And if I say to one, ‘Go!’ he goes; and if I say to another, ‘Come!’ he comes; and if I say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ he does it.” When
Jesus heard this he was astonished, and said to those who were following him, “I tell you, I have not found such faith in Israel. I say to
you, many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven; but the
heirs of the kingdom will be thrown out into extreme darkness; there they will wail and grind their teeth.” Then Jesus said to the captain,
“Go home now. As you believed, so let it be.” And at that moment his servant was healed. Jesus went to Peter’s house and found
Peter’s mother-in-law in bed with fever. He took her by the hand and the fever left her; she got up and began to wait on him. (...)
Reflection:
The army captain in today’s gospel must be a Roman military
official. He comes to Jesus for help. This is something unusual. He is in a position
of power and could surely command what he desires. But he took the
normal route in accessing the Lord. And the person he is interceding for is his
servant. But he knows the language of power and authority so instead
of imposing on the Lord to come to his house, he asks instead that the
Lord commands that his servant be healed. In here he showed great sensitivity
for he knows that pious Jews will never set foot on a pagan’s house no matter
how powerful or rich he may be. The possibility for defilement is huge. Thus
we see a sensitive and caring heart in this man. No wonder Jesus acceded
to his request. For his heart is in the right place.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2021