Worthy or Unworthy?

We were newlywed and broke when we received a pamphlet saying we could get a free television, mixer, or such amazing gifts provided we went to a seminar. It was to invest in a Texas property. We went and listened, with no money to invest in land. After four hours, it was time for us to get a fantastic gift. We did – it was small cheap radio. Seeing our puzzlement, the lady said, “We keep the big gifts for those who invest in the land.” It was her way of saying we weren’t worthy of those gifts!

The sitcom Seinfeld had an episode on how flight attendants make the economy passengers feel as they slowly close the curtain between first and economy classes. Every society has settled ways of appreciating, applauding, and rewarding the “worthy” ones and ignoring the rest.

In Jesus’s time and culture, a person’s worth was tied to how s/he respected the Israelites and what they did for them. In Capernaum, this ideology came to the surface (Luke 7:1–10).

“One of the centurion’s servants/son was ill to the point of death. He was an honorable and valuable servant/son to the centurion. Hearing that Jesus was in Capernaum, the centurion sent the elders of the Hebrews asking him to come and heal his servant/son. Those who came to Jesus begged him to hurry, saying, ‘He is worthy (axios) for you to do this for him because he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.’” (Luke 7:2–5, The words used in this story, pais, could mean “son” as much as “servant.”)

Usually, the elders of the Hebrews didn’t get along with Roman centurions. But they respected this centurion because of his generosity and love for them. He was worthy, they said.

But the centurion had a different understanding of his worthiness.

“While Jesus was far from his house, the centurion sent his friends saying to Jesus, ‘Kyrie (Lord), don’t trouble yourself. I am not worthy (axios) for you to enter my roof. I don’t consider myself worthy (axios) for you to come into my house and heal my servant/son.’” (Luke 7:6–7)

Unlike the elders’ perception of the centurion as worthy, the centurion understood that he wasn’t worthy. His reason was that he knew the power and worth – whatever he said to his servants, they did. In the same way, Jesus could remotely command whatever oppressed his servant/son. All Jesus needed to do was to command, not visit his house (v. 8).

Hearing this, Jesus praised him. As the centurion wished, his servant/son was remotely healed (v. 9–10).

Centurions were high in power in the Roman world. They had anywhere between 80 to 100 soldiers under them. He, a servant of Caesar, called Jesus Kyrie, Lord, a title often reserved for Caesar, and said twice that he wasn’t worthy (axios) of Jesus entering his house. That was humility based on truth, not false humility.

Churches often honor wealthy businesspeople, celebrities, politicians, or seminary professors by offering them chairs in committees, deaconship, and eldership. They are worthy of those positions because of their influence in society or their acquired and ascribed honor. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we appointed leaders from the working class – bricklayers, timber cutters, road workers, sweepers, domestic workers, etc. – whomever our society usually ignores or considers unworthy? All our worthiness pales in comparison to who Jesus is. In Paul’s words, we are all mere servants in his world; he alone is the master, Lord, and Kyrie.