. The three wise men came from the East from a mysterious land. The Roman Centurion came from the West. Many came from South, while the pigeons came from the North.
Jesus had entered Capernaum, a place named after a word that fails spell-checkers. Capernaum, or Kfar Nahum in Hebrew, means Nahum’s Village. Capernaum is a fishing village that was located on the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee. This town has a very important significance in the Gospels. It was reported the the disciple Matthew resided in Capernaum. Not far from Capernaum was Bethsaida, which was the home of the disciples Peter, Andrew, James, and John. Jesus would have been a regular there as well. Several of Jesus’s miracles were preformed there. As such, for a small town, everyone would have been aware of everything going on, including the Centurion who was stationed there. Jesus cleansed a man of a un-pure spirit in the Capernaum synagogue. It was there where Jesus healed Peter’s mother of an intense fever. It was at Capernaum where a paralytic man was lowered through a roof for Jesus to heal. I hope that home-owner had insurance!
While Jesus was there, he was approached by a Roman Centurion. A Roman Centurion was a very prestigious commander in the Roman army. He would have been very skilled in military affairs and coordination. The Roman Centurions were the ones that conquered huge swaths of Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East. These were people you did not want to have on your bad side during a time of war.
A centurion normally commanded a centuria (or century) of troops. In the Roman military, a century was made up of 80 men who were referred to as legionaries. The legionaries were professional soldiers who knew warfare like the back of there hand. The centurion who commanded the units were much better off financially than many other Romans. They were payed five times what a legionarie was payed. The best centurion were promoted as the Primus Pilus of a cohort. A cohort was a unit made up of 5 centuria.
Despite the military accolades that a centurion earns, that person still has needs like the rest of us do. Sometimes, we enter into times of tribulations. We enter into a time of consistent pain. We either go through a medical issue, an accident, financial hard-ships, or the loss of loved ones.
In some of cases, the pain can only be resolved with the passage of time. There is no magic bullet for those going through intense pain. If a person wakes up feeling inadequacy in the morning, all the sentimental words won’t mean a thing when that person goes to bed at night. Only the passage of time will heal. For those going through a lot of pain though, things are never the same again.
Others are consumed with thoughts of concern. Will they be able to keep a job in this outbreak. Will they be able to make ends meet in the current climate. Will they be able to put food on the table. These concerns will burden those who have to deal with these issues.
Some will wonder if there loved ones are alright. Family issues come up as well. Other times, we share concern of others who are going through pain as well. This is where the Centurion enters the picture. As one who is in the higher echelons of the military-command structure, the Roman Centurion had men under his command. He also had servants and slaves to carry out the day to day routines. Of course, these servants answered to the Centurion. We don’t know what the relationship was between the Centurion and the servant. There could have been cases where a Centurion could have viewed the servant as simply property that had little value outside of the task that they were assigned too.
However, this Centurion made the effort to see Jesus. The fact that he trans-versed the landscape to do this implies that at the very least, the Centurion had concern about his servant. Otherwise he wouldn’t have made the journey. The servant was paralyzed with pain. The Romans had there own medicine men as well. Doctors who would resort to herbal remedies or other rituals to heal the pain. Modern medicine was non-existent at this point in history. With his servant still in pain, the Centurion heard about Jesus. One came make the safe assumption that he heard about his miracles too, so he wouldn’t have been a stranger to his power.
The Centurion also recognized that if Jesus was given the ability to heal people from his God, than Jesus was a man of authority as well. The Centurion probably already prayed to his gods to no avail. The Centurion made his journey to see Jesus.
The disciples were probably not pleased by the Centurion’s presence. The Centurions were the ones who commanded the armies that conquered Israel. There would have been hostility between the Romans and the Israelites. The Romans conquered Israel about a hundred years prior. There rule and authority were not very popular among them. The Jewish tax collectors working alongside the Romans were seen as traitors among the people.
Also, the centurions were known for the use of capital punishment. They would often deliver harsh sentences and often resorted to crucifixions as there preferred method of punishment. When the Romans arrived in Israel, while most customs were preserved, the Israelites couldn’t administer capital punishment unless that got permission from the Roman officials, who were the only ones who could administer it now. From there, the sentences were carried out by the centurion. As such, the centurions were not looked on that favorably among the local population.
The Romans also had a different belief system than the Israelites. The Israelites believed in God, the God of Yahweh. The general Israelite would pay the temple tax and partake in the Jewish holidays and customs of the day.
We don’t know how the typical Roman citizen was in regard to religious views. However, we do know what the emperor, those in the Roman Senate, and the military believed. They had various gods that they would either pray or pay sacraments to. The Romans would typically have shrines dedicated to them. There gods used were Romanized versions of the Greek Gods as the Romans were very impressed with Greek culture, and often imitated it. In fact, so much about what we know about the Greeks is because of the Romans who preserved it. The emperor and the royalty had there own gods as well, which were often themselves. Not surprisingly, there was a class of cultures as Roman, Greek, and Jewish ideas were in the open.
However, there was also toleration of local customs and religions. The main things that the Romans were interested in were taxes. An such, it was in there best interest to preserve peace and avoid war and social turmoil when possible. They avoided micromanagement and local interference and as such, most local customs and traditions continued uninterrupted. The Egyptians carried on with there customs. The Assyrians and Samaritans carried on with there traditions. The Israelites carried on with there traditions as well.
Rome realized that a happy population was a productive population. While the centurions were professional soldiers who were no stranger to capital punishment and violence, they also were encourage to work with the local population to build goodwill. As such, we know a few things about the Centurion. We know that the Centurion who approached Jesus was favored by the Jewish elders and liked by the general population as a whole. The Centurion even funded the development of a synagogue in Capernaum.
