The Power of Words
Luke 7:1-17

Words are powerful. As the old adage puts it, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” We know this to be true from personal experience. We are thinking, talking creatures with the power to express our thoughts in spoken and written words. We also have minds with the ability to reason and souls that experience emotions and feelings. Can you remember a time when spoken or written words hurt you deeply? Perhaps it was a passing caustic comment, or a reminder of your failings, or a barbed insult. It lodged in your heart and mind like a wound. Conversely, think of a time when spoken or written words profoundly helped you. Perhaps a family member, a friend, or a member of the church family called you or sent you a card in a time of great need, and the spoken or written words were like a balm to your hurting heart.

Words are not only powerful on a personal level. Think of the hurtful rhetoric we have been subjected to in our body politic. Our political leaders and our media have turned us against each other with a non-stop barrage of polarizing speech.

If we turn our eye to the stage of world history, we can also see the power of words. Think of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf or Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto. These written words unleashed political ideologies that resulted, literally, in the death of tens of millions of people. But also consider our nation's Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. These words created our nation, which has been the most free and prosperous country in all of human history.

Human words are powerful, but they pale in comparison to God’s words. With a word, God brought creation and order into existence out of the primordial chaos. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep […]. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:1-3).

And just as God’s Spirit hovered over the face of the chaotic waters in the beginning, so too the Spirit came over the hearts and minds of human beings, inspiring them to write the words of holy scripture.

Which has been more powerful, Mein Kampf, the Communist Manifesto, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America or the Word of God Written, the Holy Bible? Hitler's and Marx’s manifestos were evil words of death, tyranny, and oppression. Our founding documents were words of life, freedom, and liberty. But nothing compares to the Word of God Written. Indeed, they are beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. This is true because the Word of God Written points to the Word of God made flesh in Jesus Christ. In Him, in Jesus, was life and light.

In this morning’s gospel reading, Luke relates two stories that show us the power of God’s words. The first story is about a centurion and his beloved slave who was at death’s door. A centurion was a military commander who led a cohort of one hundred soldiers. Together with five other centurions and their soldiers, they comprised a Roman legion, a formidable fighting force. The centurion probably served under the authority of Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea.

This centurion was unusual. He loved the people of Israel. He had even given a substantial sum of money to build a synagogue in the community (vs. 4-5). In all likelihood, the centurion was a God-fearer, a Gentile who worshipped the God of Israel and sought to obey God’s law, but who had not been circumcised and become part of the covenant people.

The centurion was also unusual because of his humility. He did not try to approach Jesus directly. Instead, he secured an envoy of Jewish elders to seek out Jesus on his behalf. Jesus agreed to the elder’s entreaty, but as he approached the centurion’s home, the commander sent friends to intercept Jesus with a message. “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof” (vs. 6). The centurion knew that if a Jew entered the home of a Gentile, the contact would render the Jew ritually unclean. He did not feel worthy to ask Jesus to defile himself for his sake or even for the sake of his beloved slave.

Furthermore, the centurion had remarkable faith. He understood how authority worked. He said, “For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it” (vs. 8). The centurion recognized that Jesus was LORD. Jesus operated under a kind of authority that far surpassed the power of an officer to command his troops or slaves. The authority of the kingdom of God was at work in Jesus Christ. And so, the centurion said, “Only speak the word, and let my servant be healed” (vs. 7). Jesus as God in the flesh could command at will, and creation would obey. Jesus was amazed by the centurion’s faith. He said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I seen such faith” (vs. 9).

Luke does not record the actual command that Jesus spoke. Perhaps Jesus only spoke it in his heart and mind to his heavenly father, but when the centurion’s friends returned to the house, they found the slave in good health (vs. 10). Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, can speak a word of life to heal the sick who are close to death.

The second story takes place in the small village of Nain. A young man had died, and the villagers were carrying his shrouded body on a funeral bier to bury the man outside the town. Luke tells us that the man was his mother’s only son, and she was also a widow. Such a death was a terrible calamity. Not only did she have to bury her child, but she had no one to protect her or provide for her.

Unlike the dying slave, no one asked Jesus to intervene. Jesus took the initiative. Luke tells us that Jesus was moved with compassion for the woman. He spoke to the widow first. “Do not weep,” he commanded her. Then Jesus touched the bier, and the pall bearers stood still. Touching a funeral bier and the body it bore rendered a Jewish person ritually unclean, but Jesus was unconcerned about such matters of purity.

Next Jesus spoke to the corpse. “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak. Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, can speak a word of life to raise the dead. Jesus restored the dead man to his mother.

The bier bearers and the crowd of mourners were seized with fear. One wonders whether they dropped the poor fellow as they scattered! But the crowd also glorified God. They said, “A great prophet has risen among us!” “God has looked favorably on his people!” Indeed, it was the year of the Lord’s favor, the year of Jubilee. God in the flesh stood amid that crowd and commanded a corpse to live, and the dead body obeyed its creator and master. The words of God are living and powerful.

Luke recounted these two events so we could know how powerful Jesus Christ is. He is a great prophet; he is the LORD; he is the Son of God. He has beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.

Like the centurion, let us fear God and follow his way. Let us love those who are in our communities. Let us love God with humility, recognizing that we are unclean and unworthy for the LORD to enter the house of our lives. But let us also come with remarkable faith, recognizing that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus Christ for our good.

Let us be like the widow who was filled with joy when Jesus met her deepest need. And let us be like the crowd who trembled in the presence of Almighty God but who also testified to God’s amazing acts.

Jesus is still a great prophet. He is the LORD. He is the Son of God. It is still the year of God’s favor. Jesus is still the one who heals the physically and spiritually ill. He is still the one who speaks life to the physically and spiritually dead. Human words are powerful, but God’s word in Jesus Christ is the most powerful of all. Jesus can still speak beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life into our lives.

Thanks be to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.