Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, February 7, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Jesus didn’t play favorites. He healed Jews and Gentiles, crossed boundaries to touch lepers and speak to women, spent time with Pharisees and tax collectors while still calling them out. This Roman centurion is no exception. He was a soldier in the army that was oppressing Jesus’ people. Yes, he had done lots of nice things for the people—helped build their synagogue, etc. But in our modern context, anything good he had done would’ve been disregarded because of his problematic position. Plus he owned slaves! That’s who he wanted Jesus to heal. He should’ve left the army, spoken out against Rome, freed his slaves, etc. His failure to do so should negate his positive action.
Jesus didn’t see it that way. Not only did the centurion “do nice things” in spite of his role, he approached Jesus with humility. And realism. He acknowledged that he didn’t deserve Jesus’ help, and asked it only for another person. In Jesus’ mind, this Roman soldier exemplified many of the qualities he was trying to teach—things that were lacking in Jesus’ own people.
One of our chief besetting problems in the present time is our inability to accept nuance. We want everything to fit into neat categories: this is “good” and this is “bad.” And if a person does one thing that’s “bad” then they go into that bin, regardless of anything “good” they’ve done. Where is the grace for our humanity? Where is the recognition of our inherent value? Can we learn anything from Jesus’ praise of this problematic figure? Above all, can we honestly look at ourselves and put ourselves fully into the “good” category? I would think not. I certainly can’t. This is why we need God, and why we should always be striving for accurate self-appraisal and humility. Jesus won’t deny us love and healing if we don’t live up to some kind of standard. Let’s have grace for ourselves and for one another, and leave the rest up to God.
When have I decided someone is “bad” without seeing them as a whole person?
