Punchlines (part 1)
June 19, 2022
We hope this guide will help you take the good news you hear today into your daily lives.
We believe in an all-powerful God, but is he powerful enough to heal our cancer? What about our addiction? Family and relationship tension? Racial injustice? Unrepentant sin?
Why does Jesus heal the Centurion’s servant? Because he gets out of the way…because he trusts God...because he invites Jesus to heal him.
Scripture and Notes
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
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. 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 and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 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. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
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.
Matthew 8:5-13 (NIV)
Examen: Empathy, Faith, and Action
Reflecting on the Centurion’s empathy and action on behalf of his servant, Pete asks some challenging questions this week.
Before answering the questions below, spend some time with God in prayer, asking God to give you clarity. As you honestly examine yourself, trust that God is holding you in love.
Who do you have empathy for? Does that empathy lead you to humility?
What does it look like to take action on behalf of the disenfranchised, to bring their plight to the feet of Jesus? Consider asking God to show you a concrete way to do this.
Do you believe there are barriers or challenges too great for God to overcome? How does your life reflect your beliefs about this?
