Holy Boldness

The Centurion

The next story in Matthew’s gospel is an even stronger statement about submission and authority. In the city of Capernaum, a Roman soldier, a centurion (commander of 100 men) approached Jesus saying that he had a servant who was paralyzed and tormented. Jesus did not wait for a request but simply offered to go and heal the servant. But at this point the centurion made several amazing observations: • That he was not worthy for Jesus to come under his roof, a stunning statement for a Roman centurion to make to a Jew. Most Romans held Jews in contempt. • That all Jesus needed to do was “say the word” and his servant would be healed. • That the reason he believes this is due to his own experience of the Roman military chain of command, of being a man “under authority” and that he tells men to act and they com ply. Therefore, it would be reasonable for him to conclude that Jesus, a man clearly under authority, would only have to say the word and it would be accomplished. As the centurion so aptly observed, true authority comes from being under authority. This is a basic and simple concept that people who are more concerned about their rights and privileges seldom under stand or take note. With these observations, Jesus expressed profound astonishment: ‘ Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.”’ Notice that Jesus attributed the centurion’s observations about the way authority works and his humble request as an expression of extraordinary faith. So often one finds that people who are in the world of commerce, science, or agriculture understand the principles of the Kingdom of God better than those within the religious sector. The principles of the kingdom are part of everyday life and those who are alive and awake will take note of them. Perhaps this is why Jesus’ disciples were not taken from among religiously trained men but from the world of commerce. Jesus commended the centurion’s faith and called it great.

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