Jesus was having a busy ministry day when a Roman centurion approached Him and asked for help. Jesus offered to come to his house and pray for his sick servant, but the soldier startled Jesus with an astonishing understanding of spiritual authority. Matthew 8:6-10, 13 tells the story:
“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.
The centurion understood how authority flows. A command is given, passed down, and carried out. He understood that to have authority, you must first be under authority. The more authority you have over you, the more authority you can manifest to others. He understood that to lead, you must first follow. To be a good leader, you must first be a good follower.
This centurion understood how the Kingdom of God functions. To receive what he needed from Jesus, all he needed was for Jesus to speak it. He understood that the power and authority of the Kingdom of God was unleashed by the words He spoke.
