Sometimes the greatest faith is not found in the faith
community, but outside it. The Lord who is ‘no
respecter of persons’, shows glowing admiration for the faith found in this
Roman soldier.
Matthew 8:
10 When
Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I
tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many
will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast
with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.12 But the subjects of the
kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then
Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it
would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
God responds well to humility. Maybe you cannot possess
faith without first humbling yourself. The Centurion dropped the shield when
approaching the Almighty. He risked grave consequence by revealing himself in
this way.
This man’s faith lacked even a hint of bravado.
With prophetic precision, Jesus addresses the true nature of
faith. It grows in humility. It is not an entitlement because you belong to the
right religious group. The Kingdom of God includes many who don’t fit the
religious boundaries.
Others who feel entitled because of their heritage will be
left out. The weeping and gnashing of teeth comes from people who thought they
were first in line. Hell is described as a place of darkness, pain and regret.
There is a place outside the Kingdom of God that is filled
with terror, darkness and exclusion. We don’t like to think that a loving God
would allow hell to exist. The fact is that it does exist and Jesus has come to
lead us into God’s Kingdom. Every one of us has experienced a foretaste of
Hell. Our pride will always take us to its gates.
Disease reminds us that we do not live the right kind of
body to live forever.
The Resurrection of Jesus points us to a new world without
end.
And everyone time healing takes place, we look to the
horizon. The darkness will soon end.
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