I saw my phone light up with a message from the RIOT group text–our church’s youth program. In it, I saw the list of all the food items needed for the week’s homeless lunch the teens would fix and pass out after church Sunday.
Almost immediately, my phone started incessantly buzzing as teens signed up to provide the necessities for this meal: taco meat, shells, cheese, sour cream, chips, Little Debbies, soda, etc. Within the hour, every need was filled, just like it is every month.
The following Sunday, after church, as I was walking out of the building, there were the teens all assembled by the door with their various food items waiting to head to the city to set up outside the local Salvation Army and serve a hot lunch to the homeless of the area, a good lunch–the type of lunch they would want to eat. It was a buzz of excitement–everyone talking loudly, smiling, clearly happy, and enthusiastic to be serving their community in this way.
While this specific act of service is something the teens have only been doing for a year, the passion behind this ministry has existed far longer. Our youth leaders work in the schools as a PE Teacher and librarian. Working in the schools allowed them glimpses into the lives of students in our surrounding towns. A decade ago, they started a food pantry in one of those rural towns, and a year ago they launched their second pantry in another.
Their passion was ignited even before that, though. They became involved with a homeless mission in New York City. I had forgotten about this mission until Sunday when one of our other pastors spoke about it from the stage. It’s funny how God works like that.
There was a woman in New York City. All I know about her is that her name was Diane, and she was a former big wig in the Cosmetics industry. She was struck by the homeless population in New York City she encountered daily as she went to her cushy New York City office and thought something needed to be done to help them.
She realized she was that something.
She bought a warehouse, had a commercial kitchen installed, and started serving restaurant-quality meals to the homeless population of New York City. That was years ago. I’m not sure what happened to Diane and her mission in the city, but I know it’s because she practiced what she preached that two pantries are here to serve our communities, and our youth is making and serving meals to the homeless in yet another neighboring community.
Practice After the Preaching
We’ve been working through Luke to see what Jesus did when he was here on earth. In the last few weeks, we’ve talked about Luke’s record in chapter 6 of how Jesus went to the hillside to pray by himself for the night before he chose the 12 apostles. We’ve talked about how his audience during that choosing consisted of these 12 men as well as a crowd of other disciples and gentiles from Tyre and Sidon. Then, we talked about Jesus’s message to this diverse crowd:
Be spiritually humble.
Don’t chase worldly success.
Love your enemies.
Give graciously.
Pardon instead of judging and condemning.
Choose who you follow wisely.
Focus on your own issues/shortcomings before focusing on other people’s issues.
Good trees produce good fruit and bad trees produce bad fruit.
Follow my commands.
Build your foundation on my teachings.
There’s this really cool encounter that happens after Jesus teaches this crowd these things. You can find it in Luke 7:
After Jesus finished giving revelation to the people on the hillside, he went on to Capernaum. A Roman military captain there had a beloved servant whom he valued highly, and who was sick to the point of death. When the captain heard that Jesus was in the city, he sent some respected Jewish elders to plead with him to come and heal his dying servant. So they came to Jesus and told him, “The Roman captain is a wonderful man. If anyone deserves a visit from you, it is him. Won’t you please come to his home and heal his servant? For he loves the Jewish people, and he even built our meeting hall for us.”
Jesus started off with them, but on his way there, friends of the captain stopped him and delivered this message: “Master, don’t bother to come to me in person, for I am not good enough for you to enter my home. I’m not worthy enough to even come out to meet one like you. But if you would just speak the word of healing from right where you are, I know that my servant will be healed.
I am an ordinary man. Yet I understand the power of authority, and I see that authority operating through you. I have soldiers under me who obey everything I command. I also have authorities over me whom I likewise obey. So Master, just speak the word and healing will flow.”
Jesus marveled at this. He turned around and said to the crowd who had followed him, “Listen, everyone! Never have I found among the people of God a man like this who believes so strongly in me.” Jesus then spoke the healing word from a distance. When the man’s friends returned to the home, they found the servant completely healed and doing fine.
Luke 7:1-10 TPT
Remember, Jesus had just preached to these crowds about being humble, loving their enemies, giving generously, pardoning instead of condemning, and producing good fruit before he encountered these Jewish leaders–leaders who had been sent on behalf of a Roman soldier.
Here’s why this is important:
The Roman Centurion was likely a pagan and a Gentile.
He was a soldier stationed in Palestine to subject the Jews to the Emperor’s rule.
