The Centurion ~
Jesus has finished the Sermon on the Mount & heads into Capernaum where He encounters a centurion, or according to Luke - the centurions friends. (Remember, Matthew was an eye witness, Luke is recounting someone else's eye witness account. It is normal for these types of details to differ.) A Roman centurion was a soldier. This man would not have been a Jew, yet he displays some of the greatest faith of anyone in the Bible.
First, Jesus takes this moment to address the crowd, reminding them that the kingdom of heaven isn't reserved for the Jews. It is open to all who believe. Whoo Hoo! That's good news for you & me.
Second, this man is so confident about who Jesus is that he doesn't even ask Jesus to come to his home. No, he knows that Jesus is able to do all things where ever He is. Wow, that's some BIG faith. Plus, the man was humble & submissive. See, when you have someone in your life that is in authority over you - you serve with humble submission. That means you trust them to be your leader. You don't demand your way, but you respect their way. You follow their instructions without attitude or strive. You do these things because you trust that the person in authority over you knows what is best.
Oh, humble submission is a difficult attitude to master. But it is very worth the effort. Humble submission to the Lord Jesus Christ takes the yoke off your back & puts it on His. It takes away questions, worry, and doubt, leaving you with confidence, joy, and peace. Doesn't that sound good?
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