Are You a Person Under Authority?

Dedicated to all those who have served in defense of their country...thank you!

Mat 8:9, 10 -   For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, 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 marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

   This account is well known as being the source for many sermons on the subject of faith. Jesus commended the Centurion in a way that was quite rare and it should definitely capture our attention. What was it about this man and the way he conducted himself that so impressed Jesus? As we study the entire passage and also the description given to us by Luke, we gain an understanding and a glimpse into the character of this unusual man. We see his humility, we see his compassion, we see his generosity and we see several other noble character traits, however, it was his faith that Jesus specifically applauded. Jesus did not praise his humility, or his compassion or his generosity; he praised and affirmed his faith. There was something so unique and different about this Centurion’s faith that Jesus felt compelled to comment; he was amazed; he was impressed. Contrary to some people’s thinking, Jesus is not all that easily impressed. Think about it; Jesus had seen it all, he had ministered to the multitudes and dealt with many fascinating people but never had he seen the quality of faith that this man exemplified. What produced this great faith?

    We have some insight into the kind of thinking and mindset that created the Centurion’s faith by his own comments regarding his understanding of authority. Luke’s account actually gives us a few extra words worth considering. ‘I also am a man set under authority’. The Centurion was a military man and he evidently viewed Jesus also as a man placed under authority similar to the military. The Centurion understood his place in the chain of command; he was both under men of greater rank and he was over men of lesser rank. When orders were issued to him he obeyed without rationale or hesitation; when he issued orders they were also obeyed. Orders are commands and commands are not suggestions. There are only two responses to a command; obedience or disobedience; we either submit or rebel; we either surrender or resist.

    No military man can promote himself; he rises through the chain of command in accordance with his compliance to superior officers and his ability to execute commands. He is set in his rank, he is arranged under others and assigned a particular station. The Centurion became the commander of one hundred men by years of loyal service and experience. There is something about the demeanor of a military man who understands that he is supported by the authority of the nation and also that he carries the authority of the nation. He walks tall; he walks dignified; he walks calmly; he receives orders and he gives orders; ‘Go, come, do this’. These are not requests they are directives. This Roman officer saw Jesus in the same light. He saw him as being supported and backed by the authority of Heaven. He saw Jesus as being a man who understood his place; he was set there by God. He also saw sickness as something inferior and of lesser rank; Jesus could simply speak a word of command and the sickness would have to obey and servant boy would be healed.

    How enlightening and helpful all of this is to us. The greatest commendation and sense of admiration, which ever came from the Lord Jesus, came to a man who was an outsider; a man who the elite religious community would tell us was not welcome or worthy; a military man of Rome who was considered an oppressor of Israel; and yet, his understanding of authority transcended all of the above. Great faith is not something to be pursued by us; it is something that is produced in us. It is a consequence of seeing all things in their proper order. Great faith was produced in this man by taking the patterns and methods of his own life and showing him the parallel to God’s way of operating. He did not have to look far to gain this faith; he did not have to work hard to gain this faith; he did not have to burn the midnight oil in study; he simply saw with clarity the way things are from God’s perspective. Obviously, that clarity of insight comes from God; we don’t unveil these things to ourselves. The Holy Spirit is the revealer of truth and as we position ourselves to hear from Him, He gives us glimpses and enables us to see and understand the Word of God. When that understanding and insight comes, genuine faith is produced within us; the lies and false perspectives of this world fall away and we walk forward into our future and into our destiny with confidence and security. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!