2 Kings 5:1-15a; Romans 12:16-21; St Matthew 8:1-13
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Everything about a Roman centurion was impressive. If you’ve watched Spartacus or Gladiator, you know what I mean. His helmet with all the feathered mohawk. His shiny breastplate and metal skirt. His gladius and spear. His gigantic curved shield. No wonder St Paul borrows images and metaphors from the centurion’s garb to describe the whole armor of God. It was impressive.
Also impressive was his speech. Whatever he said, happened. The centurion had 100 of the strongest men of Rome attentive to do whatever he said. When he said, “Go,” they went. When he said, “Destroy,” they destroyed. When he said, “Hang him,” they hung him.
But perhaps most impressive of all was his religion. Romans, like Americans, were very religious. And like Americans they had many gods, not just one. Their chief god, their father god, was named Jupiter. And he was impressive. He was the god of the sky, depicted by an eagle, and was known to throw lightening bolts if he was angry. The gods are fickle. You have to know how to approach them. Wear the right jersey, the matching shoes, have the right oblations, properly chilled. Because Americans, like Romans, know that you don’t approach the gods empty handed. In fact, there was a common saying that taught Romans how to approach a god: “I give, that you might give.”
You see this with Naaman, who is neither Roman nor American. He was a Syrian. Yet when he went to Elijah to be healed of his leprously he took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. He didn’t approach empty handed, but came ready to buy a miracle. Roman, Syrian, American. It doesn’t matter. This is the default religion of all men. This is the default religion of the old Adam. You want to impress your god? Make sure you come with something in hand. You give, that your god might give.
But today, something even more impressive is on the scene. And it brought the mighty and impressive centurion to his knees. Its not a power you can see, but its a power that never loses a battle. The power of sin. It visited this centurion’s servant who lay paralyzed and dying. This impressive soldier, this man of valor and war, looked like a 100 pound weakling in the face of this mortal enemy.
Only he’s not fighting. He’s not giving commands. It leaves him empty handed, begging. Other Roman soldiers would not be impressed. They would have surely advised him to fill his hands and start giving to his god like crazy. You need a big miracle, start giving big. But Jesus is impressed. In fact, St Matthew records that Jesus marveled.
Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word and my servant will be healed. Jesus marvels because this Roman solider is not turning to Jupiter with full hands, but to Jesus with empty hands. By Jove! Here is a Gentile who is not preening before his god, but trusting in the mercy of the true God, and His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus marveled because in all of Israel He had not found such faith. But this outsider has it. He had never heard confessed this trust that His Word, His mere Word, will do what it says, accomplishing His purposes, and not returning to Him empty.
If God’s people would only mean it when we confess, “I am a poor, miserable sinner. I am not worthy.” But our lives betray us. We are haughty and wise in our own sight. We think we are worthy. Not only to have Jesus come under our roof and serve us, but to be on call to serve us, 24-7. We think we are worthy of better treatment. That’s the reason we get angry and harbor resentment toward Him. We think we are worthy of faster response times, quicker fixes to our problems, which is why our prayer and worship lives have faltered. We operate like good Romans, giving and doing, so that God will give. Why else would we be so easily disappointed when our Lord gives according to His wisdom and not according to our wishes?
Repentance is needed. The only thing of which we are worthy in and of ourselves is to be left out of God’s Kingdom and thrown into the outer darkness of hell.
Repent and be glad, dear people loved by God, for look who comes down the mountain today. Its not unpredictable Jupiter, throwing lightening bolts. Its not even Moses throwing stone tablets. Its not even justly angry Jesus, fed up with His own people’s unbelief. “From God the Father, virgin born, to us the only Son came down; by death the font to consecrate, the faithful to regenerate” (LSB 401:1). He comes down to make the unworthy, worthy. To make the unacceptable, acceptable. He wills for you to be clean.
