When Love Crosses Enemy Lines (Lk. 7:1-10)
Good morning, BCC!
In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first ever Black U.S. Congresswoman after winning the race for her district in NY. In 1972 she decided to step things up by running for the presidency making her the first Black person in history from either of the two major parties to make a run at the office of president. All of her opponents were white men, but George Wallace is by far the most memorable of them all. George Wallace was the Governor of Alabama at the time and he won the office on the platform of “segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever.”
Needless to say, not only had Mr. Wallace won the governorship, but he had also gained himself some enemies.
During his run for president, Governor Wallace was shot five times in a failed assassination attempt that left him severely paralyzed. He spent several days in the hospital and during his stay Shirley Chisholm, his opponent, his Black opponent, went to visit him. For some strange reason this upset a lot of people. Why would she do such a thing? But Shirley Chisholm was a follower of Christ.
In an interview about her visit to see George Wallace, Congresswoman Chisholm recounted the event stating that she told Mr. Wallace,
“I wouldn’t want what happened to you to happen to anyone,” and that the governor “cried and cried” in response.
Two years later, Wallace threw his support behind Chisholm’s bill to give domestic workers the right to a minimum wage, marshaling enough support from Southern Democrats to get the bill passed.
According to Ellen Fitzpatrick of the Atlantic magazine, the point that Shirley Chisholm was trying to make by visiting Wallace was this, “… it is important in a democracy to respect contrary opinions without ‘impugning the motives’ and ‘maligning the character’ of one’s opponents. To view it any other way, Chisholm argued, was to encourage ‘the same sickness in public life that leads to assassinations’”.[1][2][3]
As we have already discovered in the Gospel of Luke, particularly in Chapter six, Jesus calls those of us who would dare follow in His footsteps to live in such a manner that our lives stand out as an affront to what is considered normal, expected, and championed as appropriate responses to adversarial conditions. Jesus doesn't merely suggest minor adjustments to conventional behavior; He demands a complete paradigm shift in how His followers engage with the world, especially with those who oppose or harm them. To repay evil for evil, as a follower of Christ, would encourage the same sickness in our world that fosters hypocrisy in the heart of Christians.
What you and I will discover today is this: the lessons that Jesus taught, the sermons He preached were not intended to stay in the classroom. They were not just to be studied behind stained glass. They were meant to be lived out in front of other people so that they may see our good deeds and give God the glory He rightfully deserves.
The Centurion and the Christ (Lk. 7:1-10)
Luke 7:1–10 NKJV
1 Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.
2 And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.
3 So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.
4 And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving,
5 “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”
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.
7 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.
8 For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”
10 And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.
This story is shared only by Matthew and Luke, but is very similar to the story of the healing of Naaman the leper from 2 Kings 5:1-14. Matthew’s account seems to be somewhat of an abbreviated version of what Luke shares. Something that is common in Luke’s writing is his use of unlikely characters to drive home the main point of Jesus’ teachings. In this chapter, Jesus enters Capernaum after having spent hours on the plain teaching His disciples about how to live out the ethic of enemy-love. However, what Jesus has taught about loving our enemies is not confined to the classroom, but rather it is to be modeled in everyday life.
Pastor and theologian, Dr. Howard Thurman, said,
…the first step toward LOVE is a common sharing of a sense of mutual worth and value. This cannot happen in a vacuum or in a series of artificial or hypothetical relationships. It has to be in a real situation.[4]
Luke presents the “real situation” at the opening of chapter seven.
Jesus’ first encounter, after coming down from the plain, is with a Roman centurion. At that time, there was no greater enemy to the Jews than Rome. A request was made that Jesus should come to the home of this Gentile, risking defilement and ritual uncleanliness, in order to heal the centurion’s slave. How would Jesus respond?
Joel B. Green, Senior Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Fuller Theological Seminary, writes,
“The principal issue of this account was raised within Jesus’ sermon: If love is to be extended even to enemies, are there any functional perimeters for the reach of Jesus’ gracious ministry? How far will Jesus go in “doing good”?[5]
And this is precisely the point. There should be no perimeters for the extension of God’s grace. When Jesus said
Luke 6:27–31 NKJV
27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.
29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.
30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.
31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
When He spoke those words, He meant what He said. Now, it’s one thing to teach it, and it’s a totally different thing to live it out yourself, but Jesus is the epitome of, “I can show you better than I can tell you.”
Request (Lk. 7:1-5)
The account of Naaman's healing from leprosy, found in 2 Kings 5:1-14, is notable because Naaman never actually meets the prophet Elisha. Instead, he learns of Elisha's power to cleanse him through the testimony of a young Jewish servant girl. That was enough for Naaman to spring into action.
We have a similar thing happening here in Luke seven.
Luke 7:1–5 NKJV
1 Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.
