03/21/2018
UNDER AUTHORITY
A Roman centurion asked Jesus to restore his paralyzed servant: “Just say the word, and my servant will be healed” (Mt 8:8). Jesus was astonished at his faith but the centurion explained, “I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go’, and he goes.” The centurion had authority because he was under authority. He could command because he obeyed commands. That Roman soldier had more than faith; he had perception and saw that Jesus also acted “under authority” to God. That meant that he had authority to command sickness to go and it would go. Whatever Jesus did was “under authority.” He had to do the will of his Father. Our salvation depended on it. His saving work was no casual operation or sideshow. For that matter neither was Creation, although God brought it into being simply by saying: “Let there be light” (Gen 1:3). Salvation is, however, a far different matter. When Jesus told Mary and Joseph, “I must be about my Father’s business” (Lk 2:49 NKJV), he was talking about the business of salvation. It was the Father’s business for the Son to be born and for salvation to be his immediate and direct business. He came to earth to be our Savior. He was the Word that spoke at Creation, but for salvation the Word came to us. His coming was life-long, a sustained sacrifice climaxing in the most horrible death. That was love in its most ultimate form. “Lest I forget Gethsemane, lest I forget His agony, lest I forget His love for me, lead me to Calvary.” God Bless you today. REINHARD BONNKE
