KEY SCRIPTURES: Luke 7:1-10

Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.

RELEVANCE 

2 Sam 5:1 tells a story that is as relevant and significant today and at the end of time as it was in that day.

Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.

At that stage, David was merely the King of Judah, not of all Israel. The compelling note is what they said: We are thy bone and thy flesh—in other words, his body.

In verse 2, they said, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: 

They recognised him as King! Fast-forward to Jesus Christ, who asks us if we recognise him as King. Of course, we all answer YES! But do we? 

The Apostle Paul tells us in Colossians 1:18 that Jesus, like David before him, is also the head of a body. And he is the head of the body, the church:

So now I will question that YES by asking if our FAITH recognises Him as King, not just our mouths. Faith is the key.

But what else is central to this issue? Faith in David provoked the Israelites to appoint him King. They knew his capabilities to lead them to victories and freedom.  How do we get our FAITH to recognise Jesus as King? 

The answer is in our key scripture. It shows Jesus in Capernaum. A Roman centurion of all people wanted his servant healed and thought Jesus could do it. Upon hearing the request, Jesus began walking with others towards the centurion's home.  But the centurion recognised Him as the King that He was. He KNEW nobody was greater than Jesus—not Herod, Caeser or Satan. He KNEW that Jesus had the power over illness and death. Among all the disciples and other followers, including those Jewish elders, this centurion was the only one who understood the bedrock of faith.  

He was the ONLY ONE who said that Jesus didn't need to come to his house. He basically said, "You can be anywhere in your Kingdom, and just utter the WORD, and it shall be done." He knew without doubt that Jesus’ decree would stand wherever He was and didn't shy away from that deep understanding.

The centurion did not doubt at all. He arrived at that conclusion and believed.  When Jesus heard the Centurion's stand of faith, he proclaimed, I have not seen so greater faith in Israel.  

This is the faith Christ wants to see in us. 

Take a close look at the centurion’s faith in Luke 7:1-10. He liked the Jews and possibly their religion because he built them a synagogue. His armed forces training helped with his unquestioning faith. If Jesus said yes, He expected a healing! He understood that TRUST in the leader of a kingdom underpins all authority and is the bedrock of a successful kingdom.

Unquestioning faith incorporates bottomless trust. Trust was second nature in the Roman armed forces because events came to pass. Do we TRUST Jesus Christ and His Word as implicitly as the centurion? Because everything He said will come to pass.  

Do we recognise Him as King and Head of the Body? Do we trust His Word to change OUR lives? Do we recognise His higher goals for us as His flesh and bones?

Do we discern the High Calling of God in Christ, and are we running towards that?  

PRAYER

Dear Lord, I realise my faith must be built on supreme trust in my supreme Saviour and King. Please lead me in faith and trust, at the very least, to that of the centurion. 

Photo by Christian Wiediger