And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, begging Him,and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, terribly tormented.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. (Matthew 8:5-13; New American Standard Bible.)
“I have not found such great faith.” Why did Jesus think the centurion’s faith was so great?
Perhaps it was because he recognized who Jesus was and the authority He bore. The centurion carried the authority of the Roman government. With that, he could make things happen with a simple word. “Do this! Go there! Arrest that scoundrel!” He spoke, and his servants and the soldiers he led would do what he demanded.
He saw the same authority in Jesus. Jesus represented an even higher authority than Caesar. As the Son of God, He exercised sovereignty as the ruler of all creation. If Jesus spoke, all creation had to obey. Even demons, diseases, and disasters were under His dominion. Neither time nor distance could hinder Him. A word of healing from the lips of Jesus could bring healing miles away.
What is your need? Recognize Jesus’ power and authority. Trust in His Word. Believe that He can do all things, and remember that He loves you.
How does Jesus’ authority affect your faith in Him? How have you seen it revealed in your life?
Copyright © 2023 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.
Darkened Glass Reflections 
One response to “The Words of Christ—Matthew 8:5-13”
There was one time where someone told my minister that he was seeing demonic spirits in his sleep. My minister was David Brownridge. Dr. Brownridge then told the man that the next time he saw those demons, to tell them to see him (Dr. Brownridge) instead. The demons then neither bothered that man again nor saw Dr. Brownridge. The command of authority was evident in this situation.
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