"The Soldiers"

Our scriptures today are from Matthew, chapter 8 verses 5-13, Mark, chapter 15 verse 39 and Luke, chapter 23 verse 47 from the Common English Bible.

Matthew 8: 5-13

5 When Jesus went to Capernaum, a centurion approached, 6 pleading with him, "Lord, my servant is flat on his back at home, paralyzed, and his suffering is awful." 7 Jesus responded, "I'll come and heal him." 8 But the centurion replied, "Lord, I don't deserve to have you come under my roof. Just say the word and my servant will be healed. 9 I'm a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to one, ‘Go,' and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,' and the servant does it." 10 When Jesus heard this, he was impressed and said to the people following him, "I say to you with all seriousness that even in Israel I haven't found faith like this. 11 I say to you that there are many who will come from east and west and sit down to eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom will be thrown outside into the darkness. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth." 13 Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; it will be done for you just as you have believed." And his servant was healed that very moment.

Mark 15: 39

39 When the centurion, who stood facing Jesus, saw how he died, he said, "This man was certainly God's Son." 

Luke 23: 47

47 When the centurion saw what happened, he praised God, saying, "It's really true: this man was righteous." 

Leader: This is the word of God for a people of God.

All: Thanks be to God.