FAITH AND THE BELIEVERS AUTHORITY
The book of Luke is widely known for giving us one of the best accounts of the compassion of Jesus. One of the commentaries I use to study the book of Luke is called Be Compassionate: Let the World Know that Jesus Cares by Warren Wiersbe. Luke records numerous events where Jesus is “moved with compassion.”
So far, I have written about the first six chapters of Luke, including Jesus’s birth, genealogy, temptation in the wilderness, calling of disciples, and major teachings in the Beatitudes and The Sermon on the Plain. Chapter seven signifies a shift from teaching to doing. The seventh chapter gives us a quick-fire introduction to the compassionate Christ.
Now, Luke will show us that Jesus is not just another Rabbi but so much more. As we enter chapter seven, we see how Jesus responds to four kinds of people:
People with Faith (Luke 7:1-10)
People in Despair (Luke 7:11-17)
People Who Doubt (Luke 7:18-35)
People Who Love (Luke 7:36-50)
You and I fit somewhere in the list above. If I am correct in my assertion, then it is good for us to know how Jesus responds to us. Let’s begin with a story of faith found in Luke 7:1-10.
THE CENTURIONS NEED.
Jesus finished teaching the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders (Luke 6:46-49), then left the plain and entered Capernaum; we read:
When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant (Luke 7:1-3).
This dramatic scene introduces two important characters: the centurion and the servant. I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this but to grasp the power of this story, we must understand the difference between a “centurion” and a “servant.”
The “servant” in this passage is a “bondservant.” This is someone who voluntarily places himself into servitude to a master. In this case, the “servant” is under the authority of the “centurion” (also called master in this passage).
So, who is this “centurion?” Luke doesn’t give us his name but tells us a lot about the character of this man. Today, a “centurion” is the equivalent of a low-ranking military officer. The Roman army had a very specific organizational system. When the Romans were at peak strength, they had 25 legions (6,000 men per legion). These legions were broken down into “cohorts” of 600 men (10 Cohorts). Each cohort was broken into 3 “maniples” of 200 men; each maniple was divided into 2 “centuries” of 100 men. The person who led a “century” was called a “centurion.”
This “centurion” is a leader of men: probably somewhere between 50-100 (depending on whether the Roman army is at full strength). Luke tells us this leader of soldiers has a “servant” whom he values a great deal. This servant must have been very important to the daily working of the centurion’s household. Some historians believe this servant was the personal attendant of the centurion. That mean’s this servant may have fought alongside this centurion. But whatever the reason, this servant and centurion appear to have a unique relationship.
The centurion (who has heard about the miraculous ministry of Jesus) decides to ask the local Jewish elders to go to Jesus and ask Him to come and heal his servant. Apparently, this Roman centurion has a good relationship with the Jews in Capernaum. Believe me when I say this is not normal. Typically, there was animosity between the Romans and Jews, but this is different for reasons we will soon see.
The Jewish elders agree and go to Jesus on behalf of the centurion:
When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue” (Luke 7:4-5).
I possess an inadequate vocabulary to explain the strangeness of this scene fully. Jewish elders pleading the case of a Roman (Gentile) soldier, who came to them on behalf of his servant. The centurion is not a high-ranking officer. He is probably not even a wealthy man, but he has given a large amount of money to help the Jews in Capernaum build their synagogue because he loves their nation.
Jesus hears the impassioned plea of the elders, is moved with compassion, and “went with them” (Luke 7:6a).
JESUS’S RESPONSE.
I love Jesus’s response! Think about it, Jesus is willing to come to a man who does not come to Him! That is a powerful statement! Why? Up to this point in the book of Luke, Jesus has only ministered to Jews. Now He will flip the script and begin His ministry to Gentiles.
Again, you must get the picture that Luke is painting about the compassion of Jesus. He is talking to those who are a part of the chosen people of God. Then there is a centurion and slave – who are Gentiles – not a part of God’s chosen people! When these elders say the centurion “loves our nation,” they do not mean the Jewish nation only.
No, when they use the words nations, it is the Greek ethnos. This word is bigger than just the Jewish people. It encompasses the diverse number of ethnicities represented in Capernaum.
Jesus is breaking down the barriers between Jews and Gentiles. He is breaking down the barriers between one ethnic group and another. Jesus is trying to build bridges between groups of people who historically dislike one another. I think we, as Christians and as the body of Christ, could take a lesson from Jesus.
THE CENTURION’S RESPONSE.
He [Jesus] was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.
I want you to notice something: when the Jewish elders went to Jesus, they said, “this man deserves to have you do this [heal the servant].” But the centurion doesn’t see himself that way, he says, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.”
Do you see the contrast here? Think about it, here is a Roman (Gentile) leader telling a Jewish Rabbi named Jesus, “I am not worthy of your ministry.” Listen to the centurion’s next statement:
That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed (Luke 7:7)
This is the hinge of this entire story. This is where the centurion displays his understanding of faith.
For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (Luke 7:8).
The centurion understood something: how he commands soldiers is the same way Jesus commands disease! That, my friend, is faith. He recognized that Jesus was under authority, and so was he. He also understood that those who are under authority have the right to exercise that authority.
All the centurion had to do was say “go,” and his soldiers went. He would say, “come,” and they would come. He was exercising the authority given to him by his superiors. The soldiers didn’t question what he said, they just did it.
In the same way, the centurion understood that all Jesus had to do was say the word, and disease would be compelled to obey. No question! No arguing! No discussion!
JESUS MEETS THE NEED.
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well (Luke 7:9-10).
Jesus responds to faith by doing what the man had asked, healing his servant.
Here is a Roman Gentile who amazes Jesus with his faith. He did not grow up memorizing the Scriptures. He was not taught about how God split the Red Sea. He did not have Abraham as his father. But he understood faith was about a total dependence on Christ, who can do the impossible!
CONCLUSION.
What can we learn from Jesus’s response to the faith of this centurion?
The centurion understood that Christ did what He did because of the authority He was under. Jesus did what the Father told Him to do. The same is true of us. Whatever we do, we do it under the authority of Christ. In other words, our authority is a “delegated” authority. It is not our own but granted to us by the source of authority: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus said:
Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Mt 28:18-20).
All authority was given to Jesus, who in turn, gives us the authority to: 1) go, 2) baptize, and 3) teach. And in our going He promises to be with us forever. So we have been authorized to carry the gospel to every ethnic group in the world.
But is that all we have been authorized to do as believers? I really don’t think so. Our dependence on Christ and our belief that He can do the impossible demands we acknowledge that Christ, by the Holy Spirit, gave us the right to exercise the authority given to us. So, what does that mean?
I read a Bible study recently by Dr. John Russell who outlines three areas where Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord over: 1) Demons, 2) Disease, and 3) Death. Let me briefly explain.
There is no doubt that Jesus took authority over demons in the Scriptures. And, our faith in Christ gives us access to delegated authority so that we too have authority over demons. Paul tells us we are not subject to the control of demons (Ephesians 4:25-27). James tells us how that we can resist the devil by fleeing from him (James 4:7). Peter explains that we resist the devil by being self-controlled (1 Peter 5:8-9).
Jesus is Lord over disease. There is no doubt that Christ has authority over all disease. The Scriptures are full of healing miracles in both the Old and New Testaments. And, our faith in Christ gives us the authority to pray for the sick and expect that God will heal in His way and in His timing.
Jesus is Lord over death. The book of Hebrews tells us that Christ conquered the power of death and the fear of death. Our faith in Christ gives us the authority to live in the power of life without the fear of death. We need not be afraid of death because that only gets us into the presence of God.
Here is my point, by exercising the authority granted us through relationship with Christ, we can live the abundant life Jesus promised in John 10:10. Many Christians are living far below God’s abundance because we have fallen for the lie of the devil who tells us we should fear death and dying.
I am saying all of this to bring home the point that Christ has delegated to those who follow Him authority in many areas of life. I have only mentioned three but I am sure there are more. We work under the Lordship of Christ who wants to work through His children to do signs and wonders so that the Gospel would be confirmed in the eyes and presence of those who do not yet believe. We have the name of Jesus on our side.
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