What's It Worth?

One of the challenges facing our society today is that we seem to be growing toward polarization. Our differences are highlighted to extremes, especially on social media. When we come across those we disagree with, it can be easy to dehumanize them. We start to see people as "other," or "less than." We start to treat them as unworthy to voice an opinion or to express themselves in a certain way.

How should we determine someone's worth?

The Gospel of Luke gives us this interesting scene:

After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, 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. For I too 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 servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. 
(Luke 7:1-10 ESV)

TWO WAYS OF SEEING WORTH

The Centurion (Part 1)

A centurion was a Roman officer in command of a hundred men, overseeing some of the regions of Roman rule that had high Jewish populations.

He shows his understanding of the Jewish culture by refusing to approach Jesus in person. Jesus at this time was a popular rabbi. As a rabbi in an honor shame culture, it would have been inappropriate for a centurion as a Gentile, to approach Jesus.

The centurion showcases his understanding of "his place" in the world by acknowledging that he shouldn't go and approach Jesus on his own. He demonstrates a reverent humility in this situation by requesting the elders of the Jews to intercede for him with Christ.

The Elders of the Jews

These men approach Jesus and plead with him earnestly, saying, "[The centurion] is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and he is the one who built our synagogue."

The issue here is that the elders are viewing the centurion's worth from a world-focused perspective. Look how they deem the centurion "worthy." He is worthy for Jesus to do this good thing, heal his servant for him, only because of two conditional aspects.

He loves our nation. The centurion has showcased in his character that he loves the nation of Israel, and according to the elders, this makes him worthy to have this healing of his servant done for him.

He is the one who built our synagogue. The centurion has done something for the Jews by building their synagogue. Because he has done something for the Jews, this makes him worthy.

Four questions need to be asked about the centurion's worth. 

1. Why doesn't he consider himself worthy?
2. Would he be worthy to the Jews if he didn't love Israel?
3. Would be be considered worthy to the Jews he didn't do them a service, building their synagogue?

and most importantly, 

4. Is someone's worth conditional?

The Centurion (Part 2)

Let's continue in the text. What happens next is interesting. As Jesus is approaching, the centurion again sends people to intercede. The centurion declares through his friends that he is unworthy.

And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. (Luke 7:6 ESV)

Wait, didn't the elders of the Jews just declare this man worthy? Why does he insist to the contrary?

The centurion's acknowledgment of his own lowliness is impressive. This is a man who oversees a hundred men. He is a man who is always in charge, in authority, in control. Look how he determines his standing before Jesus:

Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too 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 servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” (Luke 7:7-8 ESV)

He refuses to approach Jesus improperly, he does not presume upon his relationship with Jesus.

He acknowledges that Jesus can simply "say the word," and his servant will be healed. The centurion acknowledges that Jesus is a man of authority. He relates his understanding of Jesus' ability to heal his servant to his own exercise of authority.

The centurion is saying, "If an unworthy man like me can exercise authority over people, then surely Jesus can exercise authority in much greater ways, including healing my servant."

The centurion is humbly acknowledging his own unworthiness before Jesus. He is properly aware of his lowliness, which is impressive because he is a man of standing in the world. The centurion is a man of authority in the world, but acknowledges that before Jesus, he is completely and utterly unworthy. He doesn't even dare approach him.

THE CONTRAST

To this point, we've seen the elders of the Jews walk right up to Jesus and declare this man worthy. We've seen the centurion himself, unwilling to even come into the presence of Jesus, declare himself unworthy. The elders of the Jews saw the man's worth as conditional, and he had earned the right by his works to have worth.

What gives the centurion worth? Or rather, who gives the centurion worth?

Look at what Jesus says of this man:

When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” (Luke 7:9 ESV)

Jesus marvels at the centurion's faith. Jesus was impressed by the centurion's humility and reverence. The centurion saw his own unworthiness to even come into the presence of Jesus. His faith is demonstrated by his understanding of Jesus' authority to heal.

The elders of the Jews thought that what made someone worthy was work, they mistakenly thought they could earn their way into the presence of God. The centurion by his faith was deemed worthy to come into the presence of God.

What can I give unto you, my Lord?
For you are of infinite worth.
The sum of my songs, the cry of my heart,
The breath that descends to earth.

THE GOSPEL 

God wants our faith in Jesus, not our works. By works of the law, we will fall short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). We can't earn our way into the presence of God, he is far too holy. This is what the elders missed. By faith, we are declared righteous before God because we receive the holiness, the righteousness of Jesus. Jesus' perfection is forever credited to our account as we are unified with him through faith and the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The Apostle Paul makes this doctrine of justification by faith clear for us:

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. (Galatians 2:15-21 ESV)

By works of the law, no one will be justified.
A person is justified by faith in Jesus Christ. 

It is Jesus Christ's work alone that is accepted by God as a perfect sacrifice. God reveals his pleasure in Christ by raising him from the dead. Through our faith in Jesus, we inherit his work. Christ's perfect record is attributed to us. Our slate is wiped clean, our sin forgiven! But even more than that, Jesus Christ's holy and perfect work becomes ours!

What grace that our rags of shame should become his robes of glory! But we mustn't think like the elders who thought they had robes on already by their works. Let us resemble the centurion, who wholly acknowledged before the Lord of glory, his worthless rags.

Isaiah 66:1-2

Thus says the LORD:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me,
and what is the place of my rest?
All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things came to be,
declares the LORD.
But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit

and trembles at my word. (ESV)

It is to the man who humbly sees himself rightly before God and clings by faith to Christ that pleases God. 

Let us join in praying with the tax collector Luke 18:13, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"

Are you accepting God's gift of grace in Christ by faith? 

Do you see yourself rightly before the holy God?

Nothing in my hands I bring, 

Simply to thy cross I cling. 

WORTH GIVEN BY GOD, NOT THE WORLD

The last point we must consider is that God declares people worthy according to His standards, not the world's. We might want to declare people worthy on conditional standards, but God declares all people worthy as they are His creations, in His image. 

Genesis 1:27

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them. (ESV)

ALL PEOPLE have been made in God's image, which means they have inherent worth. This means they are worthy of being treated with dignity. God declares people worthy of life and dignity by the mere fact that He has created them, forming them in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16)!

God doesn't declare humans worthy of life and dignity based on conditions they meet, but because He has made them in His image. He then specially declares all people who put their faith in Jesus Christ as righteous in His sight!

So often we as sinful people, we determine someone's worth based on external or conditional factors. Inwardly in our hearts, or outwardly in our actions and words, we declare people unworthy of life and dignity. We base these conditionals on their sexuality, political views, skin color, age, appearance, or even whether or not they stand or kneel during the national anthem! For me personally, I even struggle with this if people do something differently than the way I do it!

God is telling us, those people are worthy of dignity and life because He has made them! This passage in Luke reminds us that God gives all humans worth, and that we shouldn't look to conditional reasons to love God's image bearers. We worship the Jesus who while we were yet sinners, died for us (Romans 5:8). God gives us worth, and Christ has died for sinners like us, therefore we must repent of our conditional, worldly thinking. 

We must daily acknowledge that we ourselves are unworthy sinners, redeemed only by the blood of our worthy Savior. 

This means that our worthy Savior can redeem all other unworthy sinners (even the ones we disagree with) and from that place, we must seek to love our neighbor as ourself!

How do you view your own worthiness? How do you view others' worthiness?

How can God help you to love your neighbor as yourself?