A "Famous" Faith

"Today's Devotion" For March 31, 2005

Read: Matthew 8:5-13; Isaiah 49:8-13, 22-23

A "FAMOUS" FAITH

"I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith...Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." (Mt. 8:10b, 13a)

How many "famous" people can you name? Your answer to that question will, of course, be determined by your definition of what it means to be "famous." You could name, for instance, a host of Hollywood screen idols, Oscar winner, or People's Choice and Tony Award winners. Or, if your preference is for music, you might name people who have won Grammy Awards, Country Music awards, vocal artist of the year awards, or have albums which have gone Platinum. On the other hand, if you're a political junkie, you might name people who have been presidents, prime ministers, dictators, royalty, ambassadors, or have held other positions on the world or national stages that have had an influence on the lives of our nation and/or the world. Lest they be ignored, other people that could be named might be scientists, astronauts, military people, leaders of commerce and industry, educators, and a whole host of other people who have been noted for their contributions to the benefit of humanity. For the most part, when people are asked to name "famous" people, they usually think about those who have had some lasting affect upon secular culture.

Significantly, such lists of people usually don't take into consideration whether or not faith in God's promises plays a part in the nature of their "fame." A reading of the Bible brings to mind great men and women of faith who have had a significant impact upon the world and, subsequently, our own lives as well, yet who would normally be overlooked and not included on a list of the "famous" people of the world. We might note, for instance, such Biblical stalwarts of faith as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Deborah, King David, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Daniel, Jonah, Zachariah, Elizabeth, Joseph, Mary, Peter, James, John, Paul, and the other apostles and disciples of the Lord. It's a veritable list of the "Who's Who of the Bible" and still doesn't include still others whose "fame" comes from their faithfulness and faithful witness to God's love for the world in Jesus Christ. What's more, there are "famous" people of faith beyond the Scriptures, who in our New Testament era stand out as God's messengers of His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness in Christ. We think of people such as Charlemagne, St. Augustine, John Hus, Martin Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Joan of Arc, Francis of Assisi, and hundreds of other persons of faith in our modern day who are fighting or have "fought the good fight and kept the faith." They are people who have shared or are sharing God's marvelous grace and love in Jesus Christ with the world. For us, as God's redeemed children in Christ, history and today's media bring such people to our attention.

In the long, long list of those whom we might consider "famous" in the eyes of human beings, as well as the eyes of God's people, it would be reasonable to assume that we might overlook the Centurion of Capernaum whom Matthew makes note of in our reading for today. For the readers of Matthew's day, the Centurion might not have stood out as anyone special, particularly related to faith and service to God, if the Holy Spirit hadn't inspired Matthew to share his story. For us, the Centurion might not even be a blip on the screen of history, secular or sacred, without the Holy Spirit having brought him to our attention. After all, who was this Roman centurion? He wasn't a Jew. He was a foreigner--a Gentile. He was an occupier of Jewish soil, a foreign mercenary, and a "servant" of the hated Romans. Under most circumstances, no Jew of that day would have given him the time of day, and no rabbi would have paid attention to his pleading for the life of his servant. Yet we find that this particular Centurion took his task as a man of peace (as good military people are supposed to be at heart) very seriously. He knew Jewish law so that he didn't want Jesus to become ceremonially unclean by entering his house to heal his servant. He understood the authority that Jesus had, and believed that authority could banish illness just by His Word. The only place he's known to us is in the Gospels. We don't even know his name. What we do know, however, is even more important. He trusted in Jesus. He knew Him and believed. He exhibited love for his Lord and his fellow man by his courtesy to Jesus and his petition for his servant.

Truly, by God's standards, the Centurion is a "famous" person. His faith in Christ, which Jesus commended, declares the "fame" as Jesus notes that the Centurion's faith was the greatest He had encountered in all of Israel. That faith was rewarded, for Jesus healed the Centurion's servant, just as this faith-filled man had believed. For you and me, as the saints of God who have been redeemed by Christ and who live in Him by faith, the Centurion's example of faith and trust in Jesus lifts us up in our faith as well. Trusting in Jesus, as the Centurion did, we trust our Lord to be in charge of our world and our lives at all times. We come to Him in prayer, confident that He hears us and responds to us according to His Will and our faith. In the world's annuls of fame, we can have no better example of a man of God than that simple, faithful Centurion of Capernaum.

Prayer: Father, strengthen my faith that I may be like the Centurion and fully trust You to care for me and my needs, my family and their needs, and all the needs of Your people. Father, I pray that You would also bless everyone in the world with the saving knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ that's necessary for them to truly experience Your love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness which restores the sinner to that perfect relationship with You that You intended in Creation. Help me to exercise my faith in Jesus by trusting in Him in all things and seeking His compassion, mercy, love and power in the lives of others. Hear me, gracious Father, Jesus' name. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.