Sunday Worship Service – November 8, 2026
The Centurion’s Faith
Scripture: Luke 7:1–10
After Jesus had finished saying all these things in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.
There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard about Jesus and sent some Jewish elders to Him, asking Him to come and heal his servant.
When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with Him, saying, “This man deserves to have You do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.”
So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I do not deserve to have You come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 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.”
When Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him. He turned to the crowd following Him and said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”
Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
Introduction
I would like to share a story from a church where I served in the past.
There was a young woman in that church who was attending Ewha Womans University, majoring in Early Childhood Education. Every Sunday, she traveled back to the church in Cheongju to serve as a Sunday school teacher.
One Sunday, however, a terrible tragedy occurred. After attending the Sunday worship service, she was driving back to her university when she was involved in a serious car accident on the highway. Her car overturned, and tragically, she died at the scene.
When the senior pastor heard the news, his heart was completely broken. As he prayed, he asked God:
“Lord, why did You take this young woman so early? She was so devoted to You, and she had such a promising future ahead of her. I simply cannot understand.”
But as he continued to pray, he realized that there was something he needed to do. He needed to go to the funeral home and meet the young woman’s parents.
Her parents were not Christians. The pastor thought they might be angry with the church and even blame God for their daughter’s death. He was concerned that they might direct their anger toward him personally. He even wondered whether they might become physically violent.
So he quickly called a meeting with the elders of the church. As he looked for someone who would accompany him to the funeral home, he asked:
“Is there anyone among you who is prepared to get beaten? I need someone to go with me.”
One of the younger elders volunteered and said, “I can take a beating pretty well, so I will go with you.”
Then the oldest elder spoke up:
“I think it would be better if I went. They probably wouldn’t want to hit an old man. And if the pastor gets attacked, I can step in and protect him.”
In the end, the pastor went to the funeral home with this elderly elder.
But when they arrived, the pastor heard something he had never expected.
As soon as the parents saw him, they said:
“We want to believe in and love the Jesus our daughter loved.”
What an amazing confession!
These parents had lost their beloved daughter. Yet instead of blaming God or turning away from the church, they declared that they, too, wanted to love the Jesus their daughter had loved.
Later, they donated their daughter’s Christian books and her books on early childhood education to the church. The church purchased additional books and established a library in her memory.
We cannot fully understand all the ways God works in His saving plan. Sometimes God works in ways that go far beyond our understanding and expectations.
We cannot fully explain or understand the death of that young woman. But even in the midst of such deep sorrow, God revealed His amazing grace by drawing an entire family to the gospel.
The parents’ confession, “We want to love the Jesus our daughter loved,” is truly a remarkable expression of faith.
In today’s passage, we also encounter a person whose faith amazed Jesus.
But the person who amazed Jesus was not a Jewish rabbi, a priest, or even one of His closest disciples. Surprisingly, he was a Gentile. He was a Roman soldier, a centurion who belonged to the very empire that ruled over the Jewish people.
Jesus saw this man’s faith and said:
“I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”
What kind of faith did this centurion have that caused Jesus to be so amazed and commend him?
1. The Centurion Had a Faith That Expressed Itself Through Love and Respect for Others (Verses 1–5)
Every Christian has faith. But when the Bible teaches us about faith, it reveals two important aspects of it.
First, there is the faith through which we are saved by believing in Jesus Christ.
Second, there is the faith that has already received salvation and expresses itself through good works in our daily lives.
Romans 1:16 speaks about the faith through which we receive salvation:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.”
We are saved not by our own works or merits, but by faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Then how should saving faith be expressed in our daily lives?
James 2:14 says:
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?”
James 2:26 also says:
“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
Galatians 5:6 says:
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
These passages do not teach that we are saved by our good works. Rather, they teach that genuine faith necessarily produces the fruit of love and obedience.
The centurion in today’s passage was a man who demonstrated precisely this kind of faith.
1) The Centurion Valued His Servant
Look at verse 2:
“There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die.”
The expression we should pay attention to is “whom his master valued highly.”
