The Roman Soldier - The Gospels

In this Bible Story, Jesus heals the centurion’s servant. The son is restored because the centurion believes and clings to the authority of Jesus. He recognizes that Jesus holds authority over death and sickness. This story is inspired by Luke 7:1-17. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is Luke 7:9 from the King James Version.

Episode 185: As a roman centurion sat beside his sick servant, he called his officials and sent them to find Jesus. When the officials found Jesus, they asked Him to heal the centurion's servant. But as Jesus got ready to head to the man's house, he sent a servant to explain to Him his unworthiness and to request that Jesus merely speak and it would be done. Jesus was amazed at this man's faith and the centurion’s servant was healed.

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Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard

Producer: Ben Gammon

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Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith

Bible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. When Jesus heard these things, he marveled
at him and turned him about and sat under the
people that followed him. I say, unto you, I have
not found so great faith, No, not in Israel. Luke
seven nine. I stand with full belief, Lord, as I

(00:22):
look to you to restore health to every place in
my being. I choose to stand on the truth of
your word and declare that healing is mine for the
taking because of the sacrifice and blood of Jesus. In
the same way the centurion soldier believed in your spoken word, Jesus,

(00:44):
I know that through your Holy Bible, your word is
being spoken to me all the time, and with the
same faith, I know that whatever you command as done
is done. Thank you, Lord for bringing dead things back
to life like the bonds of Ezekiel. Thank you that

(01:07):
even though my dreams seem to be dead in a coffin,
you can resurrect them back to life. So, in the
name of Jesus, I command healing to flood my life.
In the name of Jesus, I command dead dreams and
visions to breathe new life and to arise through the

(01:31):
activation of great faith. I will do great things on
your behalf Lord in Jesus name. Amen, Thank you for
making prayer a priority in your day. To learn more
about the Bible, stay tuned for to day's story, brought

(01:52):
to you by Bible in a Year dot com.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
The Roman Soldier. In our last story, Jesus called the
Twelve Disciples. They were not chosen because of their skills
or accomplishments. They were not chosen because of their wisdom
of prowess. No, Jesus chose a ragtag group of misfits
and outcasts. Through them, the Kingdom of God would spread

(02:23):
across the entire world. Now we witness the authority of
Jesus over death itself. Jesus heals in a way that
spits in the face of death. People begin to truly
understand that Jesus is more than just a good teacher.
He alone holds the power over life itself. Inspired by
the Gospels.

Speaker 3 (02:46):
Hello and welcome once again to the Bible in a
Year podcast. You are a part of a worldwide congregation
of over twenty million people who have currently downloaded the
Bible in a Year podcast. Thank you for being a part.
In our previous episode, Jesus called his twelve Disciples, an
unlikely group of men that, by the world's standard, showed

(03:08):
no great potential. But it would be through these men
that God's plan and purpose and power would be shown
to the whole world, that the Gospel would go to
the nations. Today we'll hear how jesus healing stops at nothing,
not even death itself. And we'll see how his offer
of healing and new life does not stop at the
Jewish people, but extends to those who were seen as

(03:31):
the enemy and the outsider. Jesus was showing himself as
much more than a wise teacher. He was demonstrating God's
unrelenting power and compassion for those who are hurting, broken,
and even have died. So let's listen now to the
reading of the Gospel of Christ.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
The Roman centurion sat beside his servant's bed. The fever
had completely overtaken him, and that didn't seem to be
much time left. Although the Roman official was high in
the ranks of the greatest army in the world, he
was not above caring for those he cared about. The servant,
who had risked his life so many times to aid
him in battle, was on the brink of death. The

(04:12):
finest doctors the Roman Empire had to offer could do nothing. However,
the centurion knew there may be one man who could help.
He had heard rumors of a Jewish teacher going around
the land healing people. Upon further investigation, this man seemed
to be the fulfillment of old Hebrew prophecies. Whoever he was,

(04:34):
he was the centurion's last hope to heal his servant,
so he called for his officials and sent them to
go find the man called Jesus. Jesus was walking about Copernium,
meeting the needs of people around him. All of the sudden,
Jesus was stopped by some Jewish elders who had been
sent by the centurion. Jesus, we asked humberly that you

(04:55):
would come and see this man's servant. He is not
like the other Romans. He cares for our people and
as worthy of your attention. They said, very well, Jesus said,
and he left with the elders to go to the
centurion's home. When the Roman heard that Jesus was on
his way to his home, he became nervous. He did
not think of himself as worthy for Jesus to make

(05:17):
the trip over to his home, so he sent a
servant to stop Jesus from coming. With the servant was
a message saying, please, Lord, do not trouble yourself. I
am not worthy to have you come under my roof.
I am a gentile and represent the oppression of Rome.
I am a man of authority. When I tell my
men to come and go, they do so without question.

(05:38):
I know you are also a man of great authority.
All you need is to speak, and my servant will
be healed. Jesus marveled at the faith of this centurion.
He understood the profound reality that Jesus's miracles did not
come from magic tricks or special rituals. He held the
authority over all things. Jesus turned to his disciples and said,

(06:01):
I have not seen such faith from anyone in all
of Israel. So Jesus departed, and the messengers returned home
to find the centurion's servant healed and well. Soon afterward,
Jesus traveled to the town of Nane. A large crowd
followed Jesus wherever he went. However, when he arrived at Nane,
people were surprised. Nane was a desolate and ugly town.

(06:25):
It was dirty, and filled with crime. However, Jesus walked
with purpose behind each step. He went nowhere on accident.
As Jesus entered into the town, a line of people
were exiting. They were all wearing black, and a man
was being carried out of the town to be buried.
He was the only son of his widowed mother. Now
that he had died, she was utterly and completely alone.

