Matthew 8:5-13 NIVUK
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘my servant lies at home paralysed, suffering terribly.’
7 Jesus said to him, ‘Shall I come and heal him?
8 The centurion replied, ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, “Go,” and he goes; and that one, “Come,” and he comes. I say to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.’
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, ‘Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.’ And his servant was healed at that moment.
Here’s a surprise, who would have guessed that a foreigner and a soldier, a man trained to kill and lead others to kill, would be a person of faith?! It is so easy for us to second guess who might be capable of believe and who might not be, but this story acts as a warning against this – anyone is capable of faith.
Father, help me not to divide people into those who are in and those who are out, but to see them as all yours and to treat them accordingly.
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