Three Witnesses and You ...

Your ideas, your perspective influenced by your own history, give you a unique take on any story you may become familiar with.  The core elements of the story may be the same.  But what you pay attention to, the things that are important to you, or that you zero-in-on during the revelation of the story – well those come from who you are, and what matters to you.  You notice subtle things that might have gone un-noticed by others.  Again, the core elements of the story being the same for everyone.  Your unique perspective of the story is something to cherish.  It does not belittle the story, it rather amplifies it.  And sharing your perspective with others, you are bound to pick up new things, that they paid more attention to, that may have slipped by you.  A sharing of perspectives then, adds to the wealth of the story, without tearing down the core elements of it.  This is what is meant by the phrase “the body of Christ” as it refers to His church.  We all have different strengths and weaknesses.  We all have different perspectives.  Jesus is the same.  But what we see in Jesus, is often a function of what we are looking for, and how Jesus uniquely helps each of us.  Jesus is still True.  But how we see Jesus may differ widely, because the difference between you and me may also be a wide one.

Unbelievers will sometimes take our differences in perspective as reason to say Jesus is not true at all.  But that is like saying that a story reported by CNN, MSNBC, and FOX must also not be true at all because those networks come from different perspectives and often report widely different conclusions based on the same set of facts (the story itself).  That is ridiculous.  We all know there is a story out there.  And in the case of our news networks, we tend to have one we prefer, and one we do not.  We tend to side with the network we prefer more, and take the one we don’t with a grain of salt.  The story is there, the set of facts is out there, but how it is reported, and how it is received is more a function of who we listen to, and what we believe to be true.  I would bet, that if you personally were exposed to the entire core set of facts about a given story, you would see some elements of it reported by CNN, different ones by MSNBC, and still others reported by FOX.  None of the networks are lying per se, but their perspectives will certainly alter what conclusions they draw; and therefore what they would like you to draw with them.  But the Truth is bigger than CNN, bigger than MSNBC, and bigger than FOX.  And in the case of Jesus Christ, way bigger than all our news networks, and way bigger than us.

So given this, I would like to focus on a story recorded in three gospels.  You will hear it from three different authors, that is three different witnesses.  The core elements of the story are the same.  But how it is reported is different.  Perspectives of the authors were different.  And to be fair, what you or I pay attention to is likely to be different still.  These differences in scripture are not proof that the Bible cannot be true.  Far from it.  Instead they prove the reality of the Bible in reporting a story where the core elements are true, but the three authors were not copying each other, or lying, that any story like this took place in the first place.  They simply come at it from three different perspectives.  And you or I, the readers, are likely to gain different insights because what Jesus means to us, will likely cause us to focus on a unique insight from the same story in the first place.

The core elements are these.  A person who is mighty, and valued, and important has a need.  The influential person is not a Jew.  This person knows someone he loves who is sick and he needs Jesus to heal him.  The influential person does not feel worthy enough to have Jesus come under his roof.  So he asks Jesus to simply speak the words and the one he loves is healed and made whole.  This example of faith in Jesus by someone who is NOT a Jew, is an example of faith in peoples like ourselves of a future much different than the past.  If you have been a Christian for some length of time, you will likely recognize some version of this story from the New Testament.  Some folks call this a “Centurion’s Great Faith”.  Others might call this “Jesus Heals an Official’s Son”.  But even these titles are examples of perspectives.  While we take a second look at this story try to keep an open mind to absorb an even greater understanding of the story from 3 different witnesses.  The scriptures can be found in Luke 7:1-10 … Matthew 8:5-13 … and John 4:43-54.

Backstory:  

o   Matthew - records this incident right after a healing of a leper.  He then puts Jesus simply entering Capernaum. 

o   Luke - records this incident right after the greatest sermon ever preached.  He then puts Jesus simply entering Capernaum. 

o   John - records this incident right after an unpleasant greeting in His home country.  But John adds that Jesus attended a feast in Jerusalem, then travels to Cana (where Jesus had previously turned water into wine).

 

Protagonist: 

o   Matthew - identifies the influential person as a Roman Centurion and offers no more than that.  Matthew records the encounter as a one-on-one with Jesus.

o   Luke - identifies the influential person as a Roman Centurion.  Luke differs from a one-on-one encounter, saying that the Centurion sought out the elders of the Jews to go to Jesus to ask Him for the healing.  Luke adds that the Jews did this, because the Roman was responsible for building a Synagogue in their area for them to worship in, and they believed the Roman loved their nation.  Luke continues that on hearing this Jesus begins to make His way towards the Roman Centurion’s home. 

o   John - identifies the influential person as only a Nobleman.  John does not seem to see anything noticeably Roman about this person at all, and he too records a one-on-one encounter between himself and Jesus.