2 And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.
3 So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.
4 And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving,
5 “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”
The Roman centurion has a sick slave teetering between life and death. According to Matthew, the servant is suffering from a severe case of paralysis (Mt. 8:6). The centurion is a compassionate fellow. He genuinely cares for his subjects. The slave was “dear” to him and the nation of Israel was “loved” by him. The way in which this man is described would’ve challenged the conventional understanding of Roman and Jewish relationships.
The Roman centurion has not met Jesus, but he has heard the rumors, and that is enough to draw him to the Master.
Romans 10:17 NKJV
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
And here is the living, breathing, walking, talking Word of God in the flesh.
The centurion is moved with compassion for his slave, so he sends a group of Jewish elders to find Jesus and ask that He come and heal his servant. I would imagine that these elders rushed off in a flash. We aren’t told how long it was before they found Jesus, but when they do find him, they are frantic. The phrase “begged Him earnestly” or “pleaded earnestly” is somewhat redundant and helps to emphasize the desperation with which they desired for Jesus to come. But why do they think Jesus should honor the request of this centurion? “He was deserving or worthy” (Lk. 7:4). And upon what grounds do they consider him to be worthy?
In a manner of speaking, the reason the Jewish elders believe that Jesus should honor the centurion’s request is because he’s been kind to them.
Luke 7:5 NKJV
5 “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”
This begs the question, would they have cared, even the slightest, if the centurion was a harsh man? We don’t know, but probably not. We tend to treat people the same way they treat us, whether good or bad. We often determine whether or not a person is deserving of mercy based upon how they have treated us or people like us. But as followers of Christ, like Shirley Chisholm, we are called to a much higher ethic, and the model for us is Jesus.
Keep in mind that just a few verses earlier, Jesus told His disciples,
Luke 6:32–34 NKJV
32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.
If this isn’t human nature, I don’t know what is.
Dr. Diane G. Chen, theologian and New Testament scholar, writes
In a world where balanced reciprocity is the cultural norm, repaying love with love or generosity with generosity is expected. But Jesus calls His followers to a much higher standard of unbalanced reciprocity.[6]
Luke 6:35–36 NKJV
35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
And, with that, Jesus is willing to risk defiling Himself by entering the home of a Gentile for the sake of showing mercy to His enemy and healing his servant.
Are you willing to cross the lines that society has drawn around you, or the lines you’ve drawn around yourself, in order to extend the love of God to your enemy? Lines of race, class, politics, nationality, and ideology that dictate who is "in" and who is "out," who is worthy of compassion? These lines offer a false sense of security and identity, defining our community by the exclusion of others.
Instead, we are to
Luke 6:36 NKJV
36 be merciful, just as [our] Father also is merciful.
Authority (Lk. 7:6-8)
Jesus wastes no time stepping right over the racial and social boundary between Jews and Romans.
Luke 7:6–8 NKJV
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.
7 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.
8 For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
The centurion was a good tree, planted in good soil, who was producing good fruit. Because of that, the elders of the Jews said that Jesus should come to him claiming the man is worthy of this kind of treatment. Basically, they are implying that Jesus owed the centurion this kindness based on his kindness to the Jewish people. It’s interesting that the Jewish elders viewed him in this way, considering that he doesn’t even see himself as worthy of Jesus.
What hinders you from coming to the Master? What sin, what dark view of yourself prevents you from coming to Jesus? Often people feel as though they have sinned too much to come to Jesus. But you are precisely who He shows up for, my friend. He has come for the sick, not for those who are well. He has come for those who are sinful, not for the righteous. Some people think that they are beyond the reach of God’s love because they have lived too long for this world, but God’s love for you was demonstrated in Jesus when you were at your worst. The Father’s love for you was the motivating factor of His coming to you.
The centurion was flabbergasted by Jesus’ willingness to meet his request and this prompts him to send a second delegation, not of elders, but of friends. The request, this time, is that Jesus not come into his home. Why not? Well, contrary to what the Jewish elders have shared, he’s not worthy? And this is by his own admission.
New Testament scholar, H. Daniel Zacharias notes,
"The centurion not only represents the imperial and colonial power but as a high ranking officer controls the might and power of Rome. Yet, his encounter with Jesus acknowledges the powerlessness of the state over human sickness. The centurion's address of Jesus as Lord is surprising, expressing his subordination to Jesus and his own powerlessness, and by extension a power Rome also lacks- Caesar is not a lord who can enact shalom and restore balance to a broken life."[7]
And neither can our government. Neither can any of our institutions bring about the peace and stability that our broken lives are desperate for, only Jesus can do that. The Roman centurion shows deference to a Jewish Rabbi, recognizing real authority when he sees it.
In his letter to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul raises our understanding of Jesus’ power and authority by telling us that
Colossians 1:15–18 NKJV
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
All authority, in heaven and on Earth, belongs to Jesus (Mt. 28:18) and the sooner that we accept this the better it will be for us.
What authority are you submitting to today?