In Roman society at that time, servants were often treated as the property of their masters. They were frequently regarded as people of little value.
For a Roman military officer, especially a centurion, to show such genuine concern and affection for a servant was not necessarily common.
But this centurion was different.
He did not use his position or authority to mistreat his servant. Instead, he loved him and considered his life valuable.
When the servant became seriously ill and was near death, the centurion did not simply abandon him. He sent people to Jesus and pleaded with Him to save the servant’s life.
He recognized the value of someone who was socially beneath him.
2) The Centurion Loved the People of the Nation He Ruled Over
In verses 4 and 5, the Jewish elders came to Jesus and pleaded on behalf of the centurion.
They said:
“This man deserves to have You do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.”
The centurion was a Roman military officer. He belonged to the empire that ruled over the Jewish people.
Yet he loved the very people over whom he exercised authority. Furthermore, he had even built a synagogue so that the Jewish people could worship God.
Think about this for a moment.
He could have used his authority to oppress or exploit the people under his rule. Instead, he used his position and resources to benefit the community.
He was not someone who oppressed others. He was someone who served them.
We do not know exactly how this centurion became familiar with Judaism or came to believe in God. But one thing is clear from this passage: he loved the Jewish people and showed an interest in the God whom they worshiped.
His faith did not remain merely religious knowledge. It was demonstrated through a life of love and service.
3) We, Too, Must Have a Faith That Values and Loves Others
The faith God has given us is a precious gift. But faith itself is invisible. People in the world cannot directly see what kind of faith we have.
The way they recognize our faith is through the way we live.
They see our faith in how we treat other people, how we treat those who are weaker or less privileged than we are, and how we care for those who need our help.
The centurion loved his servant. He loved the people of the nation he ruled over. He used his authority and resources to serve others.
This is the kind of faith the centurion demonstrated.
Even in the church today, we often talk about having strong faith. But having strong faith does not simply mean knowing a great deal about the Bible or having attended church for many years.
Genuine faith is demonstrated when we respect those who are in a lower position than we are, care for those in need, and use what God has entrusted to us for the benefit of others.
Dear brothers and sisters, I pray that we, too, will have a faith like the centurion’s—a faith that values, respects, and loves others.
2. The Centurion Had Faith That Completely Trusted the Authority of Jesus (Verses 6–8)
When Jesus heard the centurion’s request, He went with the Jewish elders toward his house.
But when Jesus was approaching the house, the centurion sent some friends to deliver a very remarkable message.
Verses 6–8 say:
“Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I do not deserve to have You come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 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.”
In these words, we discover just how remarkable the centurion’s faith really was.
1) The Centurion Humbled Himself Before Jesus
The centurion was a Roman military officer. He commanded many soldiers and held a position of considerable authority.
From the world’s perspective, he was a man of great power and status.
Yet he humbled himself before Jesus.
He addressed Jesus as “Lord” and said:
“I do not deserve to have You come under my roof.”
This was more than a simple expression of politeness. It was an expression of humble faith. He recognized his own unworthiness before Jesus.
He understood that his worldly position and authority gave him nothing to boast about in the presence of Jesus.
Here we discover an important truth about the beginning of genuine faith.
True faith does not begin with exalting ourselves. It begins when we recognize who we are before God and humbly acknowledge our need for Him.
2) The Centurion Knew and Trusted the Authority and Power of Jesus’ Word
The centurion believed that Jesus did not need to come all the way to his house.
Why?
Because he was convinced that the word of Jesus carried authority and power.
He said:
“But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
The centurion used his own military experience as an illustration.
He was a man who was under the authority of his superiors, but he also had soldiers under his command.
When he told one soldier to go, the soldier went. When he told another to come, the soldier came. When he gave an order to his servant, the servant carried it out.
The centurion understood the relationship between authority and obedience.
He believed that Jesus possessed authority over all things, including sickness and even the natural world.
Therefore, Jesus did not need to come physically to his house. He believed that Jesus could heal his servant simply by speaking a word.
This was the extraordinary faith of the centurion.
