Luke 7:6 “Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.”
This particular event in the earthly ministry of Christ has always impressed me strongly. This man truly understood the nature of Christ. He had a better feel for the real significance of the Messiah than did many persons in the Jewish nation. He understood the need to approach Christ with worship. That is the only right way to approach Him. Though it may seem strange to our sentiments today, what this man did was the most worshipful thing he could think of. To say that he was unworthy to have Jesus enter his home was closely akin to John the Baptist’s words when he said that he was unworthy to even tie Jesus’ shoes.
This man saw and understood that Jesus was to be treated with greater honor than anyone else. As the magi when Jesus was young, he saw that there was little he could offer Christ, but gave his best anyway. This action put the centurion in a position of submission to the higher authority of the Christ. And by this simple act he showed he understood the power of the Chosen One of God.
Heavenly Father, sometimes we get so crazy with our worship. We think it has to be presented in certain ways. But yet this man was able in a matter of minutes to honor you in a way that few did during Jesus’ earthly ministry by giving great honor to Him. This is no credit to the man, but serves as a credit to Your merit, to the power of Your Christ. I can only say, Jesus Christ is Lord! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.