Gentile Faith

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. But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, "Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened." And the young servant was healed that same hour. Matthew 8:5-13.

Great faith…from a Gentile! Jesus came originally for the Jews. This is one of His first outreaches to the Gentile community. Of course the Gentiles had heard of Jesus miracles—who hadn’t! Can you imagine someone healing the blind, making the lame walk…and feeding 5,000 men and people not anxious to tell everyone they knew about these miracles?! This Roman officer knew about power, whether it was from another Roman officer, himself or Jesus—words have power. Go. Come. Heal. But this officer believed that Jesus didn’t have to even be in the same room as his servant to be healed. That showed his faith. He had more respect for Jesus than most Jews. He even said…I am not worthy to have you come into my home. I would feel the same way…I’m not worthy of the Lord. Who am I that He even hears my prayers…and answers them? Do you ever feel that way? Who am I that Jesus hears and answers my prayers? But we have a promise…The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayers of the righteous. Proverbs 15:29. Can we claim the promises He has made to Israel? O Israel, stay away from idols! I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from me. Hosea 14:8.

God does hear our prayers. He heard David’s…He will hear yours and mine. As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength. Psalm 138:3. Don’t hesitate to call on the Lord. He is our rock…and our salvation.

I look forward to the opportunity to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. What a glorious day that will be! I pray that more and more Israelites will open their eyes and hearts in faith like that Roman soldier—and believe in Jesus as their Messiah. I long for them to sit with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…and me…at the feast that God is preparing in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Prayer ~ Dear Heavenly Father, may the eyes and hearts of all the people…Jews and Gentiles…would have the deep faith that the Roman officer as he believed in Jesus’ power to heal his servant. May we also be like Ruth, who was willing to go where You wanted her and who saw in Boaz that kinsman redeemer—one like Jesus. You are our God.

Daily Bible Reading: Ruth

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

As usual every Friday is Feast Day—Feasting at the King’s Table. We can’t live on just spiritual food …nor can we live on bread alone. I recently asked my hubby what he thought might be served at a Feast with the King. Well…hummus of course, and maybe some olives and almonds. That’s what we were served when we had a nomadic encounter in Israel. So here’s a hummus to serve with fresh cucumber slices, carrots, parsley or kale, pita bread and some Mediterranean olives. Add a little salad of chopped cucumber in plain yogurt and a few raw almonds on the side and you’ll have a good balanced meal.

Hummus
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (start with 1 cup dried, soak and cook in 4 cups of water for three hours) OR 1 can garbanzo beans (15 oz.) drained, reserve liquid
1/4 cup tahini (sesame butter)
1 Tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon or about 2 Tbsp
6 cloves garlic, grated with microplane grater (or more if preferred, never too much garlic)
1 tsp sea salt

2 Tbsp horseradish (optional)
pepper to taste
paprika or fresh parsley to garnish
Chop garbanzos in food processor; blend in the rest of ingredients, including some of the reserved liquid until smooth and it reaches your desired consistency. This gets better with age, so prepare it a day before if you like. Pour into serving bowl & sprinkle with paprika or parsley. Serve with triangles of soft pita bread, crisp pita chips, sliced cucumber, carrots, celery, sliced fresh sweet pepper or sliced apples.

© 2017 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. Photo by Mickey.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

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