Throughout the Bible, we find many passages that reveal the authority and power of Jesus’ word.
In John 11, after Lazarus had died, Mary and Martha said to Jesus:
“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Jesus then said to Martha:
“Your brother will rise again.”
But Martha understood this as a reference to the resurrection on the last day.
Of course, Martha had faith in the resurrection. However, at that moment, she had not yet fully understood that Jesus Himself was the Lord of life, possessing authority even over death.
We also find another example in Mark 9.
The father of a demon-possessed boy came to Jesus and said:
“If You can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
Jesus replied:
“‘If You can’? Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Of course, this does not mean that if we simply believe, everything we desire will happen according to our own wishes.
Rather, Jesus was calling the father not to limit God’s power, but to trust in Jesus, the Messiah.
Immediately, the father cried out:
“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
But the centurion in today’s passage demonstrated something remarkable.
He did not believe that Jesus had to come physically to his house in order for his servant to be healed.
He believed that a single word from Jesus would be enough.
He was absolutely convinced of the authority and power of Jesus’ word.
Dear brothers and sisters, why do you think we sometimes struggle to hear God’s Word and obey it?
Why is it difficult for us to confess, as the centurion did, “Just say the word”?
The reason is that although we say we believe in Jesus, we sometimes lack a genuine confidence in the authority and power of His Word.
But let me make this clear: God created the heavens and the earth through His Word, and Jesus, the eternal Word of God, was with Him in creation.
The Word of Jesus is the creative Word of God.
His Word has authority and power.
Therefore, we must trust His Word and live in obedience to it.
3. Jesus Was Amazed by the Centurion’s Faith (Verses 9–10)
Let us look at verses 9 and 10:
“When Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him. He turned to the crowd following Him and said, ‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.’
Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.”
There is something important here that we must pay attention to.
Jesus was amazed when He saw the centurion’s faith.
It is particularly remarkable to see Jesus respond with amazement to someone’s faith.
The centurion was not an Israelite who had received God’s covenant promises. He was a Gentile.
He was not a rabbi who studied the Law. He was not a priest who offered sacrifices in the temple.
Yet Jesus found in this Gentile a kind of faith that was rarely seen even among the people of Israel.
What was it about this man’s faith that amazed Jesus?
It was his absolute confidence in the authority and power of Jesus’ word, even though he was a Gentile.
He believed that Jesus could heal his servant simply by speaking a word.
And that is exactly what happened.
Even though Jesus did not physically enter the house, the servant was healed.
There is a difference between hearing God’s Word and obeying God’s Word.
There is also a difference between being emotionally moved by a sermon, even to the point of tears, and actually applying God’s Word to our daily lives.
Only those who trust in the authority of Jesus’ Word and put it into practice will receive God’s commendation.
The faith of the centurion, which amazed Jesus, was a faith that trusted God’s Word and responded with obedience.
Dear brothers and sisters, what does our faith look like today?
What is the standard by which we live our daily lives?
Do we follow the values of this world and depend on the things we can see?
Or are we living with confidence in the authority of God’s Word and submitting ourselves to it in obedience?
I sincerely pray that all of us will have a faith like the centurion’s—a faith that amazes Jesus.
4. Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today, through the example of the centurion, we have learned what genuine faith looks like.
The centurion was a man who loved his servant and served his neighbors. He humbled himself before Jesus and completely trusted in the authority and power of His Word.
That is why Jesus was amazed by his faith and commended him.
We must not be satisfied simply because we have attended church for many years or acquired a great deal of biblical knowledge.
What truly matters is not merely how much of God’s Word we know, but how deeply we trust it and how faithfully we put it into practice in our daily lives.
Dear brothers and sisters,
I pray that the faith of the centurion, who trusted in the authority and power of Jesus’ Word, will be expressed through love in our families, through service in our church, and through good works toward our neighbors in the world.
And even when we face difficulties we cannot understand or challenges in life that seem impossible to overcome, may we never doubt the Word of our Lord.
May we continue to trust Him, obey Him, and experience His victory in our lives.
Let us pray.