Matthew 8:5-10 Trusting the Real Lord
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: February 19, 2019, Matthew 8:5-10
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too 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 servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.
(Understanding the Passage) The disciples and Jesus are back in Capernaum, Jesus’ home base in Galilee. They have been traveling around and crowds have been following Jesus to be healed and listen to His preaching. Now they have come back home to touch base with family, to resupply, and maybe just to get some rest in Peter’s house. Just as they enter Capernaum, they are approached. I imagine that the centurion had been worried about his servant for a while and had heard of the healings that Jesus had performed. He knew that the reports were true. He may have known and/or seen people that were formerly crippled who were now skipping happily around town rather than hobbling. He knew that the healing would happen if he could just get to Jesus. However, Jesus was out of town. I imagine he had sent some soldiers out to keep track of Jesus’ movements and when they told him that Jesus was on his way back to Capernaum, he hurried out to meet him. Thus, he was there at the entrance of the city to present his petition. However, from Luke’s account, the centurion did not approach Jesus in person. Instead, he sent a delegation of Jewish leaders to approach Jesus.
Guzik’s commentary says “The centurion had an unusual attitude towards his slave. Under Roman law, a master had the right to kill his slave, and it was expected that he would do so if the slave became ill or injured to the point where he could not work. b. Pleading with Him: This shows that the centurion did not make a casual request. Matthew describes him as pleading with Jesus on behalf of his servant.” On the other hand, I am not sure if Guzik is on target here because I have read of quite a few instances where Roman leaders freed their slaves and gave them positions of power and wealth because the slaves pleased them.
(Revelation of God) I think this story may demonstrate the flexibility that God has to heal us. Jesus intended to go to the centurion’s house. I don’t know how much of the future Jesus knew and if the statement of intention to go there was simply Jesus’ plan or was for those surrounding Him to know that Jesus was willing to go to a Gentile soldier’s home. However, God does not lie and if the centurion had allowed it, Jesus would have entered his home. The thing that strikes me, however, is that Jesus marveled at a human. We can surprise and amaze God. The Greek word for marvel is “/thou – mad – zo/” which means “to wonder, by implication to admire.” I’m not sure how God can admire us, but I wish that I would make Him admire me. I want to please God and make Him happy with me.
(Application) The centurion displays a balance of humility and authority that I can emulate. On the one hand, his faith comes from his confidence in his own ability to lead. He knows that when he gives an order, his men will carry it out. He knows that there is no rebellion under his leadership. On the other hand, his confidence comes from his own obedience to higher authorities. If a higher authority orders him to do something, he does not put his own ideas ahead of that authority. Instead, he obeys knowing that it is not his place to choose not to obey. This way of thinking led the centurion to have faith that Jesus could heal from a distance.
(Understanding the Text) The centurion knew that there might be harmful repercussions if Jesus actually entered his home, so he acted out of respect in not wanting Jesus to enter there. He also treated Jesus with respect by calling him “Lord.” The word in Greek is kurios which means “supreme in authority or master.” It was one thing for the common Jew to call Jesus Lord, but this centurion who had authority over everyone around him, gave Jesus a title as either equal or above himself.
The centurion was acting out of love for a friend who was also his servant. The centurion’s attitude was one of protector for the helpless and weak. All of these characteristics point to the Holy Spirit working mightily in this man’s life.
The centurion’s attitude was what made Jesus marvel. He saw the hardheartedness and skepticism of the Jewish leaders even when they had seen sign after sign and had the testimony of the scriptures and heard the words of truth and life. He contrasted this with the faith and respect of this Gentile leader who had received none of the blessings bestowed upon the Jewish people for thousands of years, and Jesus was filled with hope.
Was this the centurion that had helped build the synagogue? I’ll have to investigate. This is the same story told in Luke 7. “After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.’ And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set 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 servant, “Do this,” and he does it.’ When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’ And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well” (Luke 7:1-10). In Luke’s story, the centurion himself does not actually approach Jesus. First, he sends elders of the Jews. Then, he sends friends. This is different from Matthew’s account. The SDA commentary says that probably the centurion did not speak directly with Jesus, and that Matthew was compressing the account leaving out details. They point out that when we say that a leader whipped someone, the leader is not physically doing the whipping, but ordering it done. If the centurion was never actually physically in Jesus’ presence, it does not change most of what I have thought today, except maybe the centurion calling Jesus Lord, but even then, this may have been the words that the centurion told his friends to say.
(Application) My application for myself is that I need the faith of the centurion. I need to listen to the Holy Spirit and let Him transform me. I need to be confident in my leadership while being humble in obeying God. I need to respect my Savior and protect the weak and helpless. I need to not just mouth words of faith, but also believe God’s promises without Him having to go the extra mile to prove them to me. I need to take God at His word.
(Prayer) Teach me to be humble and yet confident without crossing the boundaries into false humility or arrogance. I ask for faith to trust that You can do the impossible. That faith is not in me, so I need You to give it to me. Show me those that You want me to help and give me the strength, desire, and ability to do the job.