Inside this story of how Jesus healed the servant of a Roman centurion is a lesson about attitudes illustrated by a contrast. On the one hand, we have the interaction of the Jewish elders with Jesus, and on the other hand, we have the messages sent by this grieving foreigner whose servant was deathly ill. As is often in the scriptures, this story gives us only the barest of descriptions of what was said, but we can draw with confidence some important deductions about the faith of these individuals from what we have read.

Let's first consider the brief role played by the Jewish elders. We can be certain these were religious leaders, but because they were in Capernaum, located on the sea of Galilee, they were separated from the leaders in Jerusalem by a significant distance. This distance may have permitted them to be more lenient and pragmatic in their dealings, and we see this in their enthusiasm about the support they were receiving from the Roman centurion, and in their willingness to engage the "heretic" Jesus to help their benefactor. Their appeal to Jesus rested on their pragmatism—this foreigner helped to build the synagogue, so Jesus needed to help the elders do something good for the foreigner. They also argued that, even though he was in the Roman military, he loved Judah, which made him "okay in their book".

I think the elders were trying to achieve a bit of negotiating and politicking with Jesus. While the text says they "begged him earnestly" to heal this man's servant, I sense that they approached Jesus as an equal that could cooperate with them both in solving this problem and in opening new opportunities to help the religious community of Capernaum. Their arguments don't sound like those from others who had asked Jesus for healing out of their pain, desperation, and hopelessness. The Capernaum leaders may have even considered this an opportunity to bridge the rift between Jesus and the Jerusalem leaders, and they might have hoped that Jesus would understand the wisdom of making some powerful friends in the religious community through his response.

The attitude of the centurion, a Roman military commander, differed dramatically from that of the Jewish elders. He did not consider himself worthy of even having a conversation with Jesus, although we know Jesus would have welcomed that interaction. He recognized he could not negotiate with Jesus because he had nothing to offer—that is an odd contrast to the Jewish elders, for this commander would have had far more power, influence, and wealth than these "backwoods" synagogue leaders. The centurion did not pretend that he wasn't a powerful man, but he recognized that his authority was insignificant compared to Jesus', and we can perceive that humility in his request that Jesus merely speak the command rather than come to his house. As I consider the centurion's request, I wonder if Jesus was a little disappointed that he didn't get to meet the man who understood so well who Jesus truly was. Then I think just a little harder, and I realize that Jesus was already living in the heart of that centurion, knowing and loving that man just as Jesus knows and loves each of us.

In a sense, the story inside this story has a similar message to the parable Jesus told in Luke 18 of a Pharisee and a tax collector praying in the temple. In that parable, the self-righteous attitude of the Pharisee preventing him from a dialog and a relationship with God. The Pharisee, like the Capernaum elders, thought he had something to offer God that he could use to influence God. The tax collector, like the centurion, realized all they could do was beg for mercy and for God to freely show Love to one who didn't deserve it.

This is a hard lesson for those of us who live in the comfort and affluence of capitalist economies where we are assured that "everything is negotiable". It is difficult to accept the truth that all our "goodness" is never enough when we are diligent about treating others with respect and love, participating in church activities, and spending time in Bible study and prayer. We have an assurance in our souls that God considers each of us to be precious and special, but our value is only because Jesus has redeemed us, and it is foolish to try to bargain with God when all we have is what God has already given to us. There is no negotiating with God—there is only Grace, and Grace is always more than enough!