A centurion13...of Capernaum [Matt 8:5-13, Lk 7:1-10] / Paul's Bible Characters

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A centurion 13...

of Capernaum 

[Matt 8:5-13, Lk 7:1-10]

 

/ Paul's Bible Characters 

 

/ By Paul

 

In the world, people are

evaluated based on their

appearance and abilities.

 

 

However, 

from the perspective

of faith, only faith is

evaluated.

 

 

That's because the world is

the foundation of physical life,

and faith is the foundation

of spiritual life.

 

 

Jesus came to this earth

to give us a life in heaven.

 

 

However, in reality,

the Lord tells us that while

there are believers who

live worldly lives,

 

 

there are also worldly people

who live lives of true faith.

[Matt 8: 11-12].

 

 

Through the Gentile centurion,

God tells us that the hope for

heaven is not based on lineage

or status, but on faith.

 

 

1. Centurions of faith in the Bible

 

 

Centurion is the title of an

officer in the Roman legion

 

 

and is a company commander

-level position in which he directly

commands about 100 soldiers.

 

 

They were mainly responsible

for maintaining security

 

 

in the occupied territories,

suppressing rebellion,

and ruling the colonial

people.

 

 

Therefore, the relationship

with the Israelites was always hostile,

and most Roman soldiers were

cruel and violent people.

 

 

However, the Bible records

a special mention of five

centurions.

 

 

1) Cornelius, a centurion in Italy,

was a man who prayed and

gave to the needy a lot and

what he did went up to God.

[Acts 10:22]

 

 

2) When Apostle Paul was

in danger from a mob in Jerusalem

and the commander tried

to whip him,

 

 

the centurion in Jerusalem

prevented the crisis by informing

the commander that he was a

Roman citizen. [Acts 22:26)

 

 

3) Julius, the centurion

of the Augustus Apostles,

 

 

was the centurion who provided

all conveniences to the Apostle

Paul when he was sent to Rome.

[Acts 27:1]

 

 

4) The centurion who led t

he crucifixion of Jesus at the

command of Balado was

a man who, upon seeing

 

 

the Lord's death, confessed

that Jesus was "the Son of God." 

(Mark 15:39)

  

 

5) The centurion of Capernaum

is a man whom the Lord praised

for his great faith. [Matt 8:10]

 

 

2. What kind of person was

the centurion of Capernaum?

 

 

He was a soldier who

risked his life to fight wherever

he was during wartime,

 

 

following orders from

his superiors, and lived in a rough,

trampling, and violent atmosphere

like his fellow soldiers.

 

 

However,

the fact that he was stationed

in the Galilee region of Israel,

a very small conquered area,

 

 

must have meant that he was

placed in a dark reality, like a

retired soldier far from success.

 

 

His life was completely

indifferent to religion,

 

 

but when he found himself

in an environment

with no expectations,

 

 

he may have escaped from

his busy life and had time

to look around.

 

 

Faith is ignored when life

is running, but it seeps

in when life stops.

 

 

In this situation,

the centurion began to hear

about Jesus' actions. 

[Luke 7:3]

 

 

Healing a man with  leprosy,

(Matthew 8: 2-3) making

wine from water,

(John 2: 1-11)

 

 

and healing

the king’s servant.

(John 4:46)

 

 

Moreover, since the healing

of the paralytic (Luke 5:18)

 

 

and other events occurred

in the area where he lived,

he became interested

in Jewish religion,

 

 

and the words and miracles

of the Lord were enough to

make him believe in

the Lord as Christ. 

 

 

When people open

their eyes of faith, they can

see many things they

could not see before. 

 

 

They can

see pain and suffering,

vanity and truth, and

heaven and eternal life.

 

 

So he began to feel

compassion for the

conquered people,

 

 

and he broke away from

oppressing them and became

a person who helped them

with love and understanding.

 

 

And he converted to Judaism.

At that time, there were two types 

of converts: the rudimentary

 

 

"Proselyte of the Gate"

and the circumcised "Proselyte

of the Righteousness."

 

 

It is unknown which group

he belonged to, but judging

from the fact that he built

 

 

a synagogue, he appears

to have been a convert

to righteousness.

 

 

His life of faith changed him,

who was respected by the

people and elders around him.

 

 

He was changed into a

humble person who himself

went to the Lord with

a heart of love and 

 

 

- To Be Continue - 

 

 

2023/12/02

 

 

/ By Paul