Proper 4 -- I Kings 8: 22–23, 41–43; Psalm 96; Galatians 1: 1–12; Luke
7: 1–10
The
following is a homily by Fr. Gene Tucker given at St. John's Church in Huntingdon,
Pennsylvania on Sunday, May 29, 2016.
“FAITH FROM AN UNEXPECTED
SOURCE”
(Homily texts: I Kings 8: 22–23, 41–43 & Luke 7: 1–10)
This morning, we return to reading from Luke’s gospel account after
having spent the entire Easter season reading from John. (What a blessing it is
to be spending time with John’s account!). Since we are currently in Year C of
our three-year lectionary cycle, we’ll be spending a lot time working our way
through Luke as this “green season” of Pentecost moves along.
The gospel text before us this morning[1] has
to do with an unnamed Roman soldier, a centurion. (A centurion was in charge of
one hundred soldiers, hence the name for his position.) There is much about
this centurion, his behavior and his demonstration of faith in Jesus’ ability
to heal his servant that deserves closer attention.
As we unpack what’s happened in the centurion’s request, let’s remember
that – oftentimes – events that are recorded in the Bible tend to “flatten out”
a little. By that I mean that it is easy to forget that the people involved in
the events we are reading about were real human beings.
So let’s attempt to bring this event to life.
First of all, we should talk about the normal relationship between
Roman soldiers and the local, Jewish population. For one thing, the Roman army
was an occupying force, a force that was usually a very unwelcome presence. In
part, the reason for that was that the Roman army’s presence was a constant
reminder to the Jewish people that they were a conquered people, a people who
were unable to chart their own futures and destinies. Beyond that, however, was
the reality that the Roman army also served as the local police force. So it
would fall to the army to enforce tax collection, for example. Normally, then,
the relationship between the Jewish population and the Roman army would have
been an unfriendly one at best, and perhaps even an adversarial one (even in
the active sense) at worst.
But something has happened prior to today’s account to bridge the gap
between a Roman centurion and the local Jewish elders: This man had built the
synagogue in Capernaum. (Perhaps this is the same building whose remains can
still be seen today in Capernaum, for this earlier building stood on the same
site as a later synagogue building whose remains can still be seen in that
village today.) Though Luke does not tell us why this centurion built the
synagogue, the most likely reason is that the centurion – perhaps through
interaction with the local Jewish population – had become a follower of the God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Perhaps he had become a follower of the Law of
Moses, the Torah. We would generally call such a non-Jew, a Gentile, a
“God-fearer”. A “God-fearer” was one who – though they had not formally
converted to Judaism, was a follower of Torah.
The next aspect of today’s account that we might take notice of is the
centurion’s humility: Notice that the
centurion makes his request through the local Jewish elders. And when Jesus
makes His way to the centurion’s house, the centurion says, “Lord, do not trouble
yourself, for I am not worthy to come under your roof….”[2] We
would expect that the centurion might use his authority (an authority the
centurion cites in his comment) to order Jesus to come and heal his servant.
Instead, what we find is an extreme humility.
Two words seem to capture the importance of the account we are
considering today:
Bridging a gap
-and-
Gentile
Today’s event is an indicator of what is to come as the Good News of
God made known in Jesus Christ makes its way out into the wider, Gentile world.
For in the times to come, many gaps in culture will be bridged as those who
were not born into Judaism embrace the truth of what God has done in sending
His Son, Jesus.
In time, another Gentile, another centurion named Cornelius, will also
come to faith in Jesus. You can read about Cornelius’ conversion in Acts,
chapter ten. Cornelius’ conversion was an important development in the early
Jewish Christians’ understanding of what God intended in sending Jesus Christ,
for in the early Church, a serious argument took place as to whether non-Jews
could become followers of Jesus. And if these Gentiles could become followers,
then it was going to be important to determine just what things would they have
to do to become a disciple of Jesus. Eventually, the Church came to the
decision that non-Jews did not have to become followers of Torah. The
decision was reached at the Council of Jerusalem, which took place in the year
49 AD. The account of the council’s deliberations and the decision it reached
can be read in Acts, chapter fifteen.
It had become easy for God’s people in Jesus’ day to forget the vision
that we hear about in King Solomon’s prayer at the time of the dedication of
the temple in Jerusalem, a portion of which forms our first reading this morning.
Notice how Solomon prays for those non-Jews, those foreigners, who will come to
the Temple to worship, that God’s mighty name might be known abroad. Perhaps
because the Jews in Jesus’ day were a conquered people whose destiny lay in the
hands of Rome and of the Roman army, they tended to “hunker down” and regard
interaction with non-Jews as a thing to be avoided if at all possible.
But the centurion’s gracious act in building a synagogue, and the
centurion’s request made of Jesus, ought to have reminded these Jews of
Solomon’s vision.
Why is the centurion’s faith and his humility important for us today?
Such a question should arise in our minds and hearts whenever we read or hear
the words of Holy Scripture.
As I think about it, the following observations arise in my own
reflection:
An adversarial relationship with the
surrounding community: In some
respects, I think Christians find themselves in a situation which is similar to
that of the Jews in Jesus’ day….we might think of the non-Christian population
around us (which, I think, outnumbers the Christians in our community) as
foreigners who are against God’s purposes. Essentially, this becomes an “us vs.
them” kind of mentality, of much the same sort as that of many Jews in Jesus’
day. Though the depth of feeling between Jews and non-Jews 2,000 years ago was
– most likely – deeper than what we might think of our neighbors today, I think
it’s fair to characterize many Christian’s attitudes to the surrounding
population in similar terms.
Bridging the gap: Something had happened – as we said a moment ago –
to bridge the gap between the Jews living in and around Capernaum between this
Roman centurion and the Jews. Luke doesn’t fill in the details for us, but I
think we can be sure that something significant had happened to bring the
centurion to the point of having faith in Jesus’ ability to heal his servant.
Perhaps it was the attitudes and the behaviors of the Jews toward the
centurion. Perhaps it was the way in which these Jews lived out their lives under
the requirements of Torah. Perhaps it was all of these things and more.
What we can be sure of is the fact that the centurion had become a respecter of
Jewish ways to some degree or another. In our own day, in our own time, and in
our own circumstances, we can bridge the gap with the non-believers around us
by our conduct, and by the way in which we regard and treat others, especially
those who are outside the Christian faith.
Two of the promises that are made in our Baptismal Covenant bear out
the ways in which we are to hold a wider vision (similar to Solomon’s) for the
world and those in it. At baptism, these promises are made:
“Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?”
“Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as
yourself?”
To these questions, the response is: “I will, with God’s help”.
May we look for signs of faith in those around us, looking especially
for signs of faith that come from the most unexpected of places and persons.
For God is at work in the world around us, bringing people into relationship
with Him through the work of Jesus Christ. May we, by the things we say and the
things we do, and by the love we show toward others, especially those who are
outside the faith, form the bridge by which God can be made known to those who
stand outside the faith.
AMEN.
