Luke 7:1

LUKE CHAPTER 7 Luke 7:1 Christ admires the centurion's singular faith, and healeth his absent servant. Luke 7:11 He raiseth to life the widow's son at Nain, Luke 7:18 and sendeth back the messengers of John with an account of the miracles they had seen wrought by him. Luke 7:24 His testimony of John. Luke 7:31 He reproveth the perverseness of the people, who were not to be won either by the manners of John or himself. Luke 7:36 He suffereth his feet to be washed and anointed by a woman who had been a sinner; and in a parable showeth that even the worst of sinners may be forgiven upon the terms of a hearty and sincere repentance. Ver. 1-10. See Poole on "Matthew 8:5", and following verses to Matthew 8:13, where we have considered all the differences between Matthew's and Luke's relation of this miracle. We have in it remarkable,

1. The humanity of the centurion to his servant, to teach us Christians to do the like.

2. The profitableness of good works: the centurion's love to the Jews in building them a synagogue gains their applications to Christ for him.

3. The humility of the centurion: he did not think himself worthy to appear in Christ's presence, nor to receive Christ into his house.

4. His faith in Christ's Divine power and goodness. It doth not appear that he believed that Christ was the eternal Son of God, but he did at least believe that he was clothed with a Divine power, or had a Divine power communicated to him from God, by which he was able, at a distance, and by no more than a word, without application of human rational means, to command off the distemper of his servant.

5. The power of faith in God, and its acceptableness to him. Christ doth not only effect the cure, but predicate his faith to be greater than he had found amongst the generality of the Jewish nation, who went for the only people of God at that day, and had much more light, and means to discern that Christ was sent of God for the good of men, than this Roman captain had.