Archive for 13. August 2008

Just Say the Word

13. August 2008 by Bernice Davis.

Hello: 

The second miracle that Matthew records Jesus doing is the healing of the centurion’s servant. 

Let’s look at the text:   

Matthew 8:5  When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 ”Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” 7 Jesus said to him, “I will go 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 astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, 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! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.

What is so powerful about this miracle is that it shows how one man could just believe in the word without having Jesus to be physically present.    The concept is authority and knowing how it works.  The centurion  in the ancient world was a ruler of 100 men in the Roman Government.  He understood what it meant to pass a command down and he expected his men to follow through with the order.    Soldiers did whatever necessary to make sure a command was carried out even at the risk of it endangering their own lives.  This scenario is so powerful.   God word will not return unto void but will accomplish what God sent it out to do.  The word cannot return without it completing its assignment.  How powerful. 

If we can have this type of faith in God’s word we would see so many more things manifest for us.  If we can just believe.   Yes, laying on of hands by our elders for healing and deliverance is beneficial and the word does tell us if there are any sick among us to call for the elders of the church and let them  pray but God’s word has the “authority” to heal and deliver if we only believe.   

Here is a clear example of a man that had Jesus’s acceptance to come to his house and heal his servant.  This man refused the invitation because he felt as if he was not worthy to have Jesus come to his home, but asked him to speak the word and his servant would be made whole.  Just speak the word.  

Our miracle on yesterday showed Jesus laying hands on the leper for his healing, our miracle today shows Jesus speaking the word and his servant was healed.  It is important not to put God in a box on how our miracles and deliverances will occur.  For some, it may be through laying on of hands and for others it may be through just standing on God’s word. 

Jesus uses this example of this centurion’s faith which was a Gentile to contrast it with the faithlessness of the Jews.  He states that many will come from the east and west and sit at the table with the patriarchs of the faith but will be cast into outer darkness because they did not believe or accept Christ as the Messiah. 

Jesus was astonished at this man’s faith.  He could believe without restrictions, without his presence.  Jesus instructs the centurion that just as he wills it so will it be and in that same hour his servant was healed.  Tomorrow, we will look at our third miracle and compare and contrast them. I want to encourage us all to “just believe.”   Yesterday, we talked about how God was willing and so today;  just believe. 

God Bless!!!!    Don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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