1/10/14

1/10/14

When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, "Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain." Jesus said, "I will come and heal him." But the officer said, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, 'Go,' and they go, or 'Come,' and they come. And if I say to my slaves, 'Do this,' they do it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, "I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all Israel! And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 8:5-11 NLT)

Hope. There is hope in these verses for people who did not have hope. Hope for Gentiles. The outcast, the outsiders. The one thing that amazes me throughout the Bible is God's unfailing love for his creation. We see it through His love for Rahab, His love for Ruth, and in even greater numbers, the people of Nineveh in the book of Jonah. God is always calling His children to come back to Him. We see the Bible as Old Testament, the Jews are loved by God, and New Testament through Jesus, God moves to all the world. But what about Rahab? What about the people of Nineveh? What about God waiting until no one called on his name to destroy Sodom? If the people of Sodom would have answered His call, they would not have received His judgment. The people of Nineveh heeded the warning, and He held back His hand of fury for a time. This Roman soldier had the hope of the world, standing right in front of him, and he realized who He was. Jesus showed love for His creation, and loved on him. It didn't matter his race. Throughout the ministry of Jesus, we see Him revealing himself to people that He loves, lepers, outcasts, Samaritans, and Gentiles. He came to bring hope for the hopeless, and show love to all mankind. I can't wait to see all barriers broken at the wedding feast of the Lamb!

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