Monday, Sept. 12. Lectionary # 443

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Scripture: Lectionary 443: I Timothy 2:1-8. Psalm 28:2.7.8-9. Luke 7:1-10

Do you believe in miracles? If you do, then the narrative Luke offers is a great insight into seeing who Jesus is and how someone asks for a miracle from him. Since Jesus is the foremost among miracle workers in the Bible, it is worthwhile to be aware of the different miracles he works and where they are recorded.

In the passage from Luke 7:1-10, a Roman centurion who is in charge of one hundred Roman soldiers in the Galilee area comes to Jesus asking him to work a miracle for his trustworthy and beloved servant. The servant is near to death and the centurion has heard of the powers of Jesus in word and deed. He comes humbly and with great faith in Jesus that something can be done. He will be rewarded for his great trust in Jesus. Jesus himself tells us that the reason the servant was healed is the following: “I tell you, I have never found such faith among the Israelites.

The Bible is full of narratives about miracles in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. One particular prophet who worked many miracles and is even said to continue to help believers today is Elijah. He is frequently called to mind in the New Testament and seems to prefigure another great person, John the Baptist who worked miracles in the area of inner spiritual healing through conversion and a turning to God by those who heard the saintly ascetic. It is however Jesus who is the supreme miracle worker. Miracles happen when there is a faith response on the part of the one asking for help from Jesus. The centurion offers one of the best examples of this response of great faith of the heart. He believed Jesus could help his servant and even said it was not necessary for Jesus to come to touch the dying man. His words would be sufficient just as the centurion’s words were when he gave orders to his men about their military duties. The miracle occurs without Jesus entering under the roof of the centurion who had built a synagogue for his friends.

The Gospels give us the miracles of Jesus. John too leads us to understand the importance of faith in Jesus to bring about a miracle which he always refers to as a sign that is immediately connected with the deep faith of the one who experiences the sign. In the particular miracle recorded by Luke about the centurion we learn that John in 4:46b-54 and Matthew in 8:5-13 have the same miracle recorded in their Gospels. Elijah is not forgotten as we keep in mind a passage in II Kings 5:1-14.

God gives each of us many surprises of grace that we are unaware of but are little miracles of God’s love for us. Our faith commitment in Jesus, the Son of God, enables us to pray and reflect on these Gospel narratives that involve miracles. We reflect on our own lives in the light of the Gospels and their messages and realize that this too is a miracle connected with our faith. May it be as strong and honest as that of the centurion.Amen.