January 12, 2025

The Conviction of Things Not Seen

Speaker: Dr. John Clayton Series: The Gospel of Luke Scripture: Luke 7:1–10

After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well (Luke 7:1–10).[1]

A Roman centurion is a serious military man. Selected for his imperial loyalty, combat prowess, and leadership qualities, he knows well how to wield a sword and lead from the front. He is a disciplined man, not given to sloth or indulgence, remaining ready to lead his battalion into battle. Living where assigned, the purpose of his presence is to protect the interests of the Empire, not fraternize with locals. If he chooses to assimilate, it is on his terms, not the locals. He is, after all, a serious military man.

Capernaum is fortunate. They have a centurion who loves Israel and looks favorably upon their faith. A man of wealth and authority, he invests locally, such as building the synagogue, endearing himself to the people. While Israel loathes their subjection to Roman rule, the people of Capernaum love their centurion. And so, when he asks the elders to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant, they go straight away.

A Worthy Request

It is a worthy request, made by a man who is worthy, according to the elders. He is also compassionate, appealing to the mercy of the Great Physician on his servant’s behalf, who is “at the point of death.” He is also humble, telling the Lord Jesus not to trouble himself, explaining, “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you” (7:6-7). Perhaps he is familiar with the Israel’s ritual purity laws, disallowing a Jew to enter a Gentile’s house. But it sounds more like a knowledge and acknowledgement of his personal unworthiness before the Lord. In fact, the word the centurion uses, translated “worthy” is a different word altogether from the word the elders use. It is a word connoting insufficiency. Who he is (or what he has done) is not sufficient to warrant Jesus’ visit. While the elders presume upon Jesus’ willingness, the centurion humbly submits himself to the Lord’s will: “But say the word, and let my servant be healed” (7:7).

His humility is refreshing, as is his faith. His petition is not rooted in his worthiness but the Lord’s mercy. He does not demand, but humbly requests, trusting that Jesus will heal if he wills. As “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5), so the Lord Jesus regards the man’s humble faith.

A Humble Faith

The centurion also knows about authority and the power of the spoken word. If he says to a soldier, “Go,” he goes, or “Come,” he comes, or “Do this,” he does it. He too is a man under authority. To disobey his command would be to disobey Caesar, under whose command he serves. That’s how authority works. To transfer this understanding to the one who teaches with authority and sends demons fleeing by simply saying the word, is not blind faith. He knows Jesus has the authority to heal his servant and can by simply saying the word. It’s that simple, and that is faith.

We may not think of the Christian life in terms of authority, but in reality we live every day of our redeemed lives not only under authority but under the authority. By virtue of the finished work of his atoning death and victorious resurrection, Jesus declared to his church, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). (Not some but “All authority.”) And having revealed this, he then ascended into heaven to his rightful place of authority “at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3). From there, Christ reigns overall, right now. But while this is the reality of this very moment, the writer of Hebrews explains, “we do not yet see everything in subjection to him” (Heb. 2:8). We see through “a mirror indirectly,” as Paul puts it, seeing reality not fully but in part (1 Cor. 13:12 NET). But by God’s grace he has revealed what he has to and given us, even now, “the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).

Although perhaps contrary to our perception of worldly authority, we witness the authority of Christ in the conquered hearts of his redeemed. While an unbelieve may profess, “I am the captain of my soul,”[2] the apostle Paul explains to the believer, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). If you are in Christ, you can say, “I too am [one] set under authority,” because Jesus is your Lord. The question then is not if you are under authority, but do your thoughts, words, and deeds reflect it? Or, are you living as if you are your authority? If you are truly in Christ, you are not. The sooner you learn this, the happier you will be.

Let this truth then be our daily mantra: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). The crucified Christian life is a life lived under the authority of Christ, and it is under his authority that we serve. Like the centurion, our authority is a derivative authority, serving here as the hands and feet of Christ, as it were. In fact, the most miserable Christians I know are those who sit around and serve themselves; the happiest ones I know are dedicated to serving others for Christ’s sake.

And Christ has given authority to his church for purpose of the advancement of his gospel and the ministry of his means of grace, a perpetual ministry until he comes again. The Great Commission is a commission to the church for the church, in which every local church that has been planted then matures through the ordinary means of grace. Through his Word, sacraments, and prayer, Christ’s authority is on display in his church. And in his church, Christ has gifted every appendage and portion of his body to serve on his behalf, serving one another by the authority Christ has given. Think on that: Christ has given you his authority to serve others!

A Faithful Testimony

Note that Jesus marvels at the centurion’s message, calling it “faith.” Listen again to what the centurion says: “... say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (7:7-8). To the modern Evangelical ear, the centurion’s message sounds so “matter of fact.” But the writer of Hebrews defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1, emphasis added). Assurance and conviction are not based on the ephemeral; there must be a reason for assurance and conviction, as a matter of fact. The centurion is convicted of things not seen, as he believes that Jesus need not darken his door to heal his servant, assured that it will be so, if Jesus says the word.

Faith is not wishful thinking or blind trust. The centurion isn’t merely hoping for the best. He lives in Capernaum, where the people were “astonished” when Jesus first came and taught, because “his word possessed authority” (Luke 4:32). And it was in Capernaum that a demon-possessed man screamed aloud his knowledge of Jesus’ identity, as “the Holy One of God,” and Jesus rebuked and exorcised the demon, leaving the people “amazed,” saying, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” (Luke 4:33-36). For Jesus to teach with authority and authoritatively command the supernatural by his word, why wouldn’t the centurion say, “say the word, and let my servant be healed”? The centurion’s faith is based on the revelation of Jesus Christ and the power of his Word, and so is ours.

Jesus marvels and calls it faith, serving also as a testimony to Israel. As Jesus says to his followers, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith” (7:9). Through the miraculous works of Jesus the blind received their sight, the lame walked, lepers were cleansed, the deaf heard, and the dead were raised to life,[3] and yet Israel’s leaders demand more because, unlike the centurion, they are neither assured in nor convicted of what they see.[4] The faith of the centurion is unlike anything Israel’s Messiah had encountered throughout the theocracy, the faith of a Gentile, whose servant was healed that very day.

Of course, you don’t have to be a serious military man to have faith in Jesus, but you do have to take him at his word, believing that “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). This is the testimony of the Word God has given. Don’t make it harder than it is. As a matter of fact, in it we are assured and by it convicted, and Jesus is Savior and Lord of all who believe.


[1] Unless referenced otherwise, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2001).

[2] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51642/invictus

[3] Luke 7:22

[4] Matt. 12:38

 

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