The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. Acts 23:8.

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” Matthew 8:5-10.

We watched on Thursday the depiction of the 2nd Scripture given above on Season 4, Episode 4 of The Chosen. Authority. The centurion understood authority. With his understanding of how authority worked, he knew all Jesus had to do was say the word and his servant would be healed…by His word alone. Authority.

The writer of our psalm understood authority. Psalm 125: Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil. Lord, do good to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart. But those who turn to crooked ways the Lord will banish with the evildoers. Peace be on Israel.

We live in a world ruled by men and the scepter, the symbol of their authority, will not remain. This present world is dying from within from the disease of sin. Only Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, can heal us. The centurion recognized Jesus’s authority and welcomed it. Do we? He knew only Jesus could heal his servant and he went to Him in great need. And a Roman centurion called Jesus Lord. God’s Sovereign Authority which cannot be shaken but endures forever.

The remarkable thing about following Jesus is that you begin to trust Him. You begin to understand that in God’s timing, He will say the word and we will be healed. He will heal us. No longer will our lives look like those white-washed tombs that look good from the outside but that are decaying from the inside. Are you tired of floundering in your own or others “authority”? Turn to God. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. This world will be healed in God’s perfect timing but we can we with Him now in His love for each of us. God’s Sovereign Authority.