This biblical teaching is a production of The Walk Ministries with Pastor Jeno Shaw. You can watch the video below, and then read the teaching notes that follow.
Overview
Jesus marveled
Let’s begin by looking at the story of the centurion.
Matthew 8:5-13 5 “And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, (6) And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. (7) And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. (8) The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. (9) For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. (10) When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. (11) And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. (12) But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (13) And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.”
Notes
- In verse 7, why did Jesus say, “I will come and heal him?” Jesus operates according to your faith. Jesus had been walking all around and traveling. Imagine that! He’d been walking in the heat, in the dust, and the winds. What about thirst? Remember, He had a human body, so He would get thirsty and hungry. So Jesus was about to walk and the centurion stopped him!
- This was a centurion. He was in charge of a hundred soldiers — Roman soldiers. We all know that the Romans were oppressing the Jews at that time, but he was coming to Jesus. I don’t know about this case, but sometimes Jesus is the last one we seek out, right? We’ll go to the doctors, ask a neighbor for advice, and then, oh yeah, what about Jesus? Jesus needs to be the first one we seek before the doctor, before we seek man’s advice. Here, the centurion was asking Jesus to heal his servant, and I’m sure he felt bad since it was his people that were oppressing the Jews in the first place. Yet, this centurion must have been desperate because he was coming to Jesus to ask for healing. It was not even for himself; it was for his servant.
- In verse 8, we see the power of just speaking the word. This centurion worked in authority everyday, and he connected the dots towards Jesus’s authority operating in the same way — speak and it’s considered done. If you’ve ever been in the military then you know that’s how the US Military works as well. When a person in your command tells you to do something, you just do it. That’s authority. There’s no, “But why? Can you explain it to me?” No, it’s just get it done and you get it done now. I actually think EVERYONE should serve in the military for at least 2 years. It grows you. You get to experience things that you would never experience, and, of course, you end up with more appreciation for your country and the brothers and sisters with whom you serve.
- In verse 10, Jesus marveled. You would think it would be a Jew that would expand such faith, but, no, it was a gentile, a Roman soldier at that! All of us want to please the Lord. It’s like when you’re dating, right, you want to please and marvel at the other person. This is no different. Our faith pleases the Lord. Our faith is like a sweet fragrance that the Lord can’t resist! Remember, at Jesus’s first miracle, He denied His mother and said, “Woman, it’s not my time,” but it was her faith that activated Jesus! (John 2:1-5) I’m sure when Jesus saw the faith of the centurion he was like, “FINALLY, SOMEONE GETS IT!”
- In verse 13, there’s another important key. As you believe, so may it be unto you! It comes down to belief, truly believing what you are saying, and it shall come true! Why is it so easy for us to believe the negative, right? Because we have been trained that way by the enemy! Yes, the enemy tries to train you just like a dog to keep you in wrong thinking, wrong believing, and, therefore, WRONG ACTIONS!
I truly love you all,
Pastor/Coach Jeno
