For I am a man also under the authority of another, and have soldiers under me: and I say to one, Go, and he goeth: and to another, Come, and he cometh: and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. – Matthew 8:9
Are you Under pressure, under valued, under staffed, under estimated, under the weather, under whelmed, under a lot of stress, under attack, under suspicion…?
The centurion didn’t want Jesus to come under his roof because he understood something about being under authority.
Authority. Exousia.
The power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed).
For unto us a Child is born…and the government will be upon His shoulders. (Isaiah 9:6)
It takes one to know one, so the saying goes.
And so for the centurion whose position was yoked to the weight and force of the Roman empire, it was easy for him to recognise one who was – like him – operating under the weight of an Authority that was greater than Him.
The words I speak, I speak not of my own authority…
Repent (metanoia, change your thinking) for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand…
Behind the spectacle and the awesome displays of absolute power, was the corresponding Weight of the Authority He carried and was accountable to.
In other words, He didn’t do anything simply because he felt like it. He operated in the full power and might of the Authority He carried…knowing full well that His every action was subject to the demands and objectives of the Kingdom.
So when He spoke, the situations and circumstances responded to the Authority that was behind the One who sent the words.
Authority >> Jesus/Centurion >> Words spoken >> Response from circumstances or soldiers
That’s the chain of command, a chain whose foundation is Authority.
I guess what I’m getting at is that you need to understand who you are, and to understand that you are not a single isolated entity.
Instead, you are under the Authority of the Kingdom of the Heavenly realms.
Everything around you knows that. But it’s time you know it so you can operate in it.