“When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum. At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.” So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed. Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him. A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Great fear swept the crowd, and they praised God, saying, “A mighty prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people today.” And the news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding countryside.”
Luke 7:1-17 NLT
Many people were amazed at Jesus, but in these verses Jesus was amazed. The centurion recognized something about Jesus that few others had realized: Jesus had authority over sickness, and He merely had to speak a word to heal. Christ healed the centurion’s servant at a distance and a widow’s son at his own funeral. Though He seems lowly, Christ is the King, and He has all authority.
Today, some want Jesus to heal but don’t want to Him to have authority in their lives. Other people think God is far away and has no real power in our world. But miracles are still happening, and they point us to Someone who loves us and calls us to follow His way. We live in a world where we don’t want anyone—including God—to tell us what to do. Our rebellion (against God’s true authority) is what has destroyed our world, relationships, and peace. Look back on your life and understand how the Lord has shown His love and power. Recognize His authority and give Him full Lordship over every area of your life. This is a lifelong journey of surrendering all to the King.
How would you describe the authority that Jesus has in your life? What do you need to surrender to Jesus today?
