Moments with the Master: Centurion

WOW!

Matthew 8:5-13

Opening Words: I read recently there are approximately 800,000 words in the English language. Don’t feel bad if you don’t know that all. Approximately 300,000 of those words are technical in nature. The average person only knows about 10,000 words and uses only half that number daily. However, it is not the number of words you know that matters. What matters is the numbers of discussions you have with the people in your lives. How many people do you talk to on an average day?

Throughout the season of Lent we have been looking at various discussions Jesus had with various individuals. I have called this collection of discussions Moments with the Master. This morning we look at the centurion’s moment with the master. His faith truly impressed Jesus. My God give you ears to hear this story from the eighth chapter of Matthew, verses five through thirteen. Let me call this message, “WOW!”

Matthew 8:5-13 5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." 7Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him." 8The 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. 9For 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." 10When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11I 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. 12But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 13Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.

Webster defines the word “WOW!” as, “expressing surprise: used to express surprise, admiration, wonder, or pleasure, to impress or delight somebody greatly.” When was the last time you were wowed?

During the last week Kathryn and I found ourselves in Washington DC with fourteen international students from Youngstown State University. We make this trip annually so international students can experience our nation’s capitol. (It is hard to believe but I am a chaperone.) I don’t mind going to Washington DC every year because I love Washington DC. It is my favorite city in the world! If I could move anywhere I would move to Washington DC. I find the combination of energy and history exhilarating. If you haven’t been to Washington lately then I would encourage you to go. Experiencing Washington DC for yourself is exciting but experiencing Washington DC through the eyes of international students is truly outstanding. When they look at Washington DC there is a certain WOW factor. One of the students from Saudi Arabia, Ali, said it best, “Washington DC is nothing like Youngstown.” Let me begin by asking you this simple question.

What impresses you? What impresses you about the people you encounter in your life? Maybe you were like the young men on the trip. They were impressed with physical beauty. Some things are international. There wasn’t an attractive woman that didn’t wow them. Maybe what impresses you is the size of a person’s bank account. That is what wowed Anna Nicole Smith. She married an old guy near death just to get his money. That plan never leads to happiness. Look how it worked out for her. Maybe you are wowed by a person’s intangibles, their loyalty or a sense of humor. Maybe what wows you are God given natural talents. Those God-given talents are the talents of the arts, music or paintings. What impresses you? I will be honest with you. What impresses me, as I approach my fifty-second birthday, are intelligence people with vision. People who are brave enough and disciplined enough to maximize their potential.

We find ourselves today in the eighth chapter of Matthew. It is the story of the centurion. A parallel is found in the seventh chapter of Luke. Jesus is wowed with the faith of one man, a centurion. You have heard sermon on this passage of scripture in the past. You know the background. The centurion is a Roman soldier, in charge of one hundred men. In Matthew’s account he comes to Jesus with a request. He wants Jesus to heal his servant, who is in his home, paralyzed and in great suffering. The interaction between Jesus and the centurion reveals to his the soldier’s great faith. How great is his faith? The Master is wowed by his faith.

So what I want to talk about today are three attitudes that wow Jesus. What impresses Jesus is not you physical appearance, the size of your bank account or your sense of humor. What impresses Jesus is the condition of your faith. In other words, if you want to wow Jesus then you better cultivate the kind of faith the centurion had generations ago. So if you are ready to wow Jesus say, “WOW!“

His Worldview

The centurion wowed Jesus with his worldview. If you want to impress Jesus then you need to develop a worldview. The story of the centurion is amazing because it crosses so many manmade boundaries. Look at the various characters in the story. Character number one is the general population. They are Jewish. I would assume 99.99% of the population is Jewish, God chosen people. They were special and they knew it. Character number two is the centurion. He was a Roman. In other words, he was a gentile. Don’t take that fact too lightly. Racism ruled in that place and time. The gentiles in that little corner of the world were considered about the same as dogs. As a matter of fact, they were referred to as dogs. However, he was not just a gentile, he was a centurion. He was a symbol of a foreign conquer, which took his hatred to a new level. The third character, the one we never see, is the sick servant. Through the eyes of most Romans the servant wasn’t a person. He was a piece of property. This is what is impressed Jesus. The centurion is concerned about the servant and crosses manmade boundaries to get him help. He crosses the boundary between Jew and Gentile, he also crosses the boundary between owner and slave. Jesus doesn’t see borders, he only sees people in need. And all of God’s people said, “WOW!“ Jesus doesn’t see us as women and men, he doesn’t see us middle class or upper class, he doesn’t see us as American or foreigner. The Master only sees people, who are in need.

