GOSPEL READING:
Matthew 8:5-115 As he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him 6 and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress." 7 And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." 8 But the centurion answered him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I 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 slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." 10 When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven
SCRIPTURE READING:
Isaiah 2:1-51 The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 3 and many peoples shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Meditation: Are you ready to feast at the Lord's banquet
table? God's gracious invitation extends to all - Jew and Gentile
alike - who will turn to him with faith and obedience. Jesus used
many images or pictures to convey what the kingdom of God is like.
One such image is a great banquet feast given at the King's table
(Matthew 8:11 and Luke 13:29). Jesus promised that everyone who
believed in him would come and feast at the heavenly banquet table
of his Father. Jesus told this parable in response to the dramatic
request made by a Roman centurion, a person despised by many
because he was an outsider, not one of the "chosen ones" of
Israel. In Jesus' time the Jews hated the Romans because they
represented everything they stood against - including foreign
domination and pagan beliefs and practices.
The power to command with trust and respect
Why did Jesus not only warmly receive a Roman centurion but praise
him as a model of faith and confidence in God? In the Roman world
the position of centurion was very important. He was an officer in
charge of a hundred soldiers. In a certain sense, he was the
backbone of the Roman army, the cement which held the army
together. Polybius, an ancient writer, describes what a centurion
should be: "They must not be so much venturesome seekers after
danger as men who can command, steady in action, and reliable;
they ought not to be over-anxious to rush into the fight, but when
hard pressed, they must be ready to hold their ground, and die at
their posts."
Faith in Jesus' authority and power to heal
The centurion who approached Jesus was not only courageous, but
faith-filled as well. He risked the ridicule of his cronies as
well as mockery from the Jews by seeking help from a traveling
preacher from Galilee. Nonetheless, the centurion approached Jesus
with great confidence and humility. He was an extraordinary man
because he loved his slave. In the Roman world slaves were treated
like animals - something to be used for work and pleasure and for
bartering and trade. This centurion was a man of great compassion
and extraordinary faith. He wanted Jesus to heal his beloved
slave. Jesus commends him for his faith and immediately grants him
his request. Are you willing to suffer ridicule in the practice of
your faith? And when you need help, do you approach the Lord Jesus
with expectant faith?
Christ comes to establish God's kingdom of
peace where all peoples can feast at his table
The prophet Isaiah foretold a time of restoration for the holy
city Jerusalem and for its remnants (see Isaiah 4:2-6) and also a
time of universal peace when all nations would come to Jerusalem
to "the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob"
and "beat their swords into plowshares" (Isaiah 2:2-4). Jesus
fulfills this prophecy first by restoring both Jew and Gentile to
friendship with God through the victory he won for us on the
cross. When he comes again he will fully establish his universal
rule of peace and righteousness (moral goodness) and unite all
things in himself (Ephesians 1:10). His promise extends to all
generations who believe in him that we, too, might feast at the
heavenly banquet table with the patriarchs of the Old Covenant
(Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) who believed but did not yet see the
promised Messiah.
Do you believe in God's promises and do you seek his kingdom
first in your life? The season of Advent reminds us that the Lord
Jesus wants us to actively seek him and the coming of his kingdom
in our lives. The Lord will surely reward those who seek his will
for their lives. We can approach the Lord Jesus with expectant
faith, like the centurion in today's Gospel reading (Matthew
8:5-11), knowing that he will show us his mercy and give us his
help.
Lord Jesus, you feed us daily with your life-giving word and you sustain us on our journey to our true homeland with you and the Father in heaven. May I never lose hope in your promises nor lag in zeal for your kingdom of righteousness and peace.
Psalm 122:1-9
1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"
2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem, built as a city which is bound firmly together,
4 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! "May they prosper who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers!"
8 For my brethren and companions' sake I will say, "Peace be within you!"
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Welcoming the Lord Jesus with expectant faith and humility, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"When the Lord promised to go to the centurion's house to heal
his servant, the centurion answered, 'Lord, I am not worthy to
have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant
will be healed.' By viewing himself as unworthy, he showed himself
worthy for Christ to come not merely into his house but also into
his heart. He would not have said this with such great faith and
humility if he had not already welcomed in his heart the One who
came into his house. It would have been no great joy for the Lord
Jesus to enter into his house and not to enter his heart. For the
Master of humility both by word and example sat down also in the
house of a certain proud Pharisee, Simon, and though he sat down
in his house, there was no place in his heart. For in his heart
the Son of Man could not lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). (excerpt from SERMON 62.1)
