Sermon on the Plain: A Great Prophet Has Arisen - a podcast by Rev. W. Reid Hankins

Sermon preached on Luke 7:1-17 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 11/07/2021 in Novato, CA.















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Life is fragile. When sickness comes, we are confronted with that reality. When a loved one dies, we realize how we hate death and want its sting to be done away with. But we also realize how powerless we humans are to overcome death. But what is impossible with man is possible with God. Today’s passage shows us the power of God being manifested to overcome death in two people. These accounts are so marvelous because God does not normally manifest his power to overcome death in such ways. Yet, God’s power has at times been manifested in different ways in history. If today’s passage is reminiscent at all of the ministries Elijah and Elisha from the Old Testament, you are correct to notice such a connection. God manifested his power over sickness and death through those two during a rather spiritually bleak period of time in Israel’s history. And in today’s passage, we again see God choosing to manifest his power. The people rightly recognize this in verses 16 and 17. They correctly understand the significance of Jesus’ miracles, even in overcoming death. They reflect that God and his power has visited them through the agency of a great prophet. That great prophet, and more, is Jesus Christ. Let us then see the power of God through Jesus in these two miracles.







So then, our first half of today’s message will be to consider Jesus healing this centurion’s servant in verses 1-10. From a big picture, we should appreciate that this is a ministry to a Gentile. Jesus’s earthly ministry was primarily focused on the house of Israel. This was in the fulfillment of the promises given to the patriarchs of Israel, in which God had covenanted with that nation and promised to send a savior through their lineage. Yet, those promises had also spoken about how this would result in blessing to all the nations. In the Old Testament, there were occasional statements about God’s plans to bring salvation to all the nations. But those plans went out in greater clarity and full force after Jesus’ ascension when he sent his apostles out to the nations with the gospel. But even during Jesus’ early ministry there were hints that how God’s good tidings in Jesus would be extended to all the nations, to whomever would receive Jesus Christ by faith.







And yet, at that time, there was in general a lot of division between Israelites and Gentiles. Israel at that time tended to think themselves privileged before God and that the Gentiles were just unclean heathens. The Gentiles did, in fact, practice pagan religion, and had often been persecutors of Israel. It’s with that context that you might appreciate the dynamics in these opening verses. Here you have a centurion. This was a Gentile Roman military leader who was in command of a hundred soldiers. And he had a beloved sick servant who was at the point of death, verse 2. So then, in verse 3 we see that this Centurion had learned about Jesus. Word had gotten out about the miracles and wonders that Jesus was doing. This centurion has hope and faith that Jesus can heal his beloved servant.







So, he contacts the local Jewish elders to contact Jesus on his behalf. They gladly comply and make an earnest plea to Jesus for him to heal the centurion’s servant. In their approach to Jesus we are reminded of the Jewish-Gentile dynamics, because in verse 4 we see them explain to Jesus why they would advocate for a Gentile. They tell Jesus that he is worthy of his help. They explain that the centurion loves the Jewish nation and he even built them their synagogue there in Capernaum. Understand what they are saying. This acknowledges that normally there are ethnic divides between Jew an...

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Further podcasts by Rev. W. Reid Hankins

Website of Rev. W. Reid Hankins