Faith in Jesus’ Authority

Matthew 8: 5-13

The centurion is Roman and not Jewish.  At this point, Israel had been under Roman control for close to a hundred years.  While no people wants to be under a foreign government, Rome gave their conquests a long leash, especially the Jews, for reasons we won’t go into here.  You can sense from our passage that there’s at least quiet between the invaders and the invaded.  Perhaps even some mutual respect?  

But this Roman centurion takes things much further in that – though officially he’s in the powerful position with all the leverage – he’s obviously humble.  Lord, he says to Jesus.  He said that with a straight face?!  That’s not a title a centurion of Rome should impart to a lower-class Jew!  

Then, notice that the centurion makes the first move toward Jesus – how undignified.  He appeals to Jesus; doesn’t command.  And then from this guy who probably lived in a 4000 ft2 Colonial on 8 landscaped acres: I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.  This is all rather shocking.  

Did you catch the explanation for why the centurion holds Jesus in such high regard?  That’s found in v. 9.  He’s in the army – he has superiors that he answers to and he has direct reports.  In other words, if this centurion’s name was “Bo,” Bo knows hierarchy.  He understands power and authority.  

Do you like how he draws out this little speech on knowing authority?  I say to this guy, ___X___, and then to this guy, ___Y______, and then to this guy, ______Z_____.  And the X guy does X, the Y guy does Y, the Z guy does Z.  It’s not certain magical words that get the job done; it’s all about my authority inhabiting the words.

What the centurion is saying in a roundabout way: I, who know a lot about authority and getting things done recognize in you the power and sovereignty to heal from any distance you want.  Because of your total command, to heal my servant you don’t require proximity or staging or a certain atmosphere or momentum or the energy arising from a large audience.  Out of yourself is power that overcomes what’s in its way.  

That’s why the centurion was humble before Jesus.  Not because Jesus possessed a certain charisma or because he was offering a beautiful worldview… but because He was powerful.  Authority respected higher authority.  

The paragraph doesn’t say it explicitly, but it seems obvious that beforehand the centurion had spent time studying this Man.  He knew of Him well enough so that he could look past the unspectacular presentation of a guy in the trades wearing Wal-Mart clothes…and see unmatched power!  

But then, Jesus’ disciples had spent plenty of time with Him… why did the centurion’s faith outpace theirs?  Why was Jesus’ power so obvious to him and not as obvious to them?  And here I don’t have much of an answer except to say, the centurion had this supernatural gift of…faith.  

Anyway, to the centurion’s statement on what he believes Jesus capable of and why, Jesus whistles.  Whoa.  I want to add Whoa, didn’t see that coming but I don’t know if that’d be accurate about the God-Man.  But still, Jesus marveled.  Pointedly, he marvels at this centurion’s faith (last word of v.10).  The strength of his trust astonished Jesus.  

This Roman’s deep belief in Jesus prompted Jesus to comment on the bigger picture.  With no one in Israel have I found such faith.  If there would be an instance of someone possessing outstanding faith, you’d guess it’d be an Israelite.  They had been primed for belief.  As Paul reflected in another place: To the Israelites belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of Torah, the worship, and the promises.  To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever.  Amen.  (Romans 9:4,5)

And yet with all Israel’s advantages, here is a Roman who has the strongest faith of anyone Jesus has come across.  

In the Roman centurion’s great faith, Jesus discerns a larger pattern.  The faith of the centurion is an emblem of where things are going: At the end-of-the-ages meal that celebrates the victory of God’s Kingdom, the meal that all of history is moving toward, there will be plenty of non-Israelites sitting among the patriarchs of Israel.  

On the other hand, there’ll be some sons of the kingdom – and here the context indicates that this is a designation for Israelites, those who by birth and cultural milieu have long enjoyed a front row to the advancing of God’s Kingdom – there’ll be sons of the kingdom who will be thrown into outer darkness.  

Thrown.  We need to be clear that final punishment isn’t merely the logical conclusion of what people have been deciding for throughout their lives – although it is that.  But people will enter final punishment as the result of a direct action of God.  Thrown is a reference to a judicial sentence of ultimate punishment, and God’s doing the throwing.  

And lest Jesus be heard as espousing annihilation in which the final state of the soul is to be destroyed into nothingness, He adds in that place [of outer darkness] there will beweeping and gnashing of teeth.  A place where a person continues in a state of savage regret and frustration…but he does in some sense continue.  

Man.  Have you ever been around someone who has this ability out of small things to immediately grasp the big picture, to spot where things will end up from the very start?  Jesus had that gift.  The centurion says a couple of sentences about how he views Jesus, and from that in Jesus’ mind two opposite post-judgment Day snapshots come into view: eating a communal celebration meal vs weeping and gnashing the teeth.  

