Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. 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."
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!... Go your way; and as you believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour. - Matthew 8:5-13(NKJV)
It was like any day in the ministry of the Lord, when people would just come up to Him asking for a healing there and a miracle here. However, in this particular case our Lord was in for a really wonderful treat.
Upon hearing of the case about the centurion's servant, the Lord immediately responded as He usually would with any request, "Alright, I'm coming, lets go on over to your place..."
But just when He was about to go on His way to the centurion's house, He was halted by a rare declaration of faith. The centurion explained to Him a couple of things:
1. He wasn't worthy. Which means he knew exactly who Jesus was. He understand that our humble Lord was higher and holier than any emperor that could possibly exist. And if those people made you feel inferior enough, how much more the King of kings, the Emperor of emperors, the God of gods! He understood that no one in his country would dare ask an emperor to come to his home just to see a servant. How much more would one dare to ask the creator of all things to travel for the same task.
2. He understood the meaning of authority. He was a soldier and a commander. At his very command people's lives could be taken and given back to them. And at the very command of his emperor his life could be taken with just a simple word. The centurion explained that he understood the authority that Jesus had and still has today. That with a single word nothing shall be impossible. And with that, the centurion only needed a Word.
What was the result of this friend?
When Jesus heard it, He marveled,...
He marveled! Jesus was astonished! Wow! What faith! What faith!
Friend, what can we learn from all this today? Well, we learn that suprising God with our faith is definitely a plus. Marvelous faith! And how do we come about having marvelous faith? Well, let me tell you. It's through understanding who Jesus Christ really is and applying that daily in our lives.
Do you desire marvelous faith? Then it would help you a lot to desire a deeper understanding of Jesus Christ.
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1 comment:
Keep up the good work.
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