This morning I was reminded of the story of the Centurion who came to Jesus, asking Him to heal his servant. Here is the version recounted by Matthew 8:5-13 NIV:
[5] "When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. [6] “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
[7] Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
[8] The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. [9] 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.”
[10] When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. [11] I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. [12] But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
[13] Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment."
I have always liked this story, for several reasons. First, the Centurion is clearly not a Jew, and yet Jesus heals his servant. This was one of the first signs of God's plan to include the gentiles in his plan of salvation. Jesus then makes the statement that many will come from the East and the West to feast in the Kingdom of Heaven, just in case we missed the significance of this healing. We are included in this prophetic promise of Jesus!
Second, there is no judgment of the Centurion (In other Gospels we hear that he supports the synagogue) for his affiliation with the Roman army, the Roman government, the Roman people or even their occupation of Israel. In the Old Testament, we often hear of God's judgment against Nations, but here we see clearly that God's salvation is personal. He saves the individual through relationship. He does not hold the sins of the Nation, or even our parents against the individuals (See Ezk 18 for God's revelation of this truth). This is one of the areas of clarifying revelation that Jesus brought that is really significant, and an important one for us to grasp. We are each invited, individually, to relationship with Jesus. It will be within the context of us as individuals that we will be judged as well, for we understand that we have free-will and are each responsible for our own choices (Matt 25:31-46). Jesus did not come to judge nations, or cities or regions, and condemn them, but rather to save them (John 3:16-17). He desires salvation for all (1 Tim 2:3-4), and makes that clear through the revelation that Jesus brought and that was witnessed to by the Holy Spirit.
Third, It is interesting that healing was that which drew the Centurion to Jesus. He had someone he cared for that was sick, heard that Jesus had the ability t o heal, and went to Him. I believe that healing is supposed to be one of the primary calling cards of the Church. If that is the case, then it makes sense that the enemy would try to convince us that healing (and other works of the Holy Spirit) is no longer for us today. However, the exact opposite is true! We are supposed to walk in the same authority as Jesus, as we represent His ministry to the world! It was the authority of Jesus that the Centurion had faith in, and that is supposed to be the way the church represents Jesus, to walk in His authority, to demonstrate His authority, that all might know that it is in the name of Jesus (under His authority) that healing occurs. For a great example of this reality look to Acts, Chapter 3 for the story of the crippled beggar that is healed by Peter and John. Peter makes it very clear that it is in the name of Jesus that this man is healed. Effectively, Peter was operating under the same authority that Jesus demonstrated in this story. Thus, we are invited to step into our authority in Jesus Name to bring healing to the Nations.
Fourth, Jesus demonstrates His authority over distance. We don't know how far away the servant was, but in our minds we often think distance matters to God, but clearly the Kingdom is not bounded by distance. God can heal people we pray for even if we never meet them or touch them, for Jesus demonstrates this clearly here, and we are supposed to walk in the same authority and abilities (John 14:12). So, if you ever wondered if your prayers for someone who is absent or removed from you geographically are effective, we have here proof that our prayers are absolutely effective.
Fifth, the Lord moves and ministers to those in relationship with us. We can bring people to Jesus through our relationship with them. If we care for them, the Lord cares for them. Even though He makes salvation available to all through personal relationship, consider that in this story Jesus heals the servant because the Centurion brought his needs to the attention of Jesus. In network marketing terms, the ministry (and healing) of Jesus can flow through our down-lines. In fact, if you look at the relational context of the Kingdom, I think this is the preferred way!
In summary, let us be encouraged to bring people and their needs to the Lord! If we care for them, He cares for them! If we desire mercy for them, He desires mercy for them. Let us bring their needs for healing, salvation, restoration, deliverance, and miracles to our loving Lord Jesus! Let us trust that His authority extends through our down-lines of relationship and is as effective as if they were in the room with us! Let us step into the authority that Jesus invited us to walk in, His authority! If He demonstrated authority over an area, then we can demonstrate the same authority in His Name!
Amen and Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment