An outsider’s faith challenges us to demonstrate grace for all

By Dean Collins

Here’s a good reminder that those we consider outsiders or even enemies might be paying more attention than those of us who think we are the insiders and have it all figured out.

There is nothing wrong with having friends and hanging out with them. We all need to have people who believe in us, love us, support us, friends we enjoy. Unfortunately, if we are not careful this can get in the way of sharing the good news of Jesus.

An outsider’s faith

In Luke 7 we learn about an outsider who had been paying more attention to what Jesus was teaching than those who should have known better because they had the historical connections of faith. In the Gospels and in the book of Acts we bump into several Roman soldiers. Generally, the Roman soldiers and any of the Roman hierarchy were not liked by the Jewish community. No one likes it when outsiders are telling you what you can and can’t do. And Rome was all about the Roman way, which included unfair tax structures and other ways of control.

There was a Roman centurion who had a servant who had gotten sick and was near death’s door. The centurion had compassion for his servant and was desperate to find him help. Whatever medicine that had been tried hadn’t helped. It seems that this centurion had either heard some of what Jesus taught directly or someone had told him about his miracles.

Maybe the centurion had been listening when Jesus was rejected by his hometown crowd (Luke 4). That day Jesus referred to the experience of Naaman, a ranking officer in the Syrian army and an enemy or outsider of Israel. Naaman had leprosy. The king of Syria sent him with a letter to the king of Israel asking that the prophet Elisha heal this opposition leader. This story must have caught the centurion’s attention. It should catch ours as well. God is for everyone. His love, forgiveness, and grace is for all.

Grace for all

We sometimes forget that Jesus loves and died for your worst enemy. Jesus wants to extend grace to the person who lied to you, cheated you, and stole your ideas. And this story also suggests that even those people might be watching or noticing when we show faith in God and receive his favor. They might even ask for you to pray for them. What if we prayed for them even if they didn’t ask? What if we showed them forgiveness or surprised them with a blessing? These radical and uncomfortable actions may be just the thing that brings them to repentance.

Jesus marveled at this outsider’s faith. He said it was stronger than any of those who knew better. It’s not enough to know better. When we are willing to apply our faith and actually do the things Jesus asks of us, we might be surprised to see how many more people around us and even around the world learn about him and experience his grace.

Your time with God’s Word
Luke 7:2-10 ESV

Photo by Morgana Bartolomei on Unsplash

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