The Word is All You Need

And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to those who followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. (Matthew 8:5-10)

This man didn't have a theology degree. He was a Roman soldier. That means he was a Gentile, an outsider by every Jewish standard, yet Jesus stopped in His tracks and marveled at his faith. He was not at a rabbi, a scribe or someone who had spent his life studying the law. A Roman centurion made Jesus marvel.

The reason was simple. The man understood authority. His servant was sick at home, grievously tormented. But the centurion himself wasn't interested in Jesus making the trip to see his servant. He stopped Him and said, “You do not need to come to my house. Just speak the word.” He explained his reasoning plainly by saying he was a man under authority. He had soldiers he could tell to go somewhere, and they would go right away. He knew that if he gave an order, it would be carried out because he understood how authority works. He knew what it meant to speak with power that produces results. And he recognized that kind of authority in Jesus. He knew Jesus’ Word was enough.

Jesus looked at the crowd behind Him. These were the people who had grown up in the synagogue with Him, who had heard the Scripture their whole lives, and He said something that had to hit like a slap to the face: "I have not seen faith this great anywhere in Israel." He  was a Roman soldier, an outsider and a man with zero covenant history. He had more working faith than the people who had been handed the promises of God since the day they were born. That is the kind of faith God is looking for— Word only faith with no props required.

Practical Application

That is the kind of faith God is looking for: Word only faith with no props required.

Psalm 107:25; Luke 7:8