Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
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*Intro* – A golfer came to a hole where he had to hit over water, so he teed up an old ball.
Just then a voice sounded: “Use the new ball!”
Frightened, he teed up a new ball.
“Take a practice swing.”
He stepped back, took a swing, and stepped up to hit when the voice sounded again, “Use the old ball.”
Some of us have that voice in the back of our head all the way around the course!
Tragically, many of us have a similar voice keeping us from a life of faith.
Past failures lead us to expect nothing different.
God is for Bible characters and super-stars.
We consistently play the no-faith ball.
But it’s a lie.
Twice in the life of Christ He was said to be amazed!
In Mark 6:6 He marvels at the unbelief of His friends in Nazareth.
They could not accept the local carpenter as Messiah.
Secondly, He was amazed by the faith of an outsider – a Roman centurion.
Luke 7:9, “When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
Jesus was amazed at this man’s faith.
I imagine that if anything in my life amazed Jesus, it would be unbelief – but wouldn’t it be great to amaze Jesus by our faith?
Wouldn’t that be something?
Now, the setting.
V. 1, “After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.”
Jesus has just finished His Sermon on the Plain -- mostly instruction to believers.
Now, Luke gives a prime example of a true disciple – a man whose faith moved Jesus.
So, here the King responds to a faithful subject who is not even Jewish.
He’s the enemy, a Roman soldier.
But he is also a man of faith, showing that amazing faith is not a matter of being a pastor or religious leader.
This guy has a tough secular occupation.
But he has extreme faith.
And if he can, we can.
We can learn to hear God saying, “Tee up the new ball – the Faith ball Play it every time.
Trust me.
Believe in me.
Expect results.”
See what this man saw.
*I.
He Saw That He Was Unworthy (despite having a great resume.)*
*A.
He Was Loving*
V. 2, “Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him.”
A centurion had charge of around 100 soldiers.
This man is probably a Roman soldier in the pay of Herod Antipas, who ruled the region with Roman approval.
Romans did not rule directly until AD 44.
He’s concerned for his servant – slave, actually (δουλος), who is near death – Matt 8:6 elaborates on the message from the man: “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.”
The centurion loves his slave.
Centurions were not allowed to be married.
They were often sent to the far corners of the empire on a moment’s notice – sometimes for as long as 20 years.
Normal family life was impossible.
As a result they sometimes developed close relationships with faithful slaves.
This slave is said to be “highly valued by him.”
The word translated “valued” is sometimes translated “precious”.
This centurion showed extraordinary love for his slave.
He refers to him as his boy in v. 7, “But say the word, and let my servant (παις – boy) be healed.”
Luke calls him his slave.
He calls him his boy.
He loved the boy.
But his loving heart extended further.
V. 3, “When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.
4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.”
This was truly extraordinary.
Here is the captain of an occupying army asking the Jewish elders to seek Jesus’ help – and they are eager to comply!
Extraordinary!
They knew him as a man of fairness and generosity.
This respect was almost unheard of at that time.
A Gentile believer who loved his servant, the nation and the people.
*B.
He Was Generous*
And he didn’t just love in the abstract.
The messengers tell Jesus “and he is the one who built us our synagogue.”
This guy was better than Santa Claus.
Some of us have walked together the ancient streets of Capernaum.
One city block north of Peter’s house, the remains of a 3rd century synagogue have been uncovered.
It was built right on top of a previous building.
The foundation of the previous building is visible through a hole dug in the floor.
That’s the foundation of the building referred to here.
Now a centurion did better than an average soldier, but he wasn’t getting rich.
How this man funded a synagogue is not clear.
But he did because he loved the people and their God.
Here was a man of amazing Christian virtues even before the faith he is about to demonstrate.
He is a wonderful representation of kingdom principles depicted in Jesus’ sermon and he is not even a Jew.
*C.
He Was Unworthy*
Now, when Jesus is presented with this man’s request, He does an amazing thing.
V. 6, “And Jesus went with them.”
Why amazing?
Because Jesus is headed directly to the home of a Gentile where Jewish tradition (not Jewish law) says He will become ceremonially unclean.
Yet He goes.
But the man will not hear of it, tho he is outwardly very worthy.
His friends say in v. 4, “He is worthy to have you do this for him”.
To them he is a worthy recipient of Jesus’ attention.
He is the embodiment of Jesus’ command to love your enemy, is he not?
He is Jesus’ sermon in living color.
But he sees himself with laser precision.
V. 6, “And Jesus went with them.
When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.
7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you.”
In Matt 8:5 shortens this by saying the centurion himself comes to Jesus.
Luke clarifies he actually sent representatives.
This Jewish contingent represent the centurion as though he were there himself.
He is surprised to learn Jesus is coming personally!
That startles him.
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