And, when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented. Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 

Matt. 8:5-9 (BSB)

Authority. The Greek word translated here refers to “power as entrusted, i.e. commission, authority, right, full power.” And, as we know, power is heady stuff. For every good boss, there is one who uses that authority to gain personal advantage. And we deal with “bosses” of all varieties from the person who signs our paycheck to the individual who heads up the committee we have volunteered for.  Even anarchists have to have someone in charge.

The authority of entrusted power is a Scriptural principle, going back to Eden when God gave Adam authority over Creation to “rule over the fish of the seas and over the birds of the sky and over every living things that moves on the earth.” (Gen. 1:26) The story of  Scripture is the story of ordinary people who were given authority to do great things. 

In Jesus’ time a Roman centurion was the commander of a hundred soldiers, a superior example of a soldier and leader his men would follow. His authority derived from the power of the Roman army and everything he did was in service to its goals. As the story shows, he also cared deeply for the welfare of those under his command. Today, we might use the term, servant leader, to describe him. 

There is another lesson on authority found in this story. The centurion understood that the source of Jesus’ authority was greater than all the resources of the Roman army, a power even over illness and death (Matt. 8:10). And so should we. Then, when we, like the centurion are out of answers, we will go to the top.

Dear Lord,

Human leaders and their transient power can seem to promise ultimate outcomes. But your authority is final and glorious for all eternity for those who love you and are called according to Your purposes. Amen.

Nancy Shirah