It is fun to go to Washington DC with international students. Our group spanned the globe. We had three from Taiwan, five from China, two from Saudi Arabia, one from Eastern Europe, one from Brazil, one from Bangladesh, one Palestinian and two boring Americans. We were quite the sight looking around the city. At first we were all strangers but by the end of the trip we had grown to be friends. I learned some amazing things about their countries and cultures. For example, gas is only twenty cents a gallon in Saudi Arabia but it is six dollars a gallon in Palestine.

I am trying to learn more about other cultures because our world is changing. Here is the truth. The face of America is changing. The Mahoning Valley is unique in many ways, including racial stability. As our population drops there is just less of the same. In most places the percentage of white English speaking Americans is dropping. You don’t have to like it but you can’t change it. You can hold your breath until you turn blue and tell a few more racist jokes but it won’t change a thing. The face, language and taste of America is changing. Chew on this fact. Last year, more salsa was sold in America then ketchup. I have someone in my life, who is going to study Spanish because she is going to move to a place in America were Spanish is as common as English. She is positioning herself in our world economy.

The centurion wowed Jesus with his worldwide view. If you want to impress the Master then you must have a worldwide view. Jesus doesn’t see different races, he does hear different languages or taste different tastes. The Master only sees people, who are in need. And all of God’s people said, “WOW!”

His Works

The centurion wowed Jesus because of his works. If you want to impress Jesus then you need to put your faith into action. In Luke’s version of the story we are told the centurion doesn’t come to Jesus. It is the elders of the people who came on his behalf. They make the request. They say he deserves a healing. Luke 7:5 says, “he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” I don’t know if he single handedly built the synagogue. I don’t know if he funded the whole project. But I do know he saw a need and responded. That is what faith does, that is faith at work. Faith is not a noun, faith is a verb. If you want to impress Jesus then you must have faith that works. And all of God’s people said, “WOW!”

There is an old preaching story about an old man, who owned a rowboat and would ferry passengers to the other side of the river. One day one of the passengers notice the old man had carved two words into the boat’s ores, one word in each ore. Into one of the ores he carved the word: words. Into the other ore he carved the word: works. The passenger inquired about these two words. The old man said those two word, works and words, summarize every person’s witness. The word “words” means we must be able to tell the world what Jesus has done. The word “works” means we must also show the world that we are grateful for what Jesus has done. Both ores must work together to make any progress. When we only use one ore, we only go in circles. How many people do you know are rowing with one ore? It maybe the ore of “works” or the ore of “words.” It does really matter what ore they are using because the outcome is the same. They are going no where. They are just going around in circles. How many people do you know paddle with just one ore? How many people do you know are not using any ores?

Your works and words are more important then you will ever know. Your works shows the world you are sincere. Your words are important because they tell the world that you understand what Jesus has done for you. The centurion good works wowed Jesus. Do your good works impress the Master? And all of God’s people said, “WOW!”

His Worship

The centurion wowed Jesus because of his worship. If you want to impress Jesus then you need to experience true worship. The centurion worshipped Jesus in two ways. First, he calls Jesus “Lord.” That is a title of respect. Second, he knew Jesus had the power to heal. He knew Jesus didn’t even have to be present for the healing to occur. In both ways he honors God. What is worship? Worship is nothing more then honoring God. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

History tells us the great composer Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was present at the Vienna Music Hall, where his oratorio The Creation was being performed. Weakened by age, Haydn was confined to a wheelchair. As the majestic work moved along, the audience was caught up with tremendous emotion. When the passage "And there was light!" was reached, the chorus and orchestra burst forth in such power that the crowd could no longer restrain its enthusiasm. The vast assembly rose in spontaneous applause. Haydn struggled to stand and motioned for silence. With his hand pointed toward heaven, he said, "No, no, not from me, but from thence comes all!" Having given the glory and praise to the Creator, he fell back into his chair exhausted. When was the last time you fell in your seat because you were exhausted from praising God.

Haydn knew what we often forget. Real worship comes whenever we honor God. We fall in love with our own style of worship. The truth is you can honor God anywhere. It doesn’t matter if you are in the fellowship hall or the sanctuary. It doesn‘t matter if you are alone or in a great crowd. It doesn‘t matter if you are listening to the drums or the organ. It doesn‘t matter if you are inside or out. The only thing that matters is your attitude. Real worship happens when you honor God. And all of God’s people said, “WOW!”

They tell me last weekend at the Chevy Center every show of Circle Olay was sold out. I don’t know how many people saw the show. People came from miles away, which was good for the local economy. Those that went were truly amazed and impressed. One reporter said the crowd were wowed. What wows you?

What wows Jesus? If you want to wow Jesus then you must be like the centurion. If you want to wow Jesus then you need to develop a worldwide view. Jesus does not see our differences, he only sees human need. If you want to wow Jesus then you need to develop your faith into a faith that works to eliminate him need. If you want to wow Jesus that you better worship him. You can respect God anywhere. And all of God’s people said, “WOW!”