Luke 7:1-17
“Notice what you notice.” I first wanted to see all the items that were different between Matthew and Luke in this healing of the centurion’s servant. I found at least five.
- In Luke the centurion sent elders of the Jews, while in Matthew he came himself.
- In Luke the Jews told Jesus that the centurion had built their synagogue (no mention of this in Matthew).
- In Luke the servant was near death, while in Matthew he was paralyzed and dreadfully tormented.
- In Luke there are two “visitations”, the first from the Jewish elders, the second from the centurion’s “friends”, while in Matthew there is only the one visitation, the centurion himself.
- Finally, in Luke, through his friends speaking, the centurion said not only that he was not worthy for Jesus to come to his house, but that he was not worthy even to speak with Jesus!
For all these differences, #5 is the most striking to me. The centurion was truly humbling himself! Contrast the centurion with the Jewish leaders, the scribes and Pharisees (not the “Jewish elders” who came on behalf of the centurion). The Jewish leaders were not at all troubled about approaching Jesus or speaking with Him – they were more than willing to engage Him, typically challenging Him as to His words or His actions. But this Gentile centurion saw a different Jesus, the One that I hope we see. Yesterday in my comments I imbedded the Prayer of Humble Access. Although we can come to Jesus because of His “manifold and great mercies”, I hope that we also come humbly – clearly as unworthy as the centurion, but no less welcomed by Jesus’ grace and love.
As to the second half of today’s reading, the raising of the widow’s son, when we think of Jesus raising people from the dead, I daresay our first thought is of Lazarus. Nearly an entire chapter (John 11) is devoted to this activity. Second, personally, my thoughts would go to the raising of Jairus’ daughter, probably (in my mind) because this raising is associated with a direct name, Jairus, but also because the story is interrupted with the healing of the woman touching Jesus’ robe (Luke 8:40-56). I might have been hard pressed to name the raising of the widow’s son – even though he was her only son, her life support, if you will. Yet Jesus was clearly moved by her situation – …He had compassion on her… (v. 13). Although Jesus grieved over Lazarus (“Jesus wept.”, John 11:35), there is no mention of compassion with Jairus’ daughter, just Jesus’ healing activity. So the raising of the widow’s son will now be more prominent in my eyes.
Slava Bohu!