It's not easy being a parent. Someone has said, "You don't really know a person until you have observed his behavior with a child, a flat tire, when the boss is away, and when he thinks no one will ever know."
A home without problems of one kind or another is a fantasy. Someone has said that undoubtedly, the first man who ever tore a telephone book in two had a teenage daughter. (1) It's not easy. That's why we set aside one day a year to honor those men who live out in their families the love which they have received from Christ. We honor those men who make promises and keep them. Men who put their families first and who seek to set an example for those who believe in them and trust them.
OUR LESSON FOR TODAY IS ABOUT SUCH A MAN. He was a Roman centurion. We don't know whether he was a father or not. We don't even know his name. But there are some things we do know.
FOR ONE THING, WE KNOW HE HAD A TENDER HEART. The centurion had a servant who was quite dear to him. We can speculate that the servant was an older man who had been with the family for many years. Perhaps he had helped raise the centurion. But now this servant was critically ill and the centurion was quite upset. He was concerned about his servant and he wanted something done.
It reminds me of something I read once about Will Rogers. One day Rogers was entertaining at the Milton H. Berry Institute in Los Angeles, a hospital that specialized in rehabilitating polio victims and people with broken backs and other extreme physical disabilities. Of course, Rogers had everybody laughing, even patients in really bad condition; but then he suddenly left the platform and went to the rest room. Milton Berry followed him to give him a towel; and when he opened the door, he saw Will Rogers leaning against the wall, sobbing like a child. Berry closed the door, and in a few minutes, Rogers appeared back on the platform, as jovial as before. (2)
Will Rogers hurt on behalf of those people for whom he was performing. Real men have always had tender hearts. They hurt when those around them hurt. And if they can help, they do. This centurion was determined to help his servant. That was the kind of man he was. But what could he do? He was no doctor ” and even if he were, what could be done with the primitive medicine of that day? Then he heard about Jesus and we learn a second thing about this centurion: HE WAS A MAN WHO RESPECTED OTHER PEOPLE'S BELIEFS.
The centurion heard that Jesus was a man who had the power of healing. "Ah," he thought, "maybe he can do something for my servant." And he made plans for soliciting Jesus' help. Instead of personally approaching the Master, though, he sent a contingent of Jewish elders to plead his case for him. Here is what the elders said to Jesus about the centurion: "He is worthy to have you do this for him," the elders said, "for he loves our nation and he built us our synagogue." Notice that not all the Romans were oppressors. Here was a man of power and authority, but he was a man who had respect for those who believed differently than he. He even helped them build their synagogue. Who says a good man is hard to find?
This is supposed to be the era of the angry white male. Certainly it is an era when intolerance is fashionable. Don't you get tired of political pundits shouting at one another on television, in the newspapers, and on radio? But we need to know that not all males are Archie Bunker types. Not all males are inflexible and opinionated. Not all males want to keep women in their place. As far as I can tell there is only one male stereotype that is accurate. That is the aversion to ask for directions. Someone has said that the Israelites wouldn't have wandered the desert for 40 years if Mrs. Moses had been in charge. (3)
I am thankful that there is a new generation of men who are not angry. There are many men today who are supportive of their wives, men who respect the opinions of others, men who listen and care. I believe such men make better fathers, as well as better husbands and better neighbors. This centurion was that kind of man. He was a man who respected others. But here's a third thing we learn about him: HE WAS A MAN OF GENUINE HUMILITY.
Jesus was persuaded by the testimony of the elders and went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him saying, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof . . . ." Can you believe this? Here is a man of wealth, power, and authority and he is saying to an itinerant Jewish teacher, "I am not worthy to have you come under my roof . . . ."
Is there any quality more appealing in a man or woman than genuine humility? I'm not talking about that odious form of low self-esteem that causes persons to become doormats ” allowing others to walk all over them. Certainly the centurion was no doormat. But he recognized Jesus' power and he was humble enough to ask Jesus' help.
During the 1770s Dr. William Withering was one of the best doctors in England. As a scientist, he didn't believe in ghosts. Yet one day while he strolled through the village fair, he thought he saw a ghost . . . and then another one . . . and still another. He stared in amazement. All of these people had been very ill with a disease called dropsy which caused liquid to form around a person's heart, leading to a heart attack. He had worried about them. But as good a doctor as he was, he had no way to treat them, and when they left his office, he was sure he'd never see any of them alive again. But there they were, and they all looked very healthy. They told him about a wonderful "witch woman" who lived in a nearby wood. This "good witch," they said, had prepared a special brew which, they insisted, had cured them.
