As we read about Jesus, the centurion and the centurion's servant, we learn about love, faith and hope - the love of Jesus, the faith of the centurion and hope for the centurion's servant.
(1) The love of Jesus
In Jesus' miracles of healing, we see love. It is the greatest love of all. It is the love of God. Jesus loved the centurion. Jesus loved the centurion's servant. He loves you. He loves me. He loves us with a perfect love. He loves us with an everlasting love. His love changes us. We see this in the story the centurion and his servant. This is a story which invites us to be changed by the love of Jesus.
(2) The faith of the centurion
There is no suggestion, in this story, that the centurion actually met Jesus. We are told, at the beginning of the story, that he had "heard of Jesus" (Luke 7:3). He then "sent some elders of the Jews to Jesus, asking Him to come and heal his servant" (Luke 7:3). As Jesus was approaching the house, He received another message from the centurion. It was a confession of faith in Jesus - "Say the word, and my servant will be healed" (Luke 7:7). Jesus then commended the centurion for his faith - "I tell you, I have not found such great faith in Israel" (Luke 7:9). At this point, we are told that when the men, who had been sent to Jesus, returned to the centurion, they found that the centurion's servant was well (Luke 7:10).
As we seek to learn from the centurion's faith, there are three things we must note. (a) He was a Gentile. (b) He heard of Jesus. (c) He didn't meet Jesus face-to-face. From each of these parts of the centurion's story, we learn important lessons concerning faith.
(a) He was not a Jew. He didn't belong to the nation described in the Old Testament Scriptures as God's chosen people. The story of the centurion teaches us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for all nations. Christ is not only for the Jews. He is for every person in every nation. This vital point - Christ is for all nations - is underlined in the story of another centurion, Cornelius, in Acts 10. Christ is for all nations. This is also highlighted, in Romans 1:16, by the Apostle Paul: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jews, then for the Gentiles."
Christ is for all of us. He is for every one of us. He is for you. He is for me. He is the Saviour of the world.
(b) The centurion heard of Jesus. He believed in Jesus. In the centurion's story, we learn the lesson taught by Paul in Romans 10:17 - "faith comes from hearing the message." Paul emphasizes the connection between hearing and believing. Following his statement of the Gospel principle - "Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13), he asks a number of questions, "How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent" (Romans 10:14-15). God sends us out into the world to share His message of love with the people we meet. This is the wasy in which our neighbours will hear of Jesu and come to faith in Him.
(c) The centurion didn't come face-to-face with Jesus. In noting this point, we highlight an important lesson, taught by the risen Christ. Speaking to Thomas who needed to see before he believed, Jesus said this: "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).
(3) Hope for the centurion's servant
At the beginning of the story, his situation seemed to be hopeless - he "was sick and about to die" (Luke 7:2). Jesus changed everything. Jesus brought new, life-giving, wonderful hope into this man's life. The hope which Jesus brings is heavenly, eternal and glorious: "Where, o death, is your victory ... Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:55, 57).

Luke 7:1-10