Is it your own authority, ascribed to you by the approval of the people around you and the worldly things you have accomplished in this life? I know that several of you are highly influential people, serious movers and shakers in the private sector, and when you speak people listen and spring into action. Are you carrying around your own banner?[8] Reading your own press clippings? Or is your life governed by the authority of Jesus?
Do you feel like He owes you something, because you’ve been a good person?
Here is the great tragedy of this story about the centurion. Nowhere in this story are we told that the centurion’s faith is a “saving faith.” There is no mention of him repenting of his sin or leaving everything behind to follow Jesus as Peter had (Lk. 5:8). I bet you’re thinking, “But neither are we told that it’s not a saving faith.” And therein lies the tragedy. We often make the assumption that morality, good character, is equal to life in the kingdom. It’s not.
Because we tend to make these assumptions about “good” people, we often neglect to share the Good News of God’s saving grace with them. We do this with our family, our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers, you name it. But good behavior doesn’t equal life.
In the book, Transformational Discipleship, a story is told about the issues that arise when churches teach for behavior modification instead of heart transformation.
One summer evening, after staring at dead patches in my yard, I searched online for a solution and discovered many products that would "paint my lawn green." The lawn paint does not cause new growth, restore life to the roots, or foster a healthy yard. It merely masks the sickness. It is a facade to give the impression of life when there is nothing but death. While some may be tempted to order the paint, it is a temporary solution to a deeper problem.
My lawn did not need paint. My lawn needed life. My lawn needed nurture in the forms of water and fertilizer. It would be ludicrous to remedy the external look of my lawn and declare it healthy.
In the same way it is ludicrous for a church to teach for behavior rather than teach for the heart. We must be careful that our desire for spiritual fruit does not lead us to seek to teach for fruitfulness apart from transformation.[9]
And in the same way, we must not deceive ourselves into believing that good character, a moral life, is the same as finding life in Jesus.
Marveled (Lk. 7:9-10)
The last thing I’ll say is this, the story of the centurion records that Jesus marvels at faith.
Luke 7:9–10 NKJV
9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”
10 And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.
This is the first time in Luke’s Gospel where we are told that Jesus marveled. Everyone else has been marveling at Jesus because of his teaching and healing, but here Jesus is the one who is stunned, and the thing that He marvels at is faith.
Hebrews 11:6 NKJV
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
The centurion's story clearly illustrates this power. He was absolutely convinced of Jesus' authority, power, and ability to heal his servant, believing that Jesus only needed to "say the word." Remarkably, Jesus never physically met either the centurion or the servant; He simply spoke. This reminds us of the beginning of creation, where the word of God went forth and all of heaven and earth responded in obedience. Similarly, when Jesus spoke over the servant's paralysis, biology and physiology immediately stood at attention, responding with obedience. Death released its grip, and life and health were instantly restored.
What are you up against today, that the Word of God doesn’t have command over?
What trial are you facing that God’s power can’t overcome?
Will you trust Him?
God is not pleased with how important you are in the company.
He’s not pleased by how much money you earn or how nice of a house you have.
Your philanthropic efforts don’t impress the Father.
He isn’t moved by how much you give to charity.
What pleases God is faith. The thing that impresses Him about you is your willingness to trust Him no matter what.
The only other time that Jesus marvels is in Mark chapter six.
Mark 6:6 NKJV
6 And He marveled because of their unbelief.
Respond
Again, for the Church, the command to love our enemy is not to be relegated to mere Bible study. It is to be actively experienced, powerfully demonstrated and fully fleshed out in real-life. To not do so would encourage the same sickness in our world that fosters hypocrisy in the heart of Christians.
For those of you who don’t know this Jesus who gave up His life for His enemies, you have an opportunity today my friends, to place your hope in Him. To trust fully in Him for the salvation of your life. You might be a good person in the eyes of the world, but all of your good deeds are as filthy rags in the sight of the God in whom there is no darkness at all.
Will you trust Him?
Will you allow the Word of God to take root in your heart today so that you can truly live?
Just tell Him,
“God, I know that I’m a sinner. I recognize that you have given your Son to give me life. Jesus, set me free.”
Tre Clark
Britton Christian Church
4/12/2026
Works Cited
[1] Shirley Chisholm Visited Her Opponent, George Wallace, at the Hospital - The Atlantic; https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/10/the-radical-and-the-racist/497510/)
[2] Why Shirley Chisholm Ran for President | HISTORY; https://www.history.com/news/shirley-chisholm-presidential-campaign-george-wallace
[3] Shirley Chisholm visits her opponent George Wallace in the hospital | June 8, 1972 | HISTORY; https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/June-8/shirley-chisholm-visits-opponent-george-wallace-in-hospital
[4] Howard Thurman, Jesus and the Disinherited, p98.
[5] Joel B. Green, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Luke, 283
[6] Diane Chen, The New Testament in Color, 141
[7] H. Daniel Zacharias, The New Testament in Color, 58
[8] Darrell L. Bock, Luke, 133
[9] Eric G, et al, Transformational Discipleship: How People Really Grow, 44-5
