Gospel Reading: Matthew 8:5-11
5 As he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him 6 and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress." 7 And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." 8 But the centurion answered him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, `Go,' and he goes, and to another, `Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, `Do this,' and he does it." 10 When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 4:2-6
2 In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel. 3 And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, every one who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, 4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. 5 Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy and a pavilion. 6 It will be for a shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.
Meditation: Are you ready to feast at the Lord's banquet table? God’s gracious invitation extends to all - Jew and Gentile alike - who will turn to him with faith and obedience. Jesus used many images or pictures to convey what the kingdom of God is like. One such image is a great banquet feast given at the King's table (Matthew 8:11 and Luke 13:29). Jesus promised that everyone who believed in him would come and feast at the heavenly banquet table of his Father. Jesus told this parable in response to the dramatic request made by a Roman centurion, a person despised by many because he was an outsider, not one of the "chosen ones" of Israel. In Jesus' time the Jews hated the Romans because they represented everything they stood against - including foreign domination and pagan beliefs and practices.
The power to command with trust and respect
Why did Jesus not only warmly receive a Roman centurion but praise
him as a model of faith and confidence in God? In the Roman world
the position of centurion was very important. He was an officer in
charge of a hundred soldiers. In a certain sense, he was the
backbone of the Roman army, the cement which held the army
together. Polybius, an ancient writer, describes what a centurion
should be: "They must not be so much venturesome seekers after
danger as men who can command, steady in action, and reliable;
they ought not to be over-anxious to rush into the fight, but when
hard pressed, they must be ready to hold their ground, and die at
their posts."
Faith in Jesus' authority and power to heal
The centurion who approached Jesus was not only courageous, but
faith-filled as well. He risked the ridicule of his cronies as
well as mockery from the Jews by seeking help from a traveling
preacher from Galilee. Nonetheless, the centurion approached Jesus
with great confidence and humility. He was an extraordinary man
because he loved his slave. In the Roman world slaves were treated
like animals - something to be used for work and pleasure and for
bartering and trade. This centurion was a man of great compassion
and extraordinary faith. He wanted Jesus to heal his beloved
slave. Jesus commends him for his faith and immediately grants him
his request. Are you willing to suffer ridicule in the practice of
your faith? And when you need help, do you approach the Lord Jesus
with expectant faith?
Christ comes to establish God's kingdom of
peace where all peoples can feast at his table
The prophet Isaiah foretold a time of restoration for the holy
city Jerusalem and for its remnants (see Isaiah 4:2-6) and also a
time of universal peace when all nations would come to Jerusalem
to "the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob"
and "beat their swords into plowshares" (Isaiah 2:2-4). Jesus
fulfills this prophecy first by restoring both Jew and Gentile to
friendship with God through the victory he won for us on the
cross. When he comes again he will fully establish his universal
rule of peace and righteousness (moral goodness) and unite all
things in himself (Ephesians 1:10). His promise extends to all
generations who believe in him that we, too, might feast at the
heavenly banquet table with the patriarchs of the Old Covenant
(Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) who believed but did not yet see the
promised Messiah.
Do you believe in God's promises and do you seek his kingdom first in your life? The season of Advent reminds us that the Lord Jesus wants us to actively seek him and the coming of his kingdom in our lives. The Lord will surely reward those who seek his will for their lives. We can approach the Lord Jesus with expectant faith, like the centurion in today's Gospel reading (Matthew 8:5-11), knowing that he will show us his mercy and give us his help.
"Lord Jesus, you feed us daily with your life-giving word and you sustain us on our journey to our true homeland with you and the Father in heaven. May I never lose hope in your promises nor lag in zeal for your kingdom of righteousness and peace."
Psalm 122:1-9
1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the
LORD!"
2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem, built as a city which is bound firmly together,
4 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD,
as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of
David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! "May they prosper who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers!"
8 For my brethren and companions' sake I will say, "Peace be
within you!"
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I
will seek your good.
"When the Lord promised to go to the centurion's house to heal
his servant, the centurion answered, 'Lord, I am not worthy to
have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant
will be healed.' By viewing himself as unworthy, he showed himself
worthy for Christ to come not merely into his house but also into
his heart. He would not have said this with such great faith and
humility if he had not already welcomed in his heart the One who
came into his house. It would have been no great joy for the Lord
Jesus to enter into his house and not to enter his heart. For the
Master of humility both by word and example sat down also in the
house of a certain proud Pharisee, Simon, and though he sat down
in his house, there was no place in his heart. For in his heart
the Son of Man could not lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). (excerpt from SERMON 62.1)
Scripture
quotations
from Common Bible: Revised Standard Version of the Bible,
copyright 1973, and Ignatius Edition of the Revised Standard
Version of the Bible, copyright 2006, by the Division of
Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches
of Christ in the United States of America. Used by
permission. All rights reserved. Citation references
for quotes from the writings of the early church fathers can
be found here.
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