“Such great faith”

Read Luke 7:1-10

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Luke next includes five stories which are not found in Mark and only two of which are in Matthew. The first of them is about a Gentile army officer. Luke was writing for Gentiles so this incident is particularly relevant with its reassurance that they too can obtain the blessings of salvation if they have faith in Jesus.

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The faith of the centurion, shown in his belief that Jesus needs only to “say the word” (7), is the key point of the story. Jesus affirms it specifically: “I have not found such great faith even in Israel” (9) i.e. his faith contrasts sharply with the response of most Jewish hearers, and in Matthew (written for Jews) this therefore leads on to a solemn warning to them (Mt.8:10-12). It’s “faith, not race, which is the criterion for membership of God’s kingdom” (France).

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The man’s faith is rooted in his recognition of Jesus’s authority (8). He has faith in Jesus. Believing that Jesus is the risen Lord is the basis of salvation, for Jew and Gentile alike (Rom.10:9; 1:16-17). This story is the foreshadowing of the church’s mission to the Gentiles which begins in Acts with the conversion of another centurion who likewise believed in Jesus (Acts 10:1,34-48).