Matthew 8:5,10 (ESV)
[5] When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him,
appealing to him, [6] “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering
terribly.” [7] And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
[10] When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed
him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.
For three chapters Jesus spoke of a holiness that exceeds the Scribes and
the Pharisees. Coming down from that sermon Jesus met and healed an unclean
leper. He then met another unclean person. This person was unclean because he
was not a Jew. He was a Roman centurion. The expectation of the crowds would be
that Jesus would not even allow him to approach. Yet Jesus not only allows him
to approach but does what he asks. The centurion’s servant is paralyzed and
suffering. He asks that his servant would be healed. Jesus’s response would have
shocked the crowds. He offers to heal the servant without even seeing him. Why?
Because of the centurion’s faith. That’s the key! Faith. How does one gain the
internal holiness that exceeds that Scribes and Pharisees? Through faith.
Ultimately it comes down to this question: Who do you trust? Do you trust yourself,
your efforts, your goodness, your self-discipline, or do you trust God? The
only source of internal holiness that exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees
is a gift from God received by God’s grace through trusting him. The key was
not position, power, or externally conforming to some standard of behavior. The
key was faith. Trust him today and he will transform your heart.
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