He goes to a leper whom the Law labeled “untouchable” and He touched and healed him! He speaks to the centurion whom the Law labeled an outsider to God’s promises and He makes him an insider! He comes down from the mountain not with Ten Words of death, but to do ten miracles of healing (Mt 8-9). He associates with the lowly! He came down to cast out demons, cast out disease, deal with the power of sin, throw death around like its nothing all so that you wouldn’t be cast into outer darkness, stomp down the power of sin, beat down Satan under our feet, and declare you to be something, someone. His own child, gladly say it.
But first, your sin and death must be cast on Him. Then He must be cast out of Jerusalem to die on a garbage heap outside the city. He must be forsaken as “unworthy” and “untouchable” for our sake.
We are not worth saving. We are not worthy of God coming under our roof and making this place a Capernaum, which means, “House of Consolation.” Yet He does. He comes as the Divine Physician, not only writing prescriptions, healing paralysis, leprosy, alienation, isolation, and even death itself. He gets to the root of all these problems - sin. And He bears it all in His Body to the Cross and He kills it. To behold the crucifix is to see the will of God for your cleanness.
And He triumphs over it all in the Resurrection and Ascension and speaks so that the Pastor might speak Christ’s authoritative word to you that it is impossible to hear too often: “Let it be done for you as you believe. In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
You won’t go to hell for what you’ve done because the Father said, “Go,” to His beloved Son, “walk that sorrowful, brutal road right to the Cross and into the jaws of hell for sinners. Do it all until hell’s power is emptied and the Accuser is trampled.” “Come,” the Father said to His beloved Son, “be lifted up on that Cross that I prepared for You that sinners from east and west might stop trying to save themselves, but instead look at You on the Cross finishing the work of saving the world.”
He is One under authority. Doing the will of His Father. Having that last Passover meal with His disciples and then being the Passover Lamb that is sacrificed so that unworthy sinners everywhere might receive the washing of water with the Word and be cleansed the leprosy and paralysis of sin, freed from the power of the devil, and granted eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Beloved, here you are given to sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, reclining at Table while Christ Himself serves you, gives to you, stretches out His hand to you and wills you to receive His Body and Blood given and shed for the forgiveness of your sins. You are not His enemy. He makes you impressive and glorious and presents you in Himself to His Father, who together with the + Holy Spirit, be glory now in the Church and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Everything about a Roman centurion was impressive. If you’ve watched Spartacus or Gladiator, you know what I mean. His helmet with all the feathered mohawk. His shiny breastplate and metal skirt. His gladius and spear. His gigantic curved shield. No wonder St Paul borrows images and metaphors from the centurion’s garb to describe the whole armor of God. It was impressive.
Also impressive was his speech. Whatever he said, happened. The centurion had 100 of the strongest men of Rome attentive to do whatever he said. When he said, “Go,” they went. When he said, “Destroy,” they destroyed. When he said, “Hang him,” they hung him.
But perhaps most impressive of all was his religion. Romans, like Americans, were very religious. And like Americans they had many gods, not just one. Their chief god, their father god, was named Jupiter. And he was impressive. He was the god of the sky, depicted by an eagle, and was known to throw lightening bolts if he was angry. The gods are fickle. You have to know how to approach them. Wear the right jersey, the matching shoes, have the right oblations, properly chilled. Because Americans, like Romans, know that you don’t approach the gods empty handed. In fact, there was a common saying that taught Romans how to approach a god: “I give, that you might give.”
You see this with Naaman, who is neither Roman nor American. He was a Syrian. Yet when he went to Elijah to be healed of his leprously he took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. He didn’t approach empty handed, but came ready to buy a miracle. Roman, Syrian, American. It doesn’t matter. This is the default religion of all men. This is the default religion of the old Adam. You want to impress your god? Make sure you come with something in hand. You give, that your god might give.
But today, something even more impressive is on the scene. And it brought the mighty and impressive centurion to his knees. Its not a power you can see, but its a power that never loses a battle. The power of sin. It visited this centurion’s servant who lay paralyzed and dying. This impressive soldier, this man of valor and war, looked like a 100 pound weakling in the face of this mortal enemy.
Only he’s not fighting. He’s not giving commands. It leaves him empty handed, begging. Other Roman soldiers would not be impressed. They would have surely advised him to fill his hands and start giving to his god like crazy. You need a big miracle, start giving big. But Jesus is impressed. In fact, St Matthew records that Jesus marveled.
Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word and my servant will be healed. Jesus marvels because this Roman solider is not turning to Jupiter with full hands, but to Jesus with empty hands. By Jove! Here is a Gentile who is not preening before his god, but trusting in the mercy of the true God, and His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus marveled because in all of Israel He had not found such faith. But this outsider has it. He had never heard confessed this trust that His Word, His mere Word, will do what it says, accomplishing His purposes, and not returning to Him empty.
If God’s people would only mean it when we confess, “I am a poor, miserable sinner. I am not worthy.” But our lives betray us. We are haughty and wise in our own sight. We think we are worthy. Not only to have Jesus come under our roof and serve us, but to be on call to serve us, 24-7. We think we are worthy of better treatment. That’s the reason we get angry and harbor resentment toward Him. We think we are worthy of faster response times, quicker fixes to our problems, which is why our prayer and worship lives have faltered. We operate like good Romans, giving and doing, so that God will give. Why else would we be so easily disappointed when our Lord gives according to His wisdom and not according to our wishes?
Repentance is needed. The only thing of which we are worthy in and of ourselves is to be left out of God’s Kingdom and thrown into the outer darkness of hell.
Repent and be glad, dear people loved by God, for look who comes down the mountain today. Its not unpredictable Jupiter, throwing lightening bolts. Its not even Moses throwing stone tablets. Its not even justly angry Jesus, fed up with His own people’s unbelief. “From God the Father, virgin born, to us the only Son came down; by death the font to consecrate, the faithful to regenerate” (LSB 401:1). He comes down to make the unworthy, worthy. To make the unacceptable, acceptable. He wills for you to be clean.
He goes to a leper whom the Law labeled “untouchable” and He touched and healed him! He speaks to the centurion whom the Law labeled an outsider to God’s promises and He makes him an insider! He comes down from the mountain not with Ten Words of death, but to do ten miracles of healing (Mt 8-9). He associates with the lowly! He came down to cast out demons, cast out disease, deal with the power of sin, throw death around like its nothing all so that you wouldn’t be cast into outer darkness, stomp down the power of sin, beat down Satan under our feet, and declare you to be something, someone. His own child, gladly say it.
But first, your sin and death must be cast on Him. Then He must be cast out of Jerusalem to die on a garbage heap outside the city. He must be forsaken as “unworthy” and “untouchable” for our sake.
We are not worth saving. We are not worthy of God coming under our roof and making this place a Capernaum, which means, “House of Consolation.” Yet He does. He comes as the Divine Physician, not only writing prescriptions, healing paralysis, leprosy, alienation, isolation, and even death itself. He gets to the root of all these problems - sin. And He bears it all in His Body to the Cross and He kills it. To behold the crucifix is to see the will of God for your cleanness.
And He triumphs over it all in the Resurrection and Ascension and speaks so that the Pastor might speak Christ’s authoritative word to you that it is impossible to hear too often: “Let it be done for you as you believe. In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
You won’t go to hell for what you’ve done because the Father said, “Go,” to His beloved Son, “walk that sorrowful, brutal road right to the Cross and into the jaws of hell for sinners. Do it all until hell’s power is emptied and the Accuser is trampled.” “Come,” the Father said to His beloved Son, “be lifted up on that Cross that I prepared for You that sinners from east and west might stop trying to save themselves, but instead look at You on the Cross finishing the work of saving the world.”
He is One under authority. Doing the will of His Father. Having that last Passover meal with His disciples and then being the Passover Lamb that is sacrificed so that unworthy sinners everywhere might receive the washing of water with the Word and be cleansed the leprosy and paralysis of sin, freed from the power of the devil, and granted eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Beloved, here you are given to sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, reclining at Table while Christ Himself serves you, gives to you, stretches out His hand to you and wills you to receive His Body and Blood given and shed for the forgiveness of your sins. You are not His enemy. He makes you impressive and glorious and presents you in Himself to His Father, who together with the + Holy Spirit, be glory now in the Church and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
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