Under Authority -- April 21, 2009

5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” 7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.
Matthew 8:5-13

It seems to me the key in this whole passage is the word under in verse 9. I think it is the key because it frames the man’s faith by defining his view of authority. He isn’t “the man in charge”. He isn’t even “a man in authority”. He understands Jesus is able to operate miraculously by being submitted to His Father. This officer knows that Jesus’ power comes from going where He is sent and doing what is commanded by the Father. He is able to perceive the whole Kingdom not just Jesus.

This kind of faith leads to entrance into the Kingdom that supercedes birthrights. The Lord tells the crowd that this faith is the avenue for many outsiders to fellowship with the founders of the faith, while many of the insiders will be left in the dark in grieving agony. This kind of faith has the advantage of getting our present needs met too. The servant was healed at the time Jesus declared it so. Being under authority brings us to humble obedience. We recognize that we are under authority and simply obey. This simple obedience connects us with the power that God’s authority brings.

Like the centurion, let’s see the whole kingdom and operate under the authority we are placed. Then we will have power to live our lives. Then we will see our prayers answered and our needs met.

A Man Under Authority,

Pastor Jason