Because it grounds the whole thing, we should mention the end of the story… even though we could see it coming.  Jesus tells the centurion he can leave, that according to his faith let it be done, and upon returning home the centurion indeed discovers his servant had been healed just at the moment Jesus was sending him on his way.  The servant had been lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.  And now, by Jesus’ authority, through the faith of the centurion in Jesus’ authority, the servant is comfortable and safe.  

What should we do with this story?  I’ll list just three things:

• This story reminds us that everyone is enroute to one of two destinations.  

And crisis and need can lay bare which of those two destinations we’re headed toward.  Even the small things we do and say in times of crisis reveal our habits of thought before the crisis.  And those habits of thought are good indicators as to which of those two destinations we’re headed toward.    

• Also, it’s possible to be close to the things of God and yet end up in the place of outer darkness.  

I’ve emphasized before that all who have grown up in the western world have lived in a culture that has been shaped by Christ.  You know that good feeling we all have when after the defensive end sacks the quarterback he helps him back onto his feet?  You know how in our bones we believe that just because someone doesn’t have money he must still get his say in court?  Christ’s authority has accomplished that.

But just because we’re living in a world where Christ’s authority is present and active and benefitting from that doesn’t mean that we have faith.  

Just because we’re living next to religious symbols, have Bibles in our home, have fish stickers on our car, say vague prayers to a generic Deity, etc… doesn’t indicate that we’re saved.  In fact, with all these we could still be clueless, already living in darkness, unaware of Christ’s authority, unimpressed by Him.  Unformed.  Unchanged. 

While still talking God talk.  Jesus talk.  Gospel talk. 

Let your eyes glance up to Jesus’ chilling words in Matthew 7:21: Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?”  And then will I declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”  

• The difference maker is faith in Jesus Christ. 

That’s the key word Jesus put His finger on.  Faith.  And we learn something big here: that faith has much to do with recognizing and responding to the authority of Christ.  

Those who are on the way to the end time celebration have come out of darkness through their faith, that is, through their grasp of the authority of Christ.  They’ve been given insight, and so confessed with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, and have believed in their heart, truly believed, that God raised Jesus from the dead.  (Romans 10: 9,10).  Yes, their official stance before their family and to the public is that Jesus is Lord, which comes out of their core personal conviction that God raised Him out of death, Lord over all powers up to and including death. 

An enlightened person is the one who’s come to believe that the story of Jesus rises above all others.  He’s grasped that Jesus’ life and death and resurrection are the key to the whole story of the world… that accounts of reality/ worldviews/ stories of progress and order and goodness and beauty/ which don’t take this Jesus Gospel seriously are false and even dangerous… ticking time bombs.  

So, salvation begins through a grasp of Christ’s glory.  But here’s the thing: after initially grasping that Jesus is Lord, saving faith continues with a growing sense of the high authority of Christ.  After the initial recognition and confession that Jesus is Lord, the remainder of your life in this world is as a follower of Christ, Jesus’ apprentice, learning to observe everything He commanded.  

A faith that recognizes Jesus’ authority marks the start of regenerated life; a growing appreciation of the authority of Christ is what marks the ongoing regenerated life.  “From faith to faith” is what salvation looks like.   

What does this ongoing and growing acknowledgment of Jesus’ authority look like?  Let me give you an example:  You’re a hypochondriac who’s constantly scanning your body for various aches or pains that might spell the end.  One afternoon you feel pain in your chest: is that your heart or your pectoral muscle?  Fear surges through you…you’re not ready…kids still need you…

That initial stab of fear doesn’t mean you that don’t believe Christ, that you’re not trusting in His authority.  

But given the pain in your chest, what would it look like to trust Christ, to show yourself as His apprentice learning to do all that He commands?

Well, what it looks like in that moment is that you bring this chest pain and related fear to the Lord, and you appeal to him.  Lord, this is likely yet another passing pain that doesn’t mean anything.  If it’s not, and is something serious, would you help me through this?  

But since it’s probably not serious, what about this fear?  You’ve said not to be anxious.  But obviously I’m anxious.  Forgive me, Lord.  I believe; help my unbelief.  

I bring my anxiety to you, the Lord of spirits, the Lord who sits enthroned over the flood, the Lord who has power over the demonic powers.  I believe that nothing can separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.  

I believe that the power of sickness, psychological sickness, death – are powers that you’re over, even that you wield.  I believe that all things work together for good to those who love you.  

Oh, God, give me courage.  Give my children courage.  Give my church members courage as they face their own terrors.  I pray for the Church in Asia who are facing more non-psychological troubles.

Lord, would you somehow use my ongoing battle to resist anxiety and trust in Your authority as a way of glorifying You?  May Your Kingdom advance.

Then you text someone in your Christian community to whom you’ve confided your struggles with hypochondria.  Pray for me!  

And…you do this the next time.  And the next.     

And so, even though fear seemingly has the upper hand, you’re resisting being conformed to it; rather you’re allowing your mind to fill up with the words of Jesus and willing that your responses be formed by Him… because you’ve come to see that He is Lord.

