Have you ever thought of how powerful a word spoken at just the right time is? It is said that on some of the Alpine slopes at certain times in the year guides forbid travelers to speak a word. They fear that the mere tremor of the human voice will loosen and bring down a deadly avalanche. But the human voice can be powerful in other ways. It can bring healing to broken hearts, help to those in despair. It was a mere human voice that sent the centurion to the source of healing for his servant. Someone cared enough for the centurion to tell him about Jesus. The centurion, in turn, cared enough about his servant to call in the Jewish elders and ask them to bring Jesus to him. In the same way, the Jewish elders cared enough about the centurion to overcome their prejudices. Can't you imagine that it was difficult for them to request Jesus to come to heal the servant? Can you imagine a delegation of clergy from the finest churches in our town going to an itinerant faith healer in a run-down store front mission and asking his assistance in healing someone in the mayor's household? That took a lot of humility. They cared enough to swallow their pride and go to Jesus. And, of course, Jesus cared enough to go with them to the servant. When people care that much, something good has got to happen...
