BiblicalMastery Buddy's bible blog

Lesson 16

Faith that is Real

Luke 7:1-17

 Later in Luke it is written, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”  (Luke 18:8)  These words follow a parable concerning persistence in prayer.  I would hope that if I am here when the Son of Man does come that I would be exhibiting the kind of faith to which He alludes to in that verse.  I have to be honest that I do not think a whole lot about faith.  I just assume because I call myself a follower of Christ that I have it.  I also have to admit that I as far as I can remember my faith has not been tested as so many others have. However there have been some incidences in my life that have caused me to wonder if God had forgotten about me.  The fact that we have heard over and over, God has never moved it is us who move further from Him. Thankfully, in hindsight I have seen him work in my life beyond anything I can even imagine.

When does the church fail?  It is when we forget that we serve a God who is able to accomplish what we see as impossible.  Most of what we do is not built on faith.  We strive to make our programs and ministries work never considering whether they are within the plan that God has for us.  Our visions are too small.  We never seem to get to the mission of the church making disciples of all who God brings into our path.

Men like the one in the lesson today are the examples that will encourage us to look beyond ourselves to see what God can do with us.  All our efforts using just our own abilities will have minimal results.  A God size vision that we cannot do will bring glory to Him.

Luke 7:1

Jesus finished His initial teaching to those gathered to hear Him.  He had concluded with the parable of the foundation of His word.  When He completed all that He had to say at that time He returned to the city of Capernaum which had become His home town.

1. Why was the parable of the foundation the last word that He had for them before departing? (He knew that they would need to have His words take hold of their lives before they knew what they thought of this Jesus.)
2. Why did Jesus leave the people who were anxiously listening to what He had to say? (There were others who needed to hear His message.)
3. Why did He choose Capernaum as His home base? (Needed to get away from familiar surroundings and the city was central to other locales.)

Luke 7:2

The opening of the event that would lead to the healing of the slave is enlightening.  It speaks of the relationship between the centurion and a slave he owned.  A centurion would have generally been a battle hardened soldier who was the mainstay of the Roman army.  He was a man who would not back down in a battle and who was willing to give his life for his country.  Because of that loyalty they were strategically throughout the Roman Empire to help maintain peace.  For such a man to have great regard for a slave was unusual.  A slave was usually considered by his owner as no more than a living tool.  Once their usefulness was over they were discarded and left to die because they had no one to care for them. From the Scripture it is told that that particular slave was terminally ill.  

The fact that Luke included at least three references to the Roman military reflects the respect he had for the government they represented.  He did not see them as the enemy as so many Jews did but always cast them in a positive light.

1. Without looking any further what qualities do you like about the centurion?
2. Why should he even care about a sick slave?
3. How was his attitude different from the accepted treatment of slaves?
4. What example does he set for us in his respect for the slave?
5. Why did Luke paint a positive picture of the centurion? (He did not view the Romans as an enemy of Christianity.)

Luke 7:3

It is interesting that the centurion chose not to see Jesus in person. It is obvious that he was hesitant in going to Jesus not knowing how He would react to a request from a Roman soldier. He called some of the Jewish elders and asked them to intercede for him. 

1. What might his actions indicate about the centurion? (Did not know if Jesus would have any dealings with a Roman centurion.)
2. Why did he call the Jewish elders to intercede for him?
3. If the centurion did not know how Jesus would respond to his request why bother Jesus at all?
4. Under what circumstance have you ever been so desperate that you would do almost anything to have an answer to prayer?

Luke 7:4-5

When the elders came to Jesus they did what the centurion did not feel he could do himself.  Not only did they beg Jesus to do as the centurion had asked, but gave reasons that Jesus should consider healing the slave of a Roman.  The centurion had made such an impact in his community that the elders told Jesus the type of man he was. The centurion

• Loved the Jewish people
• He even built a synagogue for them.

From all that was said about the man he must have been a God Fearer.  A God Fearer, as the name suggests, was one who worshipped the one true God but was not willing to be circumcised or follow all of the traditions of the Jews. What had attracted them in the first place was the high moral standards held by the nation of Israel.

1. Why were the Jews willing to speak on behalf of the centurion?
2. What does their description say about the man?
3. What did it mean to be a God Fearer?
4. What had attracted him to the Jewish religion in the first place?
5. What attracts people to Christianity?
6. What might be factors that would turn them off?

Luke 7:6a

Immediately upon hearing the words of the elders, Jesus headed off to the home of the centurion.  There was no hesitation on his part of going into the home of a foreigner. A Jew was forbidden from entering into the home of an alien.

1. Why did Jesus immediately decide to go to the home of the centurion? (Someone was in need of healing.)
2. What would have kept any other Jew from doing what He was about to do?
3. What keeps us from going into the homes of certain people?
4. What does Jesus’ action say to us? (We are never to hesitate when someone needs help.)