(06:49):
Jesus watched as the people walked out of the city.
Then he saw the man's mother. Her eyes were red
from tears. Jesus could feel her pain deep in his stomach.
Watching her mourn over her son was heart wrenching. Jesus
was filled with compassion. He held the woman in his arms.
She wept bitter tears of sorrow. Jesus's disciples watched as

(07:12):
Jesus comforted this old woman like a father. Would his
daughter do not cry? Jesus hushed. Then he approached the
men holding up the dead son and stopped them from walking.
Jesus touched the dead man's chest gently, young man, Jesus whispered,
I say to you, arise, and just as in the

(07:34):
valley of dry Bones in Ezekiel, the word of the
Lord caused new life to spring forth in the young man.
His lungs filled with air, and he sat up from
his stretcher. A wonderful fear came over them all as
they watched the once dead man walked to his mother.
She crumbled in his arms, sobbing deep tears of joy.
Jesus smiled as he watched the two of them embrace.

(07:57):
Then he gestured for his disciples to follow him out
of name. Report of Jesus' acts spread like fire fueled
by a wind. People from near and far could not
help but travel to get.

Speaker 1 (08:08):
A glimpse of Jesus.

Speaker 2 (08:09):
The great hero of scripture was now known. History would
never be the.

Speaker 3 (08:14):
Same Today's scripture. The story of Jesus begins with a
powerful man sitting at the side of his servant's bed,
unable to do anything to bring that man relief or wellness.
No doctor had been able to cure the man of

(08:35):
his fever. The setting itself shows us that this Roman centurion,
a commander of dozens of soldiers, was compassionate and caring.
He was truly seeking the best for this man who
was under his care and command, which is the mark
of a true leader. Though many Roman soldiers were hard
and callous men, cruel men. Really, here we see a

(08:56):
compassionate Roman soldier. He had heard that that a man
by the name of Jesus was healing people among the Jews,
so he sent for Jesus to be called to his home,
hoping that the Lord could heal his beloved servant. Those
who went to Jesus vouch for the centurion, saying that
he had been kind to Israel, even helping them build

(09:17):
a synagogue. In their minds, this man deserved the grace
that he requested. So Jesus went to the man's home.
And this is where it really gets interesting. You see,
before the man even arrived, the centurion sent word to
Jesus saying, in Luke seven six and seven, Lord, don't
trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you

(09:39):
come under my roof. That is why I did not
even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say
the word, and my servant will be healed. Notice that
while others pleaded for this man based on his merit
his deeds, claiming he deserved to have Jesus heal his servant,
this man lived under no such illusion. He knew he

(10:00):
was not worthy he didn't even consider himself worthy to
be in the presence of Jesus. Once again, as we
see so many times in Scripture, it is an outsider,
a non Jewish person in this case, who seems to
really get it. This wasn't about merit or behavior trying

(10:20):
to earn God's favor. This is a man who knew
he needed to humble himself before Jesus, as we all
must do. But the man didn't stop there. He exhibited
amazing faith, saying that he knew that with just a word,
Jesus could heal his servant. I love that, Just say

(10:41):
the word, and my servant will be healed. This was
not an experiential faith. Jesus had not yet healed his servant.
He had not healed this man or anyone that he
knew before. He believed based on what he had heard
about Jesus. Faith comes by hearing, according to the scripture,
and here by the word of God, and by God's

(11:03):
word that was spreading. This centurion had faith. It was
a faith greater than any Jesus had seen in all
of Israel. Those words would surely have stung the Pharisees
and any who considered themselves to be faith filled people.
How could this foreign oppressor of Roman have greater faith
than they? But just as the man had said he could,

(11:27):
Jesus spoke the word he said he would, and when
they returned to the centurion, the servant was fully healed. Amazing. Truly,
there is power in the name of Jesus. There is
power in the word of Jesus. Speak the name of
Jesus and watch what he can do in your life.

(11:47):
Jesus then went to a town called Name. There we
see the compassionate heart of Jesus once again. As the
disciples and the Lord are entering the city, they see
a funeral procession. A widow has lost only son, a
grown man, who would have been this woman's only provider
and hope for stability and provision. This time nobody sought

(12:08):
Jesus out, but rather he sought the woman out. He
saw her, and we're told that his heart reached out
to her. What a beautiful picture of how God sees us,
you and me in our need. He knows our name,
he knows our need, he sees our desperate, hopeless state
that we are walking and living in darkness, in spiritual death,

(12:29):
and his heart goes out to us. So Jesus went
to the woman. He calmed her and comforted her, telling
her not to cry. He then commanded the man to
rise to life, that life would re enter his body,
and this man, who was dead, walked into his mother's arms.
All who saw this were mesmerized by the miracle, and

(12:52):
they glorified God, saying that the Lord had surely come
to his people through Jesus. They spoke of truth that day,
the depth of which they did not yet fully understand.
But God had indeed come to save his people, to
bring the dead back to life, and to restore his
children into his loving arms. Dear God, how thankful we

(13:13):
are once again to praise your name for the hope
and the healing that you give us. You give us
the promise of eternal life through Jesus our Lord. Thank
you that you can raise the dead, that you have
raised us to a new life in Christ, that we
will live with you now and forever. Thank you for
your love, your grace, your salvation, the healing and the

(13:36):
hope that is ours because of what you have done
in Jesus' name. Amen, Thank you for listening to today's
Bible in a year podcast I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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(13:57):
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bless you and we look forward to joining you again

(14:17):
the next time.