Have you ever marveled at someone’s unwavering faith, seemingly unbound by societal norms or cultural barriers?

In Luke 7:1-10, we encounter a remarkable display of faith from an unexpected source—a Roman centurion who defied expectations and astonished Jesus Himself.

Reconnect: In the Gospel of Luke, we witness Jesus’ ministry unfold with profound encounters that challenge societal conventions and reveal the transformative power of faith. In this passage, Jesus encounters a centurion whose faith transcends boundaries and leaves a lasting impression on all who witness it.

(Summarized and continued after scripture)

Luke 7:1-10

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant

     1When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.

      2And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. 3When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave. 4When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him; 5for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.” 6Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; 7for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8“For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 9Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” 10When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

      11Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd. 12Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. 13When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” 15The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!” 17This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.

Summary Key Points:

• The centurion, a Roman military officer, demonstrates extraordinary faith by sending Jewish elders to plead for the healing of his servant (Luke 7:1-5).
• Recognizing the authority of Jesus, the centurion displays profound faith by affirming that Jesus doesn’t even need to be physically present to heal his servant, revealing a depth of trust beyond conventional understanding (Luke 7:6-9).
• Jesus marvels at the centurion’s faith, acknowledging its rarity even among the people of Israel, and grants the request for healing (Luke 7:10).