The story of the Roman officer (8:5-13) is another illustration of a theme we’ve repeatedly seen in Matthew—the unexpectedly righteous Gentile. We read in chapter two how Herod, the king of the Jews, tried to kill Jesus as a child; While the pagan wise men from the East shower Him with gifts and worship. In a strange reversal, we saw how the Messiah of Israel actually had to flee Israel to be safe; And where did His family find sanctuary? Egypt, of all places! So it should, perhaps, be no great surprise to find Jesus in today’s reading saying of a Roman, “I have not seen faith like this in all Israel.”
Like the earlier stories, the tale of the Roman officer warns us against judging others prematurely. Yet there may be more than merely praise for the officer. It seems to me that Jesus is also subtly criticizing His own disciples! Notice the context of 8:10, “When Jesus heard this, He was amazed. Turning to those who were following Him, He said, ‘I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel.”
I wonder how I would have reacted to that if I had been one of the apostles. Would I have been humble enough to receive the rebuke, and learn from the example of someone I secretly considered “beneath” me? This is a dilemma that faces Christ’s followers even today. I know of an elderly Christian—a preacher, in fact—who attended a special function at a nearby church. Despite his decades-long ministry of preaching, this gentleman became enraged when he was not asked to offer a public prayer during the service…but a local black preacher was. Yes, this man’s behavior was deplorable…but how many times has mine been like it…or at least similar? If Christ were to walk through your town or neighborhood today, where would He find the greatest faith? Would He point you out to others…or would He invite you to come and learn from them?
-- Justin
O, For a Faith That Will Not Shrink (sheet music)
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