Watchman: Daily Devotional, Jesus Was Astonished. His Own People Didn’t See What This Gentile Understood. The Jews, Who Had the Writings of the Prophets and Examples of God Dealing With Man, Didn’t See Jesus’ Authority as Clearly as The Roman’s Did. Do You?
Matthew 8:8-10 8 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. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.
A centurion approached Jesus, pleading for the healing of a servant who was in excruciating pain. The Romans thought of servants as instruments that were abandoned when they became worn or damaged. This Roman, who was undoubtedly a battle-hardened overseer of 100 soldiers, had a heart. He must have heard about the large throngs who came to Jesus to be healed. It led him to believe that this man, Jesus, possessed skills much above those of regular men.
He was deployed to that region and was familiar with the Jews' strong faith and commitment to one God. All of these considerations put him in an awkward position. Despite the fact that his culture was vastly different from that of Jews, he found hope and power in this Jewish Rabbi.
After hearing the situation, Jesus stated that he would go and heal the servant. Most religious leaders of the time would never enter a Gentile home. They were afraid it would corrupt them, but Jesus was eager to assist this Gentile seeker of the truth. The centurion then made an amazing parallel. He requested that Jesus simply say the word, and the servant would be healed. He said that as a centurion, he has authority and simply issues instructions, which are carried out by others. The idea is that Jesus can do the same thing in the spiritual realm.
Jesus was taken aback. His own people were blind to what this Gentile saw. The Jews, who had prophetic texts and examples of God working with men, did not recognize Jesus' power as plainly as this Roman did. Do you?
Ponder this: One word from Jesus and the physical universe is eternally changed. All things are held together by His word. His words created everything. His word has the power to change you and others you care about.
We all experience times when we feel weak - whether physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. The unexpected happens, and we feel at a loss for what to do. In these times of need, pausing to pray can provide powerful relief. God is waiting for us to call out to Him and ask Him for strength.
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
Dear Lord, I am calling upon you today for your divine guidance and help. I am in crisis and need a supporting hand to keep me on the right and just path. My heart is troubled but I will strive to keep it set on you, as your infinite wisdom will show me the right way to a just and right resolution. Thank you for hearing my prayer and for staying by my side. Amen.
The Great Tribulation
It is our belief that the Great Tribulation referred to in the New Testament Book of Revelation (chapters 6-11) is unfolding before our eyes. In the near future, we will devote the "Tribulation" tab on our "Trending" menu to this emerging reality. As people continue to unplug from mainstream media, our commitment is to present the truth and encourage our audience to understand current events from a Biblical perspective. Click here to begin the journey.
The Watchman
In the Bible, the Watchman is responsible for keeping watch and warning others of potential danger or impending judgment. The role is mentioned several times in the Old Testament, particularly in the book of Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 33:6, God says to the prophet Ezekiel, "But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand." Click here to begin the journey.
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