Lk.7:7-9 – but just say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under myself; 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 at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”
This story in the gospels gives us a forward look into the plans of God. The Lord was not going to stop with just the Jewish nation, He now was displaying what His plan had been all along, God sent His Son to bring salvation to the whole world. This Centurion found himself by divine plan assigned to serve in the nation of Israel. I’m certain that it was quite an unpleasant assignment but obviously the Lord had plans for this Roman officer. One thing this centurion knew was authority, He lived under authority and he ruled his soldiers with his word. Somehow he connected the dots that even the followers of Jesus couldn’t see, Jesus had authority on earth over sickness and disease, one word from His mouth and everything was handled. Here is how William Barclay describes this.
“He was a man of faith. His faith is based on the soundest argument. He argued from the here and now to the there and then. He argued from his own experience to an understanding of God. If his authority produced the results it did, how much more must that of Jesus? He came with that perfect confidence which looks up and says, ‘Lord, I know you can do this.’ If only we had a faith like that, for us too the miracle would happen and life become new.”
What a statement, this was the greatest display of faith Jesus had ever seen, the centurion got it, the words of Jesus carried authority, power, and life. His words are life changing. Today our lives are transformed the same way, we embrace the words of God and our lives are made whole. He will heal us, save us, transform us, and provide for us by His word. This is the faith that changes the world, this is the faith that brings you into life.
