Believing In The Ability AND Will of Jesus.

Then Jesus told the centurion, “Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that very moment. – Matthew 8:13, CSB

In the New Testament, centurions are consistently depicted in a positive light. In each encounter with one, they are painted as fair, humble, and open to faith.

A centurion was a mid-level officer in the Roman army responsible for 80-100 soldiers. They weren’t born into their well-paid positions; they rose through the ranks of the army. They were known for their discipline, loyalty, and battlefield experience. They weren’t part of the elite or royal class. Instead, they were the ones who connected the army’s commanders to the soldiers. And unlike generals and governors who came and went, centurions were career soldiers who stayed with their units for decades.

So when this centurion, in Matthew’s account, came to Jesus, he came with an understanding of authority. He didn’t start with a request; rather, he passed on information. “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony” (Matthew 8:6, CSB). He passed on the information and waited for Jesus’ response. When Jesus asked, “Am I to come and heal him?”, the centurion replied with this:

“Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. 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.” – Matthew 8:8-9 (CSB)

He recognized Jesus’ authority and approached him with full confidence in Jesus’ ability. He spoke to Jesus because he believed Jesus could do whatever he wanted.

And Jesus’ response?

“Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following him, ‘Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith. I tell you that many will come from east and west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Then Jesus told the centurion, ‘Go. As you have believed, let it be done to you.’ And his servant was healed that very moment.” – Matthew 8:10-13 (CSB, emphasis added).

I want my belief in Jesus’ ability to amaze him. I want him to be so blessed and overjoyed because of my belief that he is sovereign and is able to do whatever he desires. And in this passage, Jesus’ desire was to grant the desire of the centurion according to the way the centurion believed. I believe the centurion believed in two key ways that are vital in our faith journeys with the Lord.

First, he believed according to Jesus’ authority and ability. He did not waver in his belief that Jesus could do anything and everything. He saw in Jesus authority and ability that led him to come to him humbly, calling him Lord and recognizing his own unworthiness to even ask for this miracle.

But second, he also believed in accordance with Jesus’ will. The fact that the centurion didn’t tell Jesus how he thought Jesus should respond is telling. Instead, he simply told Jesus the problem, declared his belief in Jesus’ ability, and then submitted to whatever Jesus decided to do. Please don’t get me wrong. According to Scripture we are invited to ask for things in prayer (Matthew 7:7-8; 21:22; Mark 11:24; Luke 11:9-13; 18:1-8; John 14:13-14; 15:7; 15:16; John 16:23-24) But as we ask we must also surrender our prayers and requests to the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2). We should pray as Jesus prayed in the garden before he took our cross.

“Abba, Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.” – Mark 14:36, CSB

Jesus knew the Father could do all things. Because of that, he asked that the cup of God’s wrath that he was about to drink because of us on the cross be taken from him. But after he asked, he once again submitted to God’s will. And that will of God, even though it was the cross and suffering that Jesus would experience, was still good, pleasing, and perfect.

May we all have the faith of the centurion whom Jesus has bragged about for the past couple of thousand years. In that moment, Jesus told everyone in earshot that he had encountered no one with the same faith as this centurion. May we approach Jesus with the same conviction in his ability and authority. And with that belief, come to him with the same humility, submitting to and desiring his will because we believe it to be good, pleasing, and perfect. And let’s leave Jesus amazed and speechless as we trust him. And even though this shouldn’t be the motivation of our belief in him, we might find him bragging about us in the same way he’s bragged about that nameless centurion he met so long ago in Capernaum.