5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “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 8:5-10
When I was a teenager, I had the opportunity to go for the first time to the country of my family heritage, South Korea. It was on this trip I had a very rare opportunity to have supper and spend time one evening with whom was the former president of the now massive syndicate corporation, Hyundai. I was young, and a bit ignorant of how wealthy and famous this man was. But that day, he took us around Seoul and a tour around some of the community centers for the elderly he had built. When I look back, it was quite inspiring and all I can recall was how intimidating it was to be with him. There was an aura of authority and confidence that he exuded in both the way he spoke and acted. Yet he was gentle and seemed to be a humble man.
The Centurion understood the lordship and authority of Jesus as the Son of God. There was no doubting for him, and he knew with full confidence who Jesus was. A Centurion was in those days a man of authority, having 80 cohorts of up to 480 men each. That is approximately 38,400 soldiers under his authority. To have such a powerful man in his time, call Jesus “Lord” meant quite a big deal. For him to acknowledge the Lordship of Christ over himself meant that the Centurion fully believed in who Jesus was.
Do we know that Jesus is truly the Lord of our lives? That he has dominion and authority over all powers – even sickness? As the Centurion over his own authority submitted himself and believed in the power and lordship of Jesus Christ – We too ought to put our faith in the Lord and submit to him.
Today, reflect on the greatness of Christ and his authority over all of creation. Know that there is no limit to his power, and that in him anything can be possible if it is in his will for us. Begin by submitting yourself to his leading of your life, and put your trust in him.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
– 1 Chronicles 29:11-22
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