Rather than sitting in terror you’re directing your mind to the Lord and calling on Him.  Because you’ve been trained by the Lord, your prayers either start with or end in supplications that go beyond yourself, that long for the glory of God and the advancement of His Kingdom.

Abiding in Jesus Christ as a refuge.  Calling out to Him.  His words dwelling richly in you.  And all this not on your own but in a connection with the community of the faith.  This is what it looks like for someone who believes in Christ, who trusts in His authority to face trials and temptation and terrors.    

So, that’s what faith – submission to Christ’s authority – looks like in the moment.  But obviously, that faith has been formed before that moment of crisis.  There’s been a history of learning from and submitting to Christ.  

Faith grows over time and through training.  The apprenticeship under Jesus is lifelong.  Submitting to Jesus’ authority doesn’t usually mean that obeying Him will be easy or feel natural, especially at first.  Trusting Christ as Lord also doesn’t mean that you’ll be delivered instantly from habits of not trusting in Him.  Many times, we lack muscle memory and obedience to Christ feels awkward…even wrong!  (We can’t trust our feelings!). 

It might take years, decades of resistance and calling out to Jesus until it comes to be natural not to fear but to rest in the power of Christ. But you’re committed to that training because you believe Jesus is Lord.  

And, importantly, you really are submitting to the authority of Christ.  In learning from Him, you’re not faking it or getting caught up in momentary emotions; this isn’t just Jesus talk.  You’re willing to align your schedule and change your habits in order to observe all that He commands.  

So, for example, from a foundation of acknowledging the authority of Christ, away from the moment of terror a follower of Christ who’s a hypochondriac could (not necessarily must!) have made these kinds of decisions:  

• I’ve learned that drinking more than two cups of coffee puts me in a state of agitation that makes it all the more difficult to forsake anxiety and trust Christ.  So…
• I’ve learned that I need to start the day in silence with just the psalms opened before me…otherwise I’m especially fretful.  In order to be alone in the morning I’ll need to have gone to bed early.  This mean TV off by ______ pm.  This will mean….  
• In moments of temptation to panic I need to have Scripture verses and trains of thought to hold onto.  So…
• I realize that the Church is key to all this – not just as support or accountability, but part of growing up away from fear and into Christ is learning to serve the Body and empty myself of myself.  So…
• A rhythm that I see in Scripture is six days working; one day Sabbath.  In order to learn how to trust Christ, I’ll need 1/7 days of not working – not to binge on Netflix – but to get convinced of God’s majesty, to burrow my mind into trusting His promises of forgiveness of sin and supply, to grow to enjoy Him, to enter His rest.  I’m going to turn off technology that day.  No browsing.  Talk with Christian friends.  My kids.  Talk more to God.  Once every seven days…

Do you see – structuring your life, simplifying your life, so that you – the you as you are – learns to trust Christ because you’ve come to believe He is a good Lord who’s over all.

Faith, a genuine recognition of the authority of Christ, is what marks those who have turned off the road to outer darkness and are on the way to the Kingdom of God.  

And moving on from their conversion, it’s also faith, a growing, genuine response to the authority of Christ, that characterizes the life of God’s children.  

God, help us to quickly arrive at the truth that – in order for our lives to make any kind of sense – they need to be all about Jesus!  Give us discernment in how to trust Him.  AMEN

I’ll ask the men to come forward.

Just from our passage this morning, we can spot various reasons to trust Jesus.  The centurion – himself no obtuse religious teacher or pie-in-the-sky philosopher, but a man firmly planted in real life – found Him to be trustworthy.  Trust Christ because trustworthy people trust Him.  

Trust Christ because He healed the servant.  Look around, human brothers and sisters, and observe how the world has changed for good through the coming of Christ.  Remember the defensive end!  

But how about this: trust Christ who uttered the phrase “outer darkness.”  Outer darkness.  I didn’t know there was even such a thing.  And…it sounds like good sleeping conditions…but Jesus implies it’s a place of nightmares, horror.  Trust Jesus because He understands reality.  Trust Jesus because He tells us of a place of outer darkness. 

Trust Jesus because He has entered the outer darkness.  On a certain day Jesus, Teacher and Healer, walked willingly with eyes wide open into the dingy alley of betrayal, cowardice, mob frenzy, torture, injustice, taunting, futility, greed, coarse cruelty, God-forsakenness, thirst, pain, humiliation, demonic plot, broken body, bloodletting, death.  You heard God-forsakenness?  

Then, the noonday sun let go its light, went dark to signify that the Creator was entering the starless night of un-creation, of the holy God’s judgment against the image-bearers who’d trivialized HIM.  Jesus walked into outer darkness to settle things, so we’d never have cause to enter there.

Oh, trust Him who loves you.  Who understands darkness.  Who has known your darkness and is willing and able to wipe it away.  Trust Jesus.

Thank.  Ask.  Ask for your brothers and sisters.