Introductions

Luke 7:2-3 - Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.

I love the story of Jesus healing this centurion’s servant for many reasons. It is one of the few times Jesus commends someone for his faith, as the centurion tells Jesus, “Just say the word…” It is an example of Jesus compassionately reaching out beyond the boundaries of Judaism as he helps an officer of the occupying Roman Army. It is an excellent explanation of authority and how it works. It is also a surprising example of the compassion a mighty army officer had for a lowly slave.

In today’s reading, though, I was struck by another observation: the number of introductions and intermediaries. The centurion speaks on behalf of his servant to the Jewish leaders of his village who make an earnest appeal to Jesus on the centurion’s behalf. Later the centurion sends friends to Jesus. The Gospel writer Luke never mentions Jesus even meeting the centurion or his servant face to face, yet the miracle happens and real connection is made.

There are two concepts we can put into practice for this. The first is spiritual. It is another reminder of the power of intercessory prayer. As we pray to Jesus for each other, he works. As we invite others to pray with us, things happen.

The second application is natural but important: Introductions matter. I think Jesus would have gladly healed the servant if he had made the request directly, but the lessons would have been lost for us and all those there. There is a power in making connections through the credibility of others. Relationships are more and more the real currency of our age. We can be ambassadors for each other as we intentionally introduce others to those in our networks.