I’ve been where I felt as though I was blind and having to be guided around by a command. I didn’t know what to expect, or what I was stepping into, and most assuredly, I was uncomfortable with simply falling backward; hoping that I would find someone there to catch me. Sometimes I feel like Agent Get Smart did as he was trying to defeat KAOS (aka Chaos).
In Luke 7:1-10 (also found in Matthew 8:5-13) we see Jesus healing the servant of a faithful centurion.
What is the story of Jesus and the Centurion?
When Jesus entered Capernaum, some Jewish elders came to him and told him of a centurion’s servant who was ill. The centurion sent these elders to ask Jesus to come to his home and heal his servant. While Jesus was on his way to the home, more men came up to him. These men were sent by the centurion again with a message. They told Jesus to no longer bothering coming. The centurion said he is not worthy to have Jesus in his home. He still believed that if Jesus says the word his servant would be healed. Jesus proclaimed he had not found faith like the centurions in all of Israel. When the friends returned, they found the servant was healed.
This is a remarkable story. While there are many applications the one that I felt most challenged by the Holy Spirit is the issue of trust. I’m not good at sharing my vulnerabilities and weaknesses. I take pride in my ability to get things done without the assistance of others. I’m not completely isolated or such a maverick that I wouldn’t take help; it is just that I feel like I have the responsibility on my shoulders.
The story has many fascinating ways that we could look at it, but for me, it has to do with my ability to trust in Jesus. The centurion understood authority. He understood that he needed to trust those who are under his command. He said to Jesus that all he needed to do was to speak with authority, and his servant would be healed.
Wow! It is incredible to think that the man who had such great authority yet, he was willing to submit to the authority of a man who carried no title, and he certainly was not humanly speaking, powerful. The centurion understood the command structure. Jesus had a reputation, but not a title. He lead by influence not by authority, at least what we might recognize.
I find conviction that I need to learn how to trust Jesus, who certainly has the authority, but he doesn’t demand of me, and I don’t respond out of fear. It is perfect love that causes me to act on what he has commanded of me.
The centurion understood something that I am still learning.
How about you? Is there something that you are still yet learning? Do you find that you need, like me, to defend yourself? Do you feel like you need to prove yourself?
I trust that you, like me, can find hope in this story. You can gain an understanding, like me, that it is Jesus that will provide all that we need to accomplish what he has called us to do.
