Speak it and it is So

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

SPEAK IT AND IT IS SO

Luke 7:1-10

7:1 When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." 6 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.   8 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." 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."  10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

NIV

A rather long narrative about a sick and dying servant of a centurion being healed simply because of the understanding of the authority of Jesus by that centurion, which Jesus saw as faith. But that is the truth of this lesson. Faith is a result of understanding the authority of Jesus. If we believe Jesus is God in the flesh, then we have no other course of action then to submit to his authority, to trust his authority, to obey his authority. The centurion understood that he was not worthy to have Jesus in his home, yet he also knew Jesus had authority over matters even if he was not at his home. Jesus does not need to stand in front of us to heal us, or as so many ask for him to touch a sick person to heal them. He merely needs to say the words and we will be healed. We should also note the servant was of great value to the centurion and see this could also being showing us of how Christ regards us as servants of great value. But the lesson is about faith, about believing so much in the authority of Jesus we need only ask him to say the words and we will be healed. We know that in the temptation of Jesus by the devil to turn stones into bread, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy, telling the devil, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Here is that truth in action, the servant was healed by the words from the mouth of God. Our lives are under the authority of God, and he speaks our very life into existence, first our natural one, and second our new spiritual one. It is his authority that tells us, his words that give us life, and new birth, and the right to be called children of the most high God. Nothing we can say or do could ever match, or even come close to matching, the words that come from the mouth of God. We could not live if it were not for his words. Many people might disagree and say their lives are full and they have no regard for God at all, in fact, they do not even believe in God that he exists. But they will not have life eternal, even in hell, they will perish, cease to exist, both in body and soul. Our life, our life eternal is completely dependent on the words of God, in his authority. He only needs to speak it and it is so.