Who's in Charge?
Who’s in charge here?
Matthew 8:5-13
Major Paul Ryerson
Corps Officer
Gwinnett County, Georgia Division
Authority
How do you deal with authority? Some of us do well with it. We respect it, and in some cases, thrive with it. Others, however, like to push it, challenge it, rebuke it, and even reject it. Some aspire to be the authority. Those who have it might like to flaunt it. Authority usually comes into our lives in one of two ways: formal and informal. Formal authority is given by position or title, whereas informal authority is earned and respected. Every now and then, a person in leadership successfully blends the two together, such as Jim White.
Coach Jim White
White was a teacher in the McFarland School District (California) in the 80’s and decided that he was going to start a cross country team. The school was very poor and cross country wasn’t a sport with a following. Most of the students were Latino, and outside of school, they spent their days working in the fields with their parents. When he tried to form a team, it wasn’t the kids that had to be convinced, but their parents. Sports was a luxury that didn’t provide for the family. The students would miss practices because their parents just didn’t see running cross country as something to invest time in. This is when Jim White decided to try something new. Instead of punishing the team for being late to practice, because they had been out in the fields all day with their dads, he would wake up early and go help them pick the fields so that they could make practice on time. He started going to their houses to have dinner with their families to show that he had their son's best interest at heart. After earning the parent's trust, he and his students formed a cross country team, went to state, and won the championship. Not just once, but nine times. The McFarland Cross Country Team went to the State Championship for 24 consecutive years after that. What started as a formal authority, blended into something that changed the course of those students' lives.
A Centurion’s Servant
In Matthew 8, when Jesus had entered the city of Capernaum, a centurion, a commander in the Roman army, rushed to him and said, “Lord, my servant lies at home paralyzed and
is in terrible suffering.” Jesus replied, “I will go and heal him.” Now pay attention to the centurion's reply. The centurion said, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” This is his way of saying, “I recognize that I am not worth your time, but if you find mercy, I know you can heal my servant from here.” The centurion then said to Jesus, “I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell them to ‘Go’ and they go. I tell them to ‘Come’ and they do. I tell my servants ‘Do this’ and they do it.” The centurion is a man of authority, who can get what he wants when he wants. He walks the streets and people tend to his every need. His authority to the people of Capernaum is formal. It’s position and title. They respond to him because they are afraid of him. However, there is one thing his authority cannot do: heal. His servant was sick and all the authority in the world could not fix that. That is, until there was Jesus.
Jesus blended the two realms together, the physical and spiritual. While He was on this earth, He chose not to come as a person of earthly authority. His interest wasn’t, “Come worship Me because I have authority over you.” Instead, He used His authority to bless us. Jesus’ authority could have made the most powerful kings fall to their knees, but He chose to come as a humble servant because it was the soul He was after. You can see these two authorities engage when the centurion approaches Jesus.
Crossroads
So, what happened when these two authorities intersected? When the centurion's earthly authority encountered Jesus’ heavenly authority? After all, this person represents the oppression of Rome. They are taking their money, regulating their lives, and corrupting religious leaders. Jesus said to the centurion, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith! Go, your servant will be healed just as you believed it would be”. Matthew 8 shows us that Jesus had compassion for him and healed his servant. Powerful things happen when we have faith.
If you are in a position of authority, professionally, family, friends, etc., don’t allow it to be a substitute for faith. The centurion knew his authority, his expertise, and his knowledge was limited. He had to go to the person who was over it all. The same is true for us today. Sometimes we fall into the lie that as leaders, we must have all the answers for every problem life throws at us. If we don’t, then we must be bad leaders. That just isn’t true. That’s a lie that the enemy has been using since before any of us were around. It is Satan's way of having us lean more on our own authority and less on Jesus’.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.’” Matthew 28:18
Our Corporate Prayer
Lord, I submit all my authority under Yours. I recognize that there are things that I cannot accomplish without You. May my faith be like that of the centurion, a faith that understands that everything on heaven and earth belongs to You. Amen.
Our Worldwide Prayer Meeting
Taiwan Region
Thinking it Through
How well do you deal with authority? More importantly, how well do you yield to God's authority in your life? How can He work with you and through you based on your obedience? How can you expect His blessing based on your heeding what He says?.
Notable Quotables
When obedience to contradicts what I think will give me pleasure, let me ask myself if I love Him. - Elisabeth Elliot
Michael W. Smith reminds us that God is the "Waymaker"
We would appreciate any feedback and/or suggestions on how to improve these devotionals. Please email comments to: SpiritualLifeDevelopment@uss.salvationarmy.org or by going to our website: https://southernusa.salvationarmy.org/uss/spiritual-life-development.
We would love to hear from you.
Lt. Colonel Allen Satterlee
Territorial Spiritual Life Development Officer/THQ Chaplain
USA Southern Territory