Are there people you would rather not see in your church, outsiders, not our sort, from another tribe? This sermon returns to the most offensive of Jesus’ miracles: the healing of a Roman centurion’s servant, an enemy and an occupier, to whose house Jesus agreed to go without hesitation (Matthew 8). It turns out that the faith Jesus had not found anywhere in Israel he found in someone who had never read the Torah or the prophets. Listen and see whom Jesus invites to his table, and whether you want to sit there yourself.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Why might Jesus healing a Roman centurion's servant have been offensive to the Jews of His day, even looking like betrayal?
- The centurion says, "I do not deserve to have you come under my roof, but just say the word." What about his understanding of authority led Jesus to call his faith greater than any in Israel?
- Jesus says many will come from east and west to sit at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, while the "subjects of the kingdom" are thrown outside. What does this reveal about the only criterion for belonging to God's kingdom?
- The speaker described church members who "love everyone" yet did not want young people with tattoos, divorced people or the homeless in their church. Which groups of people do you find hardest to welcome, and why?
- Where do Christians today look for their identity instead of in being followers of Jesus and citizens of His kingdom, and how does that show up in your own life?
- Who do you usually see as an "outsider" or "not one of us" whom you could see this week as a potential citizen of God's kingdom, and how could you invite them to Jesus' table?
