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On the Audacity of Calling Christ "Lord"

Jan 6, 2008
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This morning I was reading through Matthew 8, and I came to the familiar story of the faith of the centurion. Now, I am sure that men more capable than me could devote their life's work to this story, but I want to focus on one word in the entire story.
Matthew records, "When he [Jesus] entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly."

I want to first observe that this is a centurion, a commanding officer in the Roman army. He answers to the emperor.

The background of this story is that, in order to supress the Jewish people, the Roman Empire declared that all must attest that "Caesar is Lord," drawing on the word addonai from the Jewish people, which is how they read the "name of God" (In the old testament, the name of God, usually in all capital letters in english translations, is written in the hebrew YHWH, and instead of reading it, the Jewish people will say addonai instead, or Lord in Hebrew).

And so this centurion, who must answer at the end of the day to the Roman Empire, walks up to Jesus and says, "Lord." Calling Jesus, not Caesar "Lord." He was likely with other Roman soldiers, and if they went and told their commanders that this centurion called this Jesus of Nazareth "Lord," the centurion would likely be executed for treason. He is not just asking for a healing. He is risking EVERYTHING on this. And it isn't like it it a slip of the tongue on his part. The next thing he says to Jesus, he precedes with the title "Lord" as well. This is astounding, that this centurion would risk his very life for his servant.

The word Lord has lost much of its meaning in this day and age. We need to reclaim its ancient forbidden nature. We need to acknowledge that everything is vying for the position of Lord in our life, and that only Jesus ought to occupy this role.
And so let us call Jesus "Lord," risking everything by saying it, because we risk the whole world by declaring that Jesus, this crucified (but then resurrected and glorified) man, the Accursed One, might be the God of the Universe.