Dr. Withering was a very good scientist who knew the importance of investigating anything that sounded like a cure. He also knew that many remedies and medicines used by midwives and women healers (who were often called witches) could help cure illness and heal injuries. So, he decided to visit the "witch" and see what brews she was concocting. Sure enough, when he got to her cottage, she was busy making up her dropsy remedy out of some twenty plants, roots, berries, and herbs. Dr. Withering asked for samples of many of her plants to study and after several tests, he decided that the most powerful plant in her brew had to be the herb foxglove. He thought, "What if there was something in the foxglove that cured the dropsy? And if so, what is it?"
Thanks to the "good witch," who was a healer, Dr. Withering was able to use his knowledge of botany to isolate the ingredient in the foxglove plant called digitalis, which may well be one of the most important natural products ever discovered for medicinal use. Today, digitalis in different forms is still a lifesaver used by doctors all over the world to help people with heart problems. (4)
Many doctors would have looked with scorn on this crude form of "alternative medicine" performed by these witch doctors, but Dr. Withering was a humble man in the best sense of the word. He had an open mind. He was willing to accept their help. If the centurion had been a proud man, he might have never sent for Jesus. But he was a caring man, he was a man who respected the beliefs of others, he was a humble man. But there is one final thing that must be said about this centurion: HE WAS A MAN OF FAITH.
You know how the story ends. The centurion sends a message to Jesus: "Lord," he says, "Do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed . . . ." Did you get that? "Just say the word, Lord, and my servant will be healed." When Jesus heard this, Luke tells us, he marveled at him, and said to the multitude that followed him, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." And when those who had been sent returned to the centurion's house, they found the slave well.
The centurion was a man who believed that Jesus could do what he said he would do. There are many of us who need that same faith.
Do you know what would help many home situations on this Father's Day? It would be for parents to trust Christ more. Some homes are so tense. Tension in the home causes minor disagreements to escalate into heated arguments. Soon communication breaks down resulting in sullenness and silence. Many parents need to take their problems to Christ in prayer. Then they need to relax in the knowledge that Christ is able to work miracles in human lives. It may take time, but if we make Christ a partner in the raising of our children, we will not live in a continuing panic that causes us to overreact.
This Roman centurion was a caring man, a tolerant and humble man, a man of deep and genuine faith. How the world needs such men! How wives need such husbands! How children need such fathers!
Let me read you parts of a letter written by another famous soldier. Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf, wrote these to his family on the eve of the Gulf War:
"My dearest Wife and Children," the letter begins. "The war clouds have gathered on the horizon and I have already issued the terrible orders that will let the monster loose. I wish with every fiber of my body that I would never have had to issue those commands. But it is now too late, and for whatever purpose God has, we will soon be at war.
"As a soldier who has had to go to war three times before, I want you to know that I am not afraid. I know that I might face death but you should know that I am far safer than most of the fine young men and women under my command. Some will die; many could die. I pray to God that this will not happen but if it does and if I am one of those chosen by God to sacrifice my life, I wanted you to know that my last thoughts before this terrible beginning are of you, my beloved family.
"Brenda, I have never been very eloquent with words and far too guarded in expressing my love for you. I truly regret this but it is the way I am. That is why I wanted more than anything else to write to you tonight and tell you how much you mean to me. I cannot tell you how many times I have thanked God that I married you, nor can I adequately tell you how many times you have made me so proud that you are my wife. Especially during these past difficult five months it has given me great strength to know that you were there, always there, taking care of our family and so many others. Thank you for that and so many other things: the loving, the understanding, the forgiving, the helping, the caring, the supporting ” just being my Brenda Pauline.
"Cindy, Jessica, Christian, I hope you know how much I love you. The three of you have become the most important reason to me for my being on this earth. I could lose everything I possess and if I still had you, life would be worth living; I could be rich and famous and have everything I desire but without you my life would be meaningless, my heart would be empty, and I would not want to live. The three of you are my immortality! You are the best thing I will leave behind when I leave this world. And you have each returned that love to me. I am a father who knows his children love him and that makes me a very lucky man! As I told you at Christmas, I am so proud of each of you for what each of you are. Be proud of yourselves for you are fine human beings. Thank you for being my children; thank you for letting me be your father; thank you for loving me!
"Take care of each other, love each other, and if it be God's will, we shall be together soon. If that should not happen, then know that wherever I am I will be with each of you every day, always! Your loving husband and father. H. Norman. Dad." (5)
Who says a good man is hard to find?
1. John Welsh, quoted by Tom Hritz in PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 4/15/91).
2. Rupert Hughes, "When Will Rogers Wept," in FOLKS SAY OF WILL ROGERS, comp. William H. Payne and Jake Lyons, (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1936).
3. Lisa Rock in St. Paul PIONEER PRESS, 8-18-91.
4. Dian Dincin Buchman & Seli Groves, WHAT IF, (New York: Scholastic Inc., 1988).
5. Gen. Norman H. Schwarzkopf, "The Autobiography: It Doesn't Take a Hero," pp. 412-413. Contributed by Dr. John Bardsley.