Because the Romans were occupiers though and they were the 800-pound elephant in the room, they were not liked by the Israelites. They would have been the target of intense prejudice and animosity. This especially included those with a military background, like the Centurion who came to see Jesus. Jesus could have rejected the Centurion’s needs then and there. There was no need for Jesus to help the Centurion if he choose. However, as we often know about Jesus’s ministry; it’s attributes are defined by love, kindness, and compassion. Jesus had compassion on the Centurion and his servant. Jesus wasn't defined by the cultural prejudices of there day. The Centurion had the same needs as the disciples, the Israelites, and you and me. The Centurion had needs, and Jesus was going to fulfill those needs. Sure, the Centurion didn’t come on his own behalf. However, the needs of others your uplifting are your needs as well.
Often, the main problems that many Christians face is that they define there beliefs by there prejudices. They don’t like this or that, and thus, spirituality is withheld. As mentioned in various sermons, these Christians will build there own spiritual ivory tower to dictate Christianity on there own terms instead of those defined by Jesus. Those with the plank in there eye fail to see the suffering that others are going through. Those with the plank in there eye fail to see there moral and ethical shortcomings as well.
Jesus offered to walk to the camp where the Centurion’s servant was and heal them there. This is where the Centurion declared that this wasn't necessary. The Centurion stated that he wasn't worthy of having Jesus come under his roof. Even though Jesus is welcoming to anybody who comes to the door, many feel that they aren’t worthy of being in his presence. We feel short in the glory of God. The Centurion probably shared in these feelings too. However, the Centurion also knew that Jesus was a man of authority of his own spiritual cohort that answered to God, and as such, like the Centurion, Jesus could simply issue his own order and that was good enough to heal the servant.
The Centurion reiterated that as an commander himself, he could tell his own men to “go” , and they would go or to “come”, and his men would respond back in kind.
Jesus was astonished by the response of the Centurion. “I will tell the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I will say that many will come from the East and many will come from the West to take there places among Abraham, Issac, and Jacob in the kingdom in Heaven. However, many of God’s own children will be tossed aside into the darkness with the weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus didn’t find faith like this among his own people. There was always question and doubt among those who feel that things are beyond hope, despite God constantly delivering. During the Exodus, many Israelites constantly doubted God despite him delivering on there behalf. Despite God parting the Red Sea, many Israelites doubted his power. Many Israelites doubted God despite him feeding them manna from Heaven while they were in the Sinai Desert. Many Israelites still doubted God despite him delivering Israel to them on there behalf. Many of times, the disciples had doubted Jesus as well, and they were the ones that traveled with him on a regular basis. Peter doubted Jesus’s power as he walked on water and started to drown due to a lack of faith. There was doubt that Jesus could feed the 5,000 despite him delivering. Several doubt that God can meet there needs. Jesus wouldn’t have been a stranger to this mindset.
Jesus returns to the Centurion “Go! It will be done as you believed it would.” The servant was healed that very hour. The phrase “It will be done as you believed it would” meant that it was the Centurion who healed the Servant trough God and Jesus. Jesus will give us the authority to heal the sick when he ask him for it.
Jesus will answer our prayers on his own time and in his own manner. God’s concept of time is very different from ours. Sometimes, it feels that God isn’t listening to us. Sometimes God will answer our prayers in minutes. Other times, it will take years for God to answer that payer. That person will have to grow and mature in there spiritual walk. Sometimes, you will see someone who proclaims to be a Christian, but takes years to understand his ministry. Others will instantly recognize that ministry at first sight.
As Jesus stated, while many in the East and West will come by the side of God, many of God’s own children will be thrown outside where there is a weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus was stating that while many Gentiles would become embracing of God’s love, many of God’s own people would reject him for whatever reason, and as a result, they wouldn’t be able to feel his love and be confined to a enteral Hell where there would be consumed by the darkness and cold as they wouldn’t be able to feel God’s love.
Many of the Christians who built those spiritual ivory towers to dictate Christianity on there own terms are throwing there souls into the darkness. They are trading in love for hate. Instead of being defined by God’s love, they are being defined by there own prejudices instead, Those who misuse God’s word for there own purpose would be throwing there own souls out into the darkness. This includes those who misuse God’s word for spectacle and profit. Christians who traded in spirituality for power, privilege, and control have thrown there souls into the darkness as well.
Christians who demand the red carpet without giving anything back to warrant that treatment would be throwing into the darkness. Those who are quick to condemn and demonize the actions of others while failing to remove the wooden plank from there own eye would be throwing there soul into the darkness. These Christians will talk as if they know Jesus like the back of there hand. However, they constantly fall short as they are consumed by there own self-righteous attitude. These Christians remove themselves from Jesus’s ministry.
Conclusion
Things don’t have to be like this though. There is hope while we are still here. The final outcome of our choices is not written in stone. Jesus is the deciding factor with how our spirituality plays out. The Centurion didn’t let the prejudices of others define the outcome of him and his servant. Jesus will provide us with what we need to reach out to others on our spiritual journey when we ask him for help, like the Centurion. Jesus ended the conversation with the Centurion by telling him “Go, It will be done as you believe.” Jesus and God handed the power of healing to the Centurion due to his faith. The final act of belief fell on the Centurion. Our Christian walk will be defined with how we approach it. Our actions are defined by how we conduct ourselves, and calling upon God in order to help us thru our spiritual journey.
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