The Official

Today we look at a story of a man that had so much faith in Jesus that his friend was healed. True story!

Welcome to Soldier for Christ.

Jesus had been going around teaching and performing miracles. The news about him was spreading through and so when he was coming to your town you knew, and you were sure to try to see him. Especially if you had a family member or friend that was ill. I mean think about it. If you had a loved one that was dying and there was a guy that could heal them, wouldn't you try?

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” -Matthew 8:5-7

This is an interesting way for Jesus to respond. Right? I mean one, it almost seems like a rhetorical question. That and when you realize that Jesus already knew the answer. Of course, he wanted Jesus to come and heal him. Why else would he be there? But the man answers...

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. 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.” - Matthew 8:8-9

This man gives Jesus his credentials. Let's him know (as if he didn't already) that he was a man of power. A man with authority. And yet at the same time, he showed Jesus just how humble he also was by saying that even though he was a man of stature, he was not worthy enough to have Jesus step across his threshold.

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. -Matthew 10:10

Jesus had been all over that region teaching. He had come across countless people with just as many interactions and yet the tells this guy that none of them had close to the amount of faith that this guy had. That is kind of saying something. So Jesus does the guy a solid...

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. -Matthew 8:13

Just like that, at that very moment back at the centurions home the man was healed. Jesus didn't even have to be there to touch him, to sprinkle water on him, to have him go and dunk in the river. He just said the word and it was so. All because this man had the faith to come to Jesus and humble himself.

This kind of faith can take work. Humbling ourselves can be a chore. But we can take a lesson from this man. No matter how important we think we may be, at the foot of Christ we are all just his children. We can take a lesson from this. One that will help us to..

Press on and fight the good fight as a Soldier for Christ.