Tag Archives: Centurion

Inclusive vs. Exclusive

April 8, 2025 Tom Vander Well 3 Comments

But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”
Matthew 9: 34 (NIV)

In yesterday’s post, I wrote about the spiritual revival that broke out while I was in high school. I wrote about the fact that I was merely an observer of the revival because I had insulated myself inside of my fellow holy huddle with other believers.

I’d like to unpack that experience a bit further as I meditate on today’s chapter. In it, Jesus begins to experience opposition from the institutional religious leaders of His day. They have their own holy huddle going.

I have observed along my spiritual journey the difference between an inclusive spirit and an exclusive spirit.

An inclusive spirit is one that is outreaching, arms wide open in anticipation of God who can do exceeding, abundantly beyond all that we ask or imagine. An inclusive spirit fully embraces the Apostles Creed when it says “I believe in the holy catholic church,” which means the expansive true church made up of all believers of every nation, tribe, language, race, people, and denomination of which God alone truly knows the number and the full membership. An inclusive spirit sees God working in His enemies like Nebuchadnezzar, the Roman Centurion in yesterday’s chapter, and Saul of Tarsus, and drawing them to Himself. An inclusive spirit understands that Jesus is not slow in returning, but rather patient wanting everyone (including my personal enemies) to repent and believe.

An exclusive spirit, on the other hand, is one that feels that it is right and only those who agree are acceptable. An exclusive spirit has arms extended in a defensive and warning posture. Only those who pass the litmus test, are pure in their doctrinal agreement, and visibly shun unacceptable actions, words, beliefs, and political/social affiliations are accepted in. Most people are excluded, and exclusive thinkers are convinced that God thinks and acts in lock-step with them.

Jesus was being inclusive when, in yesterday’s chapter, He healed the Roman Centurion’s servant and handed His enemy an invitation to the feast of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in God’s Kingdom. Jesus was being inclusive when He and His disciples feasted at Matthew’s house with unacceptable tax collectors (e.g. politically incorrect Roman collaborators) and their sinful social circle. He was certainly being inclusive when He called Matthew to become one of The Twelve.

His political and religious opponents were exclusive in their thinking. They alone were exclusively “God’s people,” “Children of Abraham,” and anyone who disagreed or believed differently was obviously not “of God.” Jesus refused to walk, speak, act, and believe in lock-step with their exclusive religious world-view. Therefore He could not be of God despite the miracles He performed. If He is not of God, then He must be of Satan.

So, in the quiet this morning, I look back at that revival in high school. It taught me another important spiritual lesson. Yes, I missed out on being a part of it because I was too busy in the exclusivity of my holy huddle. At the same time, me thinking that I needed to be a part of it is a different brand of exclusive thinking. God was doing something amazing and He didn’t need me to be involved. He was working through others whom He had prepared, raised up, and through whom He was flowing. I could be envious, jealous, and think (exclusively) that anything I wasn’t a part of doesn’t count. I could also open my arms, rejoice, and embrace that God was at such powerful work in others all around me. I chose the latter.

The further I get in my journey, the more open my spirit has become to God doing whatever He wants to do in whomever He wants to do it in order for all things to work together for good and accomplish His ultimate purposes in this Great Story. I long ago took off my Junior Holy Spirit badge pretending that I had exclusive rights, insight, or editorial control of that Story for myself or anyone else. The result is that I approach each day of this journey with a sense of awe and wonder.

God, what are you going to do today?

I’m open.

Surprise me.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

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Chapter-a-Day

The Revival I Missed

April 7, 2025 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

“I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 8:11-12 (NIV)

At the time I was in high school ours was the most racially diverse school in the state of Iowa. This was not only true because of desegregation, but also because of the large number of Asian refugees who entered the state in the 1970s after the war in Vietnam. Add to these the large racial population differences the other social breakdowns of jocks, geeks, burnouts, band nerds, and the like that were common in the day. It was diverse community, though I remember there being relatively little conflict.

I spent most of my high school years in student leadership so I connected with and communicated with kids from all the various constituencies in our school. From an activity perspective I was at the heart of things a Fine Arts Loser largely involved in theatre, show choir, and choir. Socially, most of my high school years were spent as part of a tight-knit group of Jesus Freaks. We had a holy huddle that stuck together socially both inside and outside of school.

During those years a revival broke out within our student body. It happened through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and a number of jocks in our school became followers of Jesus. It’s hard to communicate how this reverberated throughout the school. There were some radical conversions of individuals I never would have expected to become believers.

What was fascinating about this event is that I and my friends in our holy huddle had nothing to do with it. Zero, zip, zilch, nada. Here we were staying in our lane, sticking together like a herd of scared deer trying to protect ourselves from prowling lions, and assuming that certain individuals would never, ever, in a million years consider believing in Jesus. Think Peter and the boys learning that their greatest enemy, Saul/Paul, had become a believer. It felt a little like that. So, I and my posse were really not a part of the spiritual revival, at all.

This was not lost on me.

In today’s chapter, we are still at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He spent 40 days fasting and being tempted. He was baptized by John. He delivered His message on the mountain. Things are still in the launch period of Jesus’ Miraculous Mystery Ministry Tour. Along comes a Roman Centurion whose servant is sick.

