The Second Sunday after Pentecost
June 2, 2013 - Pastor Adam Moline
1
Kings 8:22-24, 27-29, 41-43 Galatians
1:1-12 Luke 7:1-10
Grace, mercy and
peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Our text today is the Gospel lesson just read, especially these words, “I
am not worthy to have you come under my roof.”
Thus far our text.
Dear friends in
Christ. A man sends his messenger to
Jesus, “Come and heal my servant who is sick.”
It’s a simple request for help in a time of need. Well, I guess its not really that simple, for
this man isn’t a Jew as everyone else in town was. He’s a Roman.
And not just a Roman, but a lieutenant in Caesar’s army – a
centurion. He’s there as a part of the
occupying force keeping the peace is ancient Israel. The Romans had conquered Israel. And the Jews hated them for it.
But this Roman Centurion
is different than the others. He’s not
the cruel ruler that Caesar was. He’s
not the self-important tax collector we know so well from the pages of
scripture. He’s not the raping and
pillaging type of soldier. This man has
integrity. This man has acted worthily
towards God’s people. He has cared for
the ones God cares about. He is worthy,
just listen to his friends talk. “He
loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.”
So Jesus begins
making his way to this man’s house, to heal his beloved servant. After all, one who had cared so much about
his neighbors obviously has earned one favor from the Son of God. So they begin their journey, the friends of
the centurion, followed by our Lord, and last of all the 12 disciples. And if the story ended there, it would be
exactly as we would like it to be. The
worthy man, getting his just reward from his God. I scratch your back, so you scratch
mine. The worthy man gets what he has
coming.
But before Jesus
and the crowd arrive, another messenger comes.
For you see that Roman centurion had second thoughts. Not about his request no- he still wanted his
servant healed and returned to health.
Instead, the second thoughts are about himself. You see, this centurion knew that the talk of
his friends wasn’t the truth. He knew
that he wasn’t quite as worthy as everyone else thought that he was. He had sinned. He had killed as a member of the Legions,
that’s how you got to be a centurion, by killing in battle, and by being good
at it. He knew that he had stolen, not
in the normal sense, but he had taken food and goods from those they had
conquered. He had broken promises and
lied. Here he was, a poor miserable
sinner, lauded by others, but guilty all the same – and he has just invited the
Son of God into his own home.
The sinner is not
worthy of God, dear friends. You aren’t
worthy of God, and this centurion wasn’t either. So he sends the second messenger, with these
words, “Lord, I am not worthy for you to come into my house, just speak your
word, and my servant will be healed.”
And as Jesus hears these words, he marvels, saying, “I tell you, not
even in Israel have I found such faith,” as with this centurion.
What makes this
man so faithful? Just this – he doesn’t
trust in himself, but only in God and his working. He doesn’t toot his own horn, or talk about
all the great things that he has done, he doesn’t look back on his life and
say, “look how well I have done,” but instead looks to Jesus and says, “Lord
have mercy on me a sinner, because I, O Lord, am not worthy for your gifts.”
It’s the
truth. We are beggars, it’s true. We aren’t worthy of anything from God, except
for death, damnation, and eternal fire and punishment. We ought to be ashamed of our sins, and the
prideful way we flaunt them around. Oh,
but we act like we’re worthy. We hide
our sin. We love when others talk well
of us, when they brag us up, and our cheeks burn with a sinful pride in self,
not in God.
But Jesus will
have none of this attitude dear friends.
For Jesus only comes for sinners.
Jesus only comes for the sick, the ones who have no faith in themselves,
but like this centurion, trust only in the grace and mercy of God, crying out,
“Lord have mercy on me, and unworthy sinner.”
So put aside your
pride, and trust not in yourself.
Realize your own sin, your own unworthiness, and cry out for God’s
mercy. And as you cry, know this, the
Lord hears your pleas, and he answers.
He did so for that centurion, and the servant was healed. He did so for you as well, making things well
for you in a tangible way. He hears your
cries for mercy from sin, and sets his eyes on the cross. He bears your guilt, and kills in on the
cross. He suffers and dies so that you
may be set free. He suffers the full
measure of God’s wrath, to have mercy on you.
And here he gives
you that gift through word proclaimed, and sacrament received. He washes you in water and the word, taking
away your unworthiness. He feeds you
with his word, and his own body and blood, not because you deserve it, but
precisely because you don’t. He cares
for you, dear sinner, and has mercy for you, without any worthiness in you at
all.
You’re a sinner,
so Christ comes to save you. Your
unworthy, so the only truly worthy one dies in your place. You cry out Lord have mercy, and He does. It happened for that centurion in our
text. And it happens still, every day of
your life, to you as well.
In the name of
Jesus. Amen.
