As Jesus himself would later say in Matthew 28: All authority. He told the centurion to go and the servant was healed at ‘that very moment’ (v13). He knew what authority was, and he knew that Jesus had it. Jesus was obviously impressed with the man’s insight and does according to his request. This was someone who had real authority and it took someone with true earthly authority to recognise it. Jesus was more than some travelling healer with special power in his hands. In this weeks lesson we learn of Jewish elders asking for healing from Jesus for the Roman centurions servant who was near death. The centurion had clearly grasped something of the nature of Jesus. And it was true! All Jesus had to do was speak healing and the disease would have to go. ‘Just say word, and my servant will be healed.’ (v8) That is what the centurion believed. The centurion realised that this was not to do with Jesus’ proximity to the sick person but with His authority over the disease. Jesus simply had to speak and the disease would have to obey. 3 min Jesus once praised a Roman centurion for his faith in Jesus’ authority: He Jesus marvelled at him the centurion, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel ( Luke 7:9 ). He saw that Jesus could heal because sickness and disease had to do exactly what Jesus told them to do. He recognised in Jesus an authority over sickness that was ultimate. ![]() Similarly, he had soldiers under him whom he could command to go here or there, to do this or that task according to his choosing and they would have to follow his command to the letter. He knew that in the army he had superiors who simply uttered a command and he had to obey without question. Instead, he demonstrated amazing insight into the source of Jesus’ power. ![]() When Jesus agreed to do it saying, ‘I will come and heal him’ (v7) the centurion followed up with a resistance to allowing Jesus to come to his home. He implored Jesus to heal his servant (vv6,7). Whereas the leper at the start of the chapter was seeking healing for himself, the centurion was seeking healing on behalf of someone else and in doing this he demonstrated remarkable faith, compassion and humility. He clearly had a deep care for the man and was prepared to go out of his way to obtain his healing. The second surprise is that for someone so powerful he was concerned for the welfare of his servant. Luke’s account of the story (see Luke 7:1-10) makes it clear that he was highly regarded by the Jewish community and was a generous man who had contributed to the building of a synagogue. 8 But the centurion replied, Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Jesus said to him, I will come and heal him. The first surprise is that the centurion would have been a member of the Roman army and therefore a Gentile but He was interested in seeking Jesus’ help. 5 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him asking for help: 6 Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible anguish. The second miracle recounted in Matthew chapter 8 is that of the centurion’s servant.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |