BY GREG CRUM

“The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth 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.” Matthew 8:8-10

Here in Matthew Chapter 8, we read of the “great” faith of the centurion. Have you ever wondered what was so “great” about his faith, or what exactly this “great” faith of his was in? The answers to those questions are right under our noses, recorded in his own words as he explains to Jesus why he doesn’t need to bother to come all the way to his home to heal his servant. There we see in a humble heart a faith that caused Jesus, the Son of God, to marvel. And there we can find what we need to understand to demonstrate a similar quality of faith that will allow us to accomplish God’s will in our lives and in this Earth.

So, let’s think about the centurion’s great faith for a few moments. It’s evident from his self-description in the passage that this man understood the significance of authority; he lived it in his line of work. He also understood that Jesus possessed authority over sickness and disease, and could enforce his will over it. Otherwise he wouldn’t have asked Jesus to heal his servant. He wouldn’t have tied his request to a summation of his personal utilization of authority. Both of these understandings fed his “great” faith, and were in and of themselves merit worthy.

With that said, perhaps the most impressive aspect of his faith in Jesus was how he believed Jesus enforced his authority. This seemed to be a faith or belief that Jesus had not seen in the Israelites that he was ministering to. What did this centurion understand that enabled him to demonstrate a great faith in Jesus? He knew that all Jesus needed to do to enforce God’s will was to “speak the word only.” He knew that there was power in the words of Jesus, a force that echoed our beginnings in Genesis that could say “let there be” and it had to occur.

Brothers and sisters, there are quite a few Christians today who believe we are as helpless in this life as a toy in the mouth of a rottweiler. That all we can do is just hang on until the end and roll with the punches that life gives us. They forget that Jesus didn’t live this way when he walked this earth as a flesh-and-blood human. They also forget that’s not how the New Testament describes this new life in Christ. The Bible teaches that we can resist the devil, and if we do, he’ll have to flee from us (James 4:7). That one Scripture alone blows a hole in their theory of helplessness! If we can, and then he has to, that lets us know we have some control; we have at least some say in what goes on in our lives.

The Bible teaches that we can enjoy the fulfillment of the promises of God in our lives as much as we can believe Him for. How is that possible? The Bible teaches that Jesus has shared the authority he won on the cross with His Body, that’s how. Finally, the Bible teaches that we should use this authority that Jesus has made available to us to accomplish God’s will in this Earth. We should use this delegated power to work for God’s greater good in our lives and in the communities that He has placed us in.

Friends, the Passion of our Christ was payment. Not just for a home for us in Heaven, but also the redemption of our original rights and responsibilities over and in this Earth. Just as in the beginning, we have a responsibility to demonstrate “great” faith in Jesus and be co-laborers together with him to enforce God’s desires during our sojourning here.

Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.