Pastor Steve’s sermon on Luke 7:1–10, “Healing the Centurion’s Servant,” emphasized that Christian compassion lies at the heart of the gospel and that Jesus models a compassion that crosses boundaries of status, culture, and power. He highlighted the striking power dynamics in the story: the centurion, though a powerful Roman officer, is still an outsider and lacks the religious standing to approach Jesus directly. Instead of using his authority to demand help, the centurion approaches with profound humility, believing that Jesus’ power is so great he need only “speak the word” for healing to occur. Jesus responds with compassion and commends the centurion’s remarkable faith—faith found not among insiders, but in a Gentile outsider—foreshadowing the later inclusion of Gentiles in the church. Pastor Steve contrasted this humility with research showing how power often corrupts and distances people from others, yet Jesus shows that true power is exercised through compassion. Drawing from Pope Francis, he reminded listeners that the more power one has, the greater the responsibility to act humbly or else risk harming oneself and others. In closing, he urged everyone to examine the forms of power they hold—whether influence, resources, time, or status—and to use that power as Jesus does: not for dominance, but for acts of compassion that reflect the very heart of the gospel.
