Sunday June 3, 2007 | Greg Boyd
When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “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, don't 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 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, and turning to the crowd following him, he 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.
When we live inside God's “Reign", we are basically making the decision to agree with God's truth about reality in every area of our lives. This means that we define the development of our lives only around whatever God says about things like relationships, money, work, and recreation. Living in God's Reign assures a person that, as they grow spiritually, they are actively making Jesus the Lord of their lives.
The term “Reign of God” may be unfamiliar to many people in today’s society. Few of us have a personal history with governments that have kingdoms, reigns, and dominions. Fortunately, the concept itself may be more familiar. When we live inside God’s “Reign”, we are basically making the decision to agree with God’s truth about reality in every area of our lives. This means that we define the development of our lives only around whatever God says about things like relationships, money, work, and recreation. Living in God’s Reign assures a person that, as they grow spiritually, they are actively making Jesus the Lord of their lives. To be sure, this can be a lot easier said than done. There may be serious costs involved in following Jesus, including looking foolish to many respected people in the world. Moreover, the time and energy spent being intentional in living God’s ways can be enormous. The benefits, however, greatly outweigh the costs as we live in a way that brings peace and unity to the human race in Christ.
In Luke 7, we see a great example of an unexpected person living solidly in God’s Reign. The Roman centurion was a person who had much to lose in associating with a Jewish peasant man who claimed to be the Jewish Messiah. The centurion crossed a lot of social boundaries and “invisible walls” to demonstrate his faith in Christ. As a result of his faith, not only did the centurion receive a miracle from God, but he also became an example of radical faith that Jesus held up for the Jewish people to take note. This was scandalous to Jesus’ hearers, but it truly showed how wide and expansive God’s Reign really is.
In demonstrating the Reign of God, Jesus regularly broke many of the social taboos that many
of his contemporary Jews believed were unbreakable. This demonstrates tremendous inner
strength. Why is it often hard for people to have this kind of strength in following God? What
are some things that we can do to help ourselves be strengthened?