Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
This is deep faith. Jesus praises the centurion for it. The centurion recognizes the holiness of Jesus as well as his power. He believes in the authority of Jesus. He believes that his authority is not lessened at all by distance. This is good news for those of us who don't have our houses in order. As long as we're willing to believe in the power of Jesus, to come to him, and speak with him we can receive the healing we need.
Jesus praises the faith of the centurion who knows that his power is not limited by distance. But ultimately, he wants to come and dwell in all of us. We should be ready to welcome him and show him hospitality when he comes.
Sir, if I may ask you this favor,
please do not go on past your servant.
Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet,
and then rest yourselves under the tree.
Now that you have come this close to your servant,
let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves;
and afterward you may go on your way.
Even having the LORD's messengers close Sarah still questions the LORD's power.
So Sarah laughed to herself and said,
"Now that I am so withered and my husband is so old,
am I still to have sexual pleasure?"
This is why the faith of the centurion takes precedence. We can entertain the LORD's messengers and interact with them without truly realizing the power of God that he wants to make available to us. We can be near God without a real encounter with him. We need to begin as the centurion begins. We recognize the holiness of God and his authority. Then, since we wants to dwell in us, we welcome him, fully confident of his power.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
The centurion believes that Jesus is willing and able to heal his servant. Abraham believes that the LORD can give him the children he promises. Let us also believe in the LORD's authority. Let us give him full welcome when he comes to stay with us.
He took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
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