The Faith of the Centurion.
Matthew 8:5-11
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”
The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 8:5-11
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”
The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.”
Ang Kapitan ay Nanampalataya
Mateo 8:5-11
Mateo 8:5-11
Nang pumasok na si Jesus sa Capernaum, may lumapit sa kaniya na isang kapitan na namamanhik sa kaniya. Sinabi ng kapitan: Panginoon, ang aking lingkod ay nakaratay sa bahay, lumpo at lubhang nahihirapan. Sinabi ni Jesus sa kaniya: Ako ay paroroon at pagagalingin ko siya.
Ngunit sumagot ang kapitan: Panginoon, hindi ako karapat-dapat na ikaw ay pumasok sa aking bahay. Ngunit magsalita ka lamang at mapapagaling mo na ang aking lingkod. Ito ay sapagkat ako rin naman ay isang taong nasa ilalim ng kapamahalaan na may nasasakupang mga kawal. Sinasabi ko sa isang tao: Pumaroon ka. At pumaparoon siya. Sinasabi ko naman sa iba: Halika. At lumalapit siya. Sa aking alipin naman ay sinasabi ko: Gawin mo ito. At kaniya itong ginagawa.
Namangha si Jesus nang marinig niya ito. Sinabi niya sa mga sumusunod sa kaniya: Katotohanang sinasabi ko sa inyo: Kahit sa mga taga-Israel ay hindi ko nasumpungan ang ganito kalaking pananampalataya. Sinasabi ko sa inyo na marami ang manggagaling sa silangan at kanluran at kakaing kasama ni Abraham, Isaac at Jacob sa paghahari ng langit.
1 comment:
Please allow me to share this reflection from David Humpal.
Because of the centurion’s faith, his servant was healed. What healing do you need in your life or in your family? Reach out to Jesus in faith. I’m sure many Jews thought they had faith, but the centurion demonstrated by his actions that his faith was real.
Ken Davis relates how in college he was asked to prepare a lesson to teach his speech class. The title of his talk was, "The Law of the Pendulum." He spent 20 minutes carefully teaching the physical principle that governs a swinging pendulum – a pendulum can never return to a point higher than the point from which it was released. Because of friction and gravity, when the pendulum returns, it will fall short of its original release point.
He attached a 3-foot string to a child's toy top and secured it to the top of the blackboard with a thumbtack. He pulled the top to one side and made a mark on the blackboard where he let it go and each time it swung back he made a new mark. It took less than a minute for the top to complete its swinging and come to rest. The markings on the blackboard proved the thesis.
He then asked how many people in the room BELIEVED the law of the pendulum was true. All of the classmates raised their hands, as did the teacher who started to walk to the front of the room thinking the class was over. In reality it had just begun.
Hanging from the steel ceiling beams in the back of the room was 250 pounds of metal weights attached by a long cable. Ken invited the instructor to climb up on a table and sit in a chair with the back of his head against a cement wall. Then he brought the 250 pounds of metal up to his nose. Holding the huge pendulum just a fraction of an inch from his face, he once again explained the law of the pendulum that the teacher had applauded only moments before. He said, "If the law of the pendulum is true, then when I release this mass of metal, it will swing across the room and return short of the release point. Your nose will be in no danger."
After that final restatement of this law, Ken asked, "Sir, do you believe this law is true?" There was a long pause. Huge beads of sweat formed on his upper lip and then weakly the teacher nodded and whispered, "Yes." The pendulum was released. It made a swishing sound as it arced across the room. At the far end of its swing, it paused momentarily and started back. Ken wrote, "I never saw a man move so fast in my life. He literally dived from the table." Then Ken asked the class, "Does he believe in the law of the pendulum?"
The students unanimously answered, "NO!"
By his actions, it is obvious the teacher thought he believed, but in fact when it came time to act on his beliefs he realized that his faith was not that strong. Where is your faith? Do you, as the teacher, only believe intellectually? Or do you have faith enough to back it up with your actions. Jesus commended the centurion for his faith. And he was willing to act on his faith. Let us also be willing to step out on faith. And let our faith be more than mere words. Let it be from our heart.
God bless us all!
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