A Tale of Two Prayers

Gospel: Luke 7: 1-10

The synagogue officials come to Jesus, telling him that the centurion - a foreign occupier - has a valuable servant in need of healing.  They state that Jesus should do this for the centurion, for he is worthy: he has done all these favors for the local religious community and because of all that he ought to have this healing come to his servant.  

By contrast, the centurion approaches Jesus and states that he is not worthy at all to receive anything from God.  If God wills it, God can heal his servant, and on that reason only is healing affected.  It is this prayer that Jesus hears, for it expresses a faith greater than that which he heard from his own people who went on and on about merit and quid pro quo.  

There are only two prayers God hears in the Gospels: this prayer of the foreign centurion - "Lord I am not worthy..." - and that of the sinful Publican - "Be merciful to me, a wretched sinner." These prayers and not those of worthiness and merit are the ones that rightly declare our true status before God as creatures ever in need of a mercy we do not deserve, but one given as God's free gift of love.