Luke 7:6b-7

Jesus did not even make it to the house before he received a message from the centurion.  Evidently the man had not expected Jesus to actually come to him.  He apologized for bothering Jesus.  He did not believe he was worthy of having Jesus come into his home.  His only desire was for the slave to be healed without drawing attention to himself. In faith he knew that Jesus could speak the word anywhere and accomplish what he was asking Him to do.  He said, “Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

1. Why did the centurion stay in his home rather than going to Jesus?  (Not worthy of all the attention.)
2. Why did he stop Jesus before He arrived at the house? (Possibly to save the embarrassment of Jesus entering into the home of a foreigner.)
3. What was the strongest act of faith displayed by the centurion? (Just “say the word.”)
4. How do we limit God from acting in our own lives?
5. How powerful could the words, “Just say the word,” be in your own life?

Luke 7:8

The centurion understood Jesus better than all of those around Him as He approached the man’s house.  He recognized real authority when he saw it.  For years he had been part of a system that ordered people around for its own bidding.  As an esteemed military man he had gained the respect and allegiance of those under his command.  Now he was confronted with a man who had the power to heal just by speaking.  The centurion had heard by word of mouth the things that Jesus had said and done and was truly in awe of the Man.

1. How did the centurion come to recognize Jesus as a man of authority?
2. What lessons had he learned from his years in the military? (There were the reasons for the disciplines that had to be maintained.)
3. What are the things that help you recognize the authority of Jesus?
4. Why did the others to whom Jesus had spoken understand what was obvious to the centurion?

Luke 7:9

Upon hearing the words of the centurion, Jesus was amazed at the faith of one who was a foreigner and had surely come from a pagan society.  He responded to that great display of faith by sharing with those Jews surrounding him that the faith of the centurion was greater than He had experienced living for thirty years among His own people.  At that point the elders left and returned to the centurion to report what Jesus had said. Even then they did not have the assurance that Jesus would grant the request of the centurion. However, when they arrived at the home of the Roman they had their answer.  They found that the slave had been healed by the word of Jesus. The centurion had asked Jesus just to say the word.  Although there is no record of Him actually saying anything about the slave, the acknowledgment of the faith of the centurion was enough to bring healing to one he held in high regard. Those who others loved, Jesus loved also.

1. Why was Jesus amazed at the words of the centurion?
2. Why would there have been a note of sadness in His amazement? (His desire was for His own people to have a deep and abiding faith in the Father which He found lacking in them.)
3. Generally what could have been expected of a man who came from a pagan society?
4. What brought about the healing of the slave?
5. What would Jesus say about our faith if He stood in our midst today?
6. When can we expect healing from Jesus in our own lives?  (When we humble ourselves and seek to hear the word spoken that only He can say.)

Luke 7:11-17

It would be just like the doctor that he was for Luke to include this incident.  Jesus left Capernaum and had arrived at a city called Nain.  At this point in His ministry large crowds were following Him everywhere He went to hear Him and possibly to receive healing.  He arrived just at the point that a funeral procession was passing by.  The dead man was the only son of a woman who was a widow.

Seeing the situation unfold, Jesus felt compassion for her and reached out and touched the open coffin.  He commanded the young man to arise.  Immediately, the young man sat up and began to talk.  As would be expected great awe fell over the people.  None of them had ever experience anything like this before.  They began to call Jesus a great prophet for none other than a man of God could do such a marvelous thing. The people began to share about Him and this incident all over the area of Judea and beyond.

1. Why would Luke include this episode in his writings?
2. Why did Jesus choose to heal that young man?
3. Why is it that not all are healed?
4. What was the reaction of the people?
5. Why did the people begin to call Jesus a great prophet?
6. What was the natural outgrowth of the raising of the dead man? (The good news that God had visited the nation of Israel was shared throughout the whole area surrounding Judea.)

 

• You can learn much from the centurion.
• Even though you may find yourself in a leadership position you should have compassion and respect for those who may be under your leadership.  The term we use in church is one who shepherds and cares for his sheep.  This is usually the one who is called pastor.
• You are to take action when you see a need just as the centurion sent for Jesus you are to find the one who can provide the solutions to the problem whether physical or spiritual.
• You are to realize that you cannot handle every situation.  Humility on your part will allow you to seek others who have more knowledge and ability to bring about resolution.
• Acknowledge Jesus as the great physician, prophet, giver of life and God who walked on the earth as you do today.

The centurion represents what Christ would expect of the church.  In him we see a love for his fellow man which went beyond what would have been expected of a man in of his position.  He understood that he faced a situation which was beyond his ability to handle.  All of his authority got him nowhere.  In humility and faith he reached out to the One who could bring healing to his slave.

The church is in the same condition.  The world is sick and it is beyond our ability and wisdom to bring healing.  We are no longer to depend on our own abilities to produce results, but in all humility to rely on the Father to fulfill His purpose for us.  He desires us to see beyond the walls of the building in which we meet week to week, as He does, so that we can touch those who need to be impacted by the good news that we have received.