DOMINION OF GOD’S WORD

“But only SPEAK A WORD, and my servant will be healed” – Mt.8:8b

Authentic Faith is about yielding to the DOMINION of GOD’S WORD: “The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only SPEAK A WORD, and my servant will be healed” (Mat.8:8). Here was the classic model of yielding to the Dominion of the Word. After Jesus finished His great discourse on the mount, large crowds followed Him everywhere (Matthew 5-7). In addition to the powerful message that He had just delivered, Jesus spoke and acted with unique authority and thus commanded attention (Mt.7: 28-29). Case after case, He demonstrated His authority over: diseases, elements of nature, demons, sin, and death. These were the authenticating credentials of the King!

This story of the centurion, who came to Jesus on behalf of his paralyzed servant, emphasises on the Authority of the Spoken Word of the Lord – by His command He was able to heal the sick. Remarkably, this faith was demonstrated by a Gentile and not a Jew. Here was a man who understood the power of authoritative commands, and who recognized that Jesus had that power. This prompted Jesus to express His amazement at the faith of this man, a faith unmatched in Israel.

Jesus said: “I will come and heal him” (v.7b). He showed willingness to go and confidence for a positive result. On his part, the centurion made a statement, a request, and an explanation (vv.8-9). He stated that he was not worthy for Jesus to come into his house being a non-Jew and Roman soldier. He also recognized that he was in the presence of someone who was much more than a prophet. He had heard of Jesus’ power and authority, and now turned to Him for help. His request was that Jesus should speak the word only. He didn’t have to come and see the sick man or lay hands on him. He simply had to speak. He believed that Jesus had so much authority that His word would be sufficient for the healing. What a great faith!

The centurion’s explanation was: He was a man under authority. He gave commands and people obeyed, because he had authority to do that. He was given commands by his superiors, and he obeyed them because he recognized authority. Because he was under authority he was able to exercise authority over others. He saw that this was true of Jesus as well; but His authority was incomparable. The centurion commanded men to do physically possible things, and had the authority to make them do it. But Jesus had the authority to command physically impossible things, things beyond human capacity, diseases, demons, and even death. His Word was efficacious in and of itself.

This man simply accepted Christ as the sovereign Commander of life and all its aspects. And Jesus commended his faith, and then predicted that Gentiles would take the place of many Jews in the kingdom (vv.10-12). This was the greatest demonstration of faith He had seen, greater than any Israelite’s faith so far. Faith is the confidence or reliance one places on the object of faith. The centurion had some information about Jesus, accepted that it was true, and acted in confidence on it. Strong faith in the Lord also comes from great humility; from people who depend on the Lord for that which they cannot do for themselves. Those who are self-sufficient seldom have the opportunity to develop faith like this.

Whatever we might be going through, if we would let God’s Word have the dominion in our lives, we’ll always walk in absolute victory. This demands that we know the Word, and let it guide our thoughts, words and actions (Jh.8:32). We must study and consistently meditate on the Word, keeping it in our hearts and mouth (2Tim.2:15). Through meditation, we bring ourselves under the influence of the Word, and are transformed and spiritually energized for victory (Jos.1:8; Psa.1: 1-3). We must be bold to make faith proclamations, believing what God says and confessing the same! God expects us to “speak the Word only” and believing, see great signs and wonders manifest in His Name!