Only Say The Word

“Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.

Matthew 8:7-10 ESV

The Centurion didn’t understand faith, but he understood authority.

He knew Jesus was a man that can simply say things and they will happen. Authority isn’t just telling people what to do. Authority is:

au·thor·i·ty

the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.

The Centurion could tell Soldiers what to do, and they would obey. That’s earthly authority.

Jesus could tell sicknesses and demons what to do, and they would obey. That’s spiritual authority.

The Centurion was a worldly man, and yet he knew that what Jesus had was different. This is why Jesus was so impressed by him, notice that Jesus said:

with no one in Israel have I found such faith.

Israel????

Israel is HUGE. See the image below.

Wikipedia puts it at: (8,019–8,522 square miles)

Especially when you’re only walking or riding horses. It prob felt way bigger.

But Jesus didn’t find anyone with more faith in all of Israel. A worldly man, a soldier. Not a Christian leader. Not a local pastor, not a prophet. A soldier who understood authority.

Some of us hear authority and think of what?

• The Police?

• Parents?

• President?

No. That’s all Earthly authority, and we pray and sometimes nothing happens. Because we’re counting on Earthly authority, or our leader’s authority. God wants us to know we have Spiritual authority, and if we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we have more than we will ever need.