His job was to oppress the Jews.
He was a man of war.
He achieved the rank of Centurion by excelling in the brutality of Roman martial arts.
This was a moment where Jesus was faced with a decision to either put into practice what he had just preached or to turn his back on this man who, in title, was an enemy and oppressor of Jews.
To Practice Judgment or Love?
It would have been easy for Jesus, the apostles, and the crowds following them to make a snap judgment about this Centurion. After all, he was a Roman soldier whose job it was to oppress the Jews. However, what happens next is an interesting turn of events, as we learn more about this Centurion:
The Jewish leaders sent by the Centurion speak on his behalf.
The Jewish leaders tell Jesus how this man is a friend to the Jews and how he built them their synagogue.
The Centurion feels unworthy to have Jesus in his home.
For a Jew to enter a Gentile home would have made the Jew unclean. The Centurion respects Jesus and understands how great an ask it would have been for him to have Jesus come into his home. He knows he is not worthy of that ask.
The Centurion knew Jesus could heal with his words alone.
The Centurion’s friends ask Jesus to simply say the word, knowing those were enough to heal the Centurion’s servant.
The Centurion recognized and understood authority.
As a soldier who both commanded others and was under the command of those in authority, the Centurion understood the concept of authority. He knew Jesus was a Rabbi of authority, and he understood Jesus was operating under the authority of a greater power.
The Centurion believed Jesus’s words would heal.
The Centurion referred to Jesus as Master here–acknowledging Christ’s authority, and reiterating how he knew that Jesus could speak the words and the healing would flow into the Centurion’s servant.
It would have been easy to write this man off and judge him as just another Roman Soldier seeking to oppress the Jews and to label him as nothing more than an enemy of the Jewish people. In title, that’s precisely what this Centurion should have been.
Even if that was the case here, I don’t know that this scene would have played out any differently because Jesus’s message was to love our enemies, give graciously, and be spiritually humble. In just a few brief moments, though, it becomes evident that this Centurion–this enemy of the Jews–had faith that this Jewish leader could heal with nothing more than a few words.
Instead of flash judgment, Jesus practiced patient love with this Centurion.
The Result of Practicing Love
Jesus marveled at this Centurion.
He’s so amazed at the belief of this Roman Centurion that he turns around to the crowd following him–the crowd of his chosen apostles and disciples–and tells them he’s never found among the people of God a man like the Centurion who believes so strongly.
Ouch.
That’s the lesson I’ve been taught in church and Sunday School related to this story–how I should have the faith and belief of the Centurion. This lesson of faith and belief is a great lesson. But, it isn’t the only lesson here in this story. The other lesson is the one we learn from Jesus.
The lesson we learn from Jesus is one about practicing what we preach. It’s the lesson reminding us to:
Love our enemies
Give generously
Be spiritually humble
Forgive
Produce good fruit
It’s not enough for us to talk about these things on Sunday mornings, in our small groups, and with our youth groups. Jesus wants us to put those words into action.
Friend, this is a hard lesson, but it’s such a good lesson.
Remember that grumpy old man I talked about a few weeks ago? The one who was grumbling in a very loud whisper during the service last month. He was at it again on Sunday as Diane’s story was told from the stage. When the part about Diane serving restaurant-quality food to the homeless was mentioned, the grumpy guy exclaimed a little too loudly, “That’s stupid.”
I had to physically restrain my husband from having words with this man because I didn’t want to bail him out–it being Mother’s Day and all. I just kept thinking about the contrast between this man and Diane, this man and the teens serving homemade food to the homeless, and this man and the couple who runs the food pantries for two different communities.
We each have a choice every day–we can be like Jesus, Diane, and the teens, or we can be like the grumpy old man who proclaims “That’s stupid.” We might not verbalize it like he did, but what do our actions say? Do our actions say we love our enemies, give graciously, are spiritually humble, and produce good fruit? Or, do our actions scream, “That’s stupid?”
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be anything like that grumpy old man. I want my actions to scream even louder than my words that I love my enemies and am willing to give generously.
That’s my challenge to you this week, friends. Practice what you preach, and make your actions scream louder than all your words.
Reflections:
What’s the biggest challenge for you when it comes to practicing what you preach?
Of all the things Jesus taught his disciples in these chapters, which one is hardest for you?
What is one way you can make sure your actions don’t scream “That’s stupid” this week?