Luke 7:8-9
For I too am a man set 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.” When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
Truth: Christ expects, honors and rewards those who submit to authority. The above passage is taken from the story of the Centurion who had a servant on his death bed. The Centurion had done much for the Jews (he actually funded the building a synagogue). In this story the Centurion sends his servants to Christ requesting Christ to heal the servant. Jesus agrees and leaves with them headed for the Centurion's home. But, the Centurion recognizing the power of authority, makes the above statement. He recognizes that Jesus must in authority because he has heard the great things Jesus has done. In Luke 7:3 we are told he "heard" of the great things Jesus had done. That is enough for him to put his faith in the authority of Jesus words. This is why Jesus states what He states in the above passage. The Centurion recognizes the power of authority and submitting to it. Men need to be under authority. The ability to go under authority is a mark of humility. Read Philippians 2:5-11 about Christ coming under authority. Christ left the glory of heaven to come under the authority of the Heavenly Father. Submitting to authority is a large mark in maturity. It is also a large mark of faith. Notice what Paul tells us in Romans 13 about submitting to the authority of the government. Notice what Paul says to women about submitting to the authority of their husbands in Ephesians 5:22. Notice the command to submit to the leadership of the church in Hebrews 13:17-19. Submitting to authority IS the mark of a mature person of faith. Our rebellious nature against God in the Garden of Eden in the beginning continues to this day. This is why Jesus was truck with the submissive nature of the Centurion. But, the Centurion had used his logic to come to faith. He recognized the hierarchal structure of the world. He say that one was under another. So, in his logic, he assumed that if Christ could cast out demons Christ was at the top of the hierarchal chain. It is "faith" that is rewarded and that is a gift from God. But, it is also his mind that allowed him to process the events of the day to conclude that Christ must be Deity and he should put his faith in Jesus. His willingness to submit to authority opened up the benefits of his faith that affected the life of his servant. Christ expects, honors and rewards those who submit to authority.
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