STOP.

It’s easy to gloss over the 80,000 pound elephant in the room. Romans were hated. Romans were the oppressors. Romans were the enemy of Jesus’ tribe and occupiers of their land. Romans were despised, godless, violent, and merciless usurpers. Jesus’ tribe was waiting for the Messiah to arrive and wipe the Romans out in a holy bloodbath. It’s hard for a casual, modern reader to understand the social and cultural context of this Roman Centurion approaching Jesus.

Think a Russian military general approaching a Ukranian in occupied territory.

Think a German SS officer coming to a Frenchman in occupied Paris during World War II.

Think a Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan walking into a civil rights meeting to talk to Martin Luther King Jr.

Think Donald Trump walking into a local DNC resistance meeting.

What’s fascinating about this episode is that Jesus not only graciously accepts the Centurion and heals His “enemy’s” servant, but that Jesus then makes clear that this is just the first tremor of a massive, tectonic spiritual shift that Jesus is bringing. This is the tremor. The events of the entire book of Acts is the earthquake.

Jesus explains that individuals like this Roman Centurion (vile, hated, despised, enemy) will be seated at “the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus’ tribe considered this feast to be an exclusive, members only event for holy huddle members only. Jesus goes on to make clear that in the coming spiritual earthquake, those who are considered enemies will take a seat at God’s feast while those in the holy huddle won’t get past the doorman.

I’ve never forgotten that revival in my high school, nor have I forgotten that the only joy I experienced with it was to watch it happen from the cheap seats. I was too busy being a faithful member of the tribe. I was sequestered in my holy huddle assuming everyone outside of our huddle was an enemy to be avoided, if not feared and/or despised. How badly I missed Jesus’ entire Message.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself committed to learning from that lesson even though it is over 40 years later. Jesus’ core message was about the last being first, His love for the “least,” and God’s Kingdom operating opposite the hierarchical socio-economic caste system of this world. In God’s Kingdom,

I am to generously give if I want to receive.
I am to bless those who curse me.
I am to love my enemy, and pray for those who persecute me.
I am to rejoice in my suffering, especially being the object of hatred.
I am to die to myself if I want to experience real life.

And, I need to be willing to step out of my holy huddle like Peter stepping out of the boat to walk to Jesus on the water, if I want to be part of what God’s Spirit is doing.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Earned Respect

May 3, 2024 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs.
Acts 27:3-4a (NIV)

I have always loved being on the water, and have dreamed of being at sea. As a kid, I planned to join the Navy so I could sail around the world. There was a period of my childhood when I wore a sailor hat all the time. My mom loved to tell stories of me wearing my sailor hat so much that I would forget it was on my head. I’d go to bed with it on or jump into the swimming pool with it still on my head. That love is still with me. I’d rather be on a cruise ship on the ocean than any other kind of vacation.

Today’s chapter is a fascinating and dramatic retelling of Paul’s ocean voyage to Rome in order to face trial before Caesar. I find it riveting simply because of the details Luke provides about what a voyage by ship was like at that period of history. Luke was on board with Paul, so the chapter is a primary source description of the events. The fact that they got caught up in a raging storm, spent 14 days adrift, and were eventually shipwrecked makes for exciting action. I seriously had sea shanties going through my head as I read.

After finishing the chapter and reflecting back on the events, there was one thing that stood out amidst all of them.

Paul is still a prisoner of Rome, and there were a number of other prisoners who were being transported to Rome at the same time. There was a centurion named Julius who was in charge of the prisoners and the other Roman soldiers guarding them. Early in the voyage, the ship makes port in Sidon. Julius allows Paul to disembark to meet with friends there.

This is a tremendous risk for Julian. If a prisoner were to escape, Julian would be killed for allowing it to happen. In letting Paul off the ship and trusting him to return, Julian was putting his own head on the line. Even Luke is careful to note that this was an act of incredible kindness. Later in the chapter, as it becomes clear that the ship is about to fall apart, the soldiers under Julian’s command want to execute all the prisoners in order to ensure no one would escape so as to save their own necks. But Julian, “wanting to spare Paul’s life” vetoes the idea.

As I meditated on Julian’s actions, I was reminded of Paul’s words to the disciples of Jesus in Thessalonica:

“…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (NIV)

Paul had obviously lived and conducted himself as a prisoner in such a way that he won the respect of Julian the centurion. The fact that Paul’s disembarkation in Sidon was to meet with fellow believers “to provide for his needs” was an example of Paul’s ambition to “not be dependent” on Julian or the Roman Department of Corrections. Paul earned Julian’s respect, and in doing so Paul saved his own life and the lives of all the other prisoners on board with him.

In the quiet this morning, I can’t help but be instructed by Paul’s examples in both word and deed. Yes, the story of his voyage and shipwreck makes for fascinating reading. The real story of Paul’s survival, however, is rooted in something far more significant. Paul had lived and conducted himself as a prisoner in such a way that a Roman centurion twice risked his own neck for him.

May my daily life win the respect of outsiders.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.