 

Victim: 

o   Matthew – identifies the victim as a servant of the Centurion who is sick of the palsy and grievously tormented. 

o   Luke – identifies the victim as a servant who was dear to him, but sick and ready to die. 

o   John – identifies the victim as a son of the Nobleman who was sick and at the point of death.

 

The Request: 

o   Matthew – records the interaction by the Roman stating his own unworthiness for Jesus to enter under his roof.  The Roman states that he has men under his own command, that obey his orders and do what he says.  He asks Jesus to merely give orders for his servant to be healed and he will be.

o   Luke – records that since Jesus was traveling to the Centurions house after the elder’s first encounter, the Centurion sends friends out next to tell Jesus not to trouble Himself.  For the Roman is not worthy to have Jesus enter under his roof, nor was the Roman worthy of coming to Jesus himself to ask this.  It is at this point that like Matthew’s version, the Roman’s message through his friends is the same about giving orders and they will be obeyed.

o   John – records the Nobleman coming to Jesus in person asking Him to heal his son.  However in John’s version the Nobleman is requesting for Jesus to come heal his son in person.

 

The Response: 

o   Matthew – records Jesus marveling at the Roman’s faith.  Jesus says about it “Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great a faith, no, not in Israel.  And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.  But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  Then Jesus tells the Centurion to go his way, as he has believed, so be it done unto thee.

o   Luke – records Jesus marveling at the Roman’s faith.  Jesus says to the people following …”I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” 

o   John – records the incident differently, he has Jesus saying “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.”  But Jesus tells the Nobleman to go his way. For his son liveth.

 

The Results: 

o   Matthew – records the servant was healed in the self-same hour. 

o   Luke – records the friends of the Centurion returning to find the servant whole who had been sick. 

o   John – records the Nobleman returning to a healed son.  He then asks the servants about what time did the son begin to heal (what hour).  They tell him it was about the seventh hour of the day.  This act converts not only the Nobleman, but his entire household.  And John records it as the second Miracle that Jesus did in Galilee.

 

There are some subtle and some distinct differences in these 3 versions of the same story in the life of Jesus and the life of this influential person.  First it is possible that a Roman Centurion was also a Nobleman with some degree of wealth and influence so perhaps that is less of a difference than first thought.  Luke adds the context of having this Roman building a Synagogue for the people.  Next it is possible that the victim was either a son, or a servant loved as much as a son might be.  So again, perhaps less of a difference.  Whether the Roman personally interacted with Jesus as Matthew and John state, or whether he sent emissaries to interact with Jesus on his behalf; what is common is a great feeling of unworthiness on his part.  Luke extends this unworthiness not to even encounter Jesus personally.  In all three cases, this man of influence realized his wealth did not make him a saint.  Perhaps it only added to his own unworthiness.   What is also common among all three stories is that Jesus need only speak the words to have the servant/son healed and he was.   

Matthew reminds his audience (the Hebrews) that they will not be alone in the kingdom of heaven.  There will be many of us there from the east and west as well.  Jesus reminds his audience in both Matthew and Luke that this faith was very great, and it did not come from a Hebrew.  John uses this incident to remind his audience (the Greeks) that entire households were converted from a single encounter with Jesus.  Not just the poor and desperate, but the wealthy and influential as well.  The core elements of the story remain largely the same.  You have heard the story from the perspective of three different witnesses.  But what about you?  What does this story say to you?  What do you get out of it?

For me, it tells me of faith coming from unexpected places, from a people or person, I might have otherwise thought would never be even interested in Jesus, let alone have so much faith in Him.  Keep in mind Romans were hated in their day, with reason.  Yet here is one in perfect submission to Jesus Christ.  This story also tells me that birthright (that is, being raised in the church) is not the same thing as a living faith that grows everyday.  This was a Centurion who had this faith, not a Rabbi, not even a disciple.  This story reminds me that as close as we get to Jesus, the more unworthy our assessment of ourselves becomes.  As we see His perfection, we begin to see our own unworthiness more clearly.  It is easy for me to generalize and think of myself as a good person.  But when I see through the mirror of Jesus, I realize I am not worthy of His forgiveness or His love.  Yet He offers me both anyway.  I realize too, there are too many things in my home that might keep a perfect God out, and worse, too many things in my heart that do the same.  This Roman Centurion seemed to understand this truth better than I do.

I so appreciate having the perspectives of these three witnesses on this incident.  I love the additional context each of them offer.  It renews my faith in scripture, and adds to the beauty of my Lord.  I hope when you read your Bible, you always do it through the lens of Jesus Christ, and through that lens find the love God offers you, and me, everyday.