Today’s reading shows why The Loving Programmer used Rome to build the Empire He needed to have Christianity spread. The reading shows how the Roman’s respect for authority transcended the political world and was applied to the Spiritual Hierarchy.
From Luke, 7: 1-10:
“When Jesus had finished all his words to the people,
he entered Capernaum.
A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die,
and he was valuable to him.
When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him,
asking him to come and save the life of his slave.
They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying,
“He deserves to have you do this for him,
for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us.”
And Jesus went with them,
but when he was only a short distance from the house,
the centurion sent friends to tell him,
“Lord, do not trouble yourself,
for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.
Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you;
but say the word and let my servant be healed.
For I too am a person subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes;
and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes;
and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him
and, turning, said to the crowd following him,
“I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
When the messengers returned to the house,
they found the slave in good health.”
he entered Capernaum.
A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die,
and he was valuable to him.
When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him,
asking him to come and save the life of his slave.
They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying,
“He deserves to have you do this for him,
for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us.”
And Jesus went with them,
but when he was only a short distance from the house,
the centurion sent friends to tell him,
“Lord, do not trouble yourself,
for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.
Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you;
but say the word and let my servant be healed.
For I too am a person subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes;
and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes;
and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him
and, turning, said to the crowd following him,
“I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
When the messengers returned to the house,
they found the slave in good health.”
The centurion had learned enough about Jesus to understand something the Jews could not: just as the centurion could send a soldier to accomplish a mission, Jesus could send a healing angel. He understood more about Jesus and how The Kingdom of God worked than the Jews did. That understanding of authority and organization was the real reason Rome ruled.
The Jews did not have that appreciation of His Power nor of how it could be transmitted. The Romans had enough respect for both truth and authority to understand that Jesus was Who He said He was and that, therefore, there were legions of angels at His command.
The real reason Rome ruled? They understood organization and authority. That was why they were able to take over all the lands from England to Armenia. Within the Roman Empire’s respect for authority, the real reason Rome ruled, The Church grew and flourished.
God wanted a garden in which to plant His Church. That underlying fact is the reason behind the Romans’ respect for organization and authority. That is the real reason Rome ruled.
