Two Views of Worthy (Luke 7:9)

Luke 7:9

When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”

            The story of Jesus’ healing the Centurion’s servant is in a section of Luke designed to show us Jesus’ greatness, and so it does. We see the amazing power of Jesus as he heals a man’s servant without ever being in the room with the sick man. It was Jesus doing something that nobody assumed could be done.

            But what caught my attention in the story today was the use of the word “worthy.” As the Jews asked Jesus to come and heal the centurion’s servant, they told him that the man was worthy of such a miracle because of his love for and kindness to Israel (verses 4-5). But then, as Jesus approached the centurion’s home, the Roman said to Jesus that he personally was not worthy of Jesus’ presence in his home but that he trusted in Jesus’ power and authority to heal his servant without ever visiting.

            What caught me today are the two different views of worthiness. The Jews thought the man was worthy of Jesus because he had been a nice benefactor. The centurion said that he was not worthy of Jesus’ coming under his roof. Who was right? According to Jesus’ words in verse 9, it appears the centurion had a better estimation of himself than did the Jews.

            We often assume that, when Jesus commended the faith of the centurion, he was only talking about the man’s faith that Jesus could perform the miracle. What if more was at stake there. Perhaps Jesus commended not only the man’s belief in Jesus’ power but also his understanding of Jesus’ holiness. Maybe, just maybe, the man understood that he was a sinner in need of mercy. Maybe the man knew that he could do nothing to earn the favor of someone like Jesus. Maybe the man understood that all he could do is ask for help. If so, the man’s faith looks more like saving faith than anything Jesus saw among the Jews around him, which makes verse 9 ring out in our ears.

            The truth is, none of us are worthy of Jesus. If you think that you can earn anything from Jesus by your good behavior nice living, you are simply wrong. Like the centurion says, we are not worthy to have Jesus in our houses. All we can do is trust that Jesus has the authority and power to save. All we can do is ask for his kindness and mercy. And, wonderfully, gratefully, marvelously, Jesus promises to have mercy on all who will admit their need, turn from their sin and self-sufficiency, believe in him, and ask him for mercy.