A Man Under Authority

Living Under Authority

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The centurion told Jesus, “For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me” (Luke 7:8). He had leaders above him and soldiers below him. Every day he obeyed orders and gave orders.

What authority is. Authority is the right to lead and to give instructions. A parent, a teacher, a coach and a police officer all have some authority.

Where it comes from. Paul wrote, “For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Romans 13:1). God is the one who puts leaders in their places.

Leaders for our good. Paul says a ruler “is God’s minister to you for good” (Romans 13:4). Good leaders protect people and help them do what is right.

Honor. “Render therefore to all their due… honor to whom honor” (Romans 13:7). Honor means treating people with respect because of the place God has given them.

At home. One of the Ten Commandments says, “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12). Listening to parents is one of the first ways children learn to obey God.

Leaders under God. Every leader has someone over them, and every leader answers to God. Even kings and presidents will one day stand before Him.

Obeying from the heart. Samuel told King Saul, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). God cares more about a listening heart than about a big show.

When leaders are wrong. If a leader tells you to do something God says is wrong, God comes first. Peter and the apostles said, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

Staying safe. Authority never gives anyone the right to hurt you. If any grown-up hurts you or asks you to keep a bad secret, tell a parent, a teacher or another adult you trust.

Authority to serve. The centurion used his power to care for a sick servant and to help a whole town worship God. Good authority is used to help others, not to push them around.

A soldier who understood. Because the centurion lived under authority, he knew what it meant when an order was given. That helped him see that Jesus has authority too.

What to do. This week, when a parent or teacher asks you to do something, do it the first time, cheerfully. Then thank God for the people He has put over you.

The centurion described himself in two directions: “placed under authority” and “having soldiers under me” (Luke 7:8). Before he ever gave an order, he took one.

Placed under. Luke's phrase pictures a soldier stationed at his post. Paul uses a related word in Romans 13:1, hypotassō (say: hoo-poh-TAHS-soh), meaning to be subject, to take your place under someone.

Romans 13:1. “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God.” Paul wrote this while Rome ruled the world, the same Rome the centurion served.

For good (13:3-4). “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.” Government is meant to reward good and hold back evil. That is its job under God.

The limit. Human authority is real but not final. When the council ordered the apostles to stop preaching Jesus, Peter answered, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Obedience to people always sits under obedience to God.

Honor at home. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land” (Exodus 20:12). The first authority most people meet is at home.

Better than sacrifice. Saul offered sacrifices but ignored God's clear command. Samuel answered, “to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22).

Listening to obey. The Greek word for obey, hypakouō (say: hoo-pah-KOO-oh), means to listen under. To obey is to hear a voice that has the right to be followed, and then to follow it.

Authority used well. The centurion's power did not make him cruel. He used it to care for a sick servant and to give a town its synagogue. Authority is given so that we can serve others.

Unafraid. “Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same” (Romans 13:3). Doing right frees us from fear of those over us.

Under Rome. Paul and Peter both wrote while Rome ruled. Christians were taught to honor rulers and pray for them, while still refusing to worship anyone but God.

Safety. No leader at home, church or school has the right to harm you. Telling a trusted adult when someone misuses authority honors God's design.

Application. Think of one person God has placed over you. Pray for that person by name this week, and practice obeying quickly and respectfully.

The Son Who Always Obeyed

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The centurion knew Jesus had authority over sickness. The Bible also shows that Jesus, the Son of God, lived His whole life doing what His Father wanted.

Sent from heaven. Jesus said, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).

He learned to obey. Hebrews says that even though Jesus was the Son, He learned obedience by the things He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). He knows what it costs to obey.

Always pleasing. “The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him” (John 8:29). Jesus never once disobeyed God.

To the point of death. “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

Never alone. Jesus said, “And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone” (John 8:29). The Son obeyed because He loved the Father and knew the Father was with Him.

Obedient all the way. Jesus obeyed even when it meant dying on the cross for our sins. “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).

Authority that amazed people. “For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him” (Mark 1:27). Even evil spirits had to listen to Jesus.

Authority over sickness. Jesus healed many who were sick. He even gave His twelve disciples “power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases” (Luke 9:1).

Teaching with authority. When Jesus taught, people “were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority” (Mark 1:22).

A Leader worth following. The centurion's soldiers followed him because he was their officer. We follow Jesus because He is our Lord and our Savior, and He leads us in love.

The best Leader. Because Jesus always obeyed, He is the perfect Lord. We can trust a Leader who never once did wrong.

Following Jesus. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). We obey Him because He loves us and we love Him, not to earn His love.

Submit to God. “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Saying yes to God is where real strength begins.

What to do. When obeying is hard, ask Jesus to help you. He knows what it is like to obey the Father, and He will give you strength.

The centurion recognized authority in Jesus because he knew authority from the inside. Jesus' authority is unlike any other, because the Son is one with the Father and always does His will.

John 6:38. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” The Son is equal with the Father, yet He gladly came to do the Father's will.

Philippians 2:8. “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Obeying took the Son all the way to the worst death the empire could give.

John 8:29. “I always do those things that please Him.” No other person could ever say always. Jesus lived the obedient life we have not lived.

Hebrews 5:8. Though He was the Son, Jesus learned obedience by the things He suffered. He never sinned, so He was not learning to stop sinning. He learned by experience what obeying costs.

Romans 5:19. “By one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” Adam's disobedience brought sin into the world. Jesus' obedience, all the way to the cross, brings right standing with God to everyone who believes.

Authority from obedience. The centurion's orders carried weight because he himself obeyed Rome. Jesus' words carry the weight of heaven because He always does the Father's will.

Mark 1:22. The crowds “were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” The scribes leaned on what earlier teachers had said. Jesus spoke as the One whose word is final.

Mark 1:27. “For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” Spirits and sickness answer to the Son who answered perfectly to the Father.

Luke 9:1. Jesus gave the Twelve “power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.” His authority is so great that He can share it with those He sends.

James 4:7. “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Submitting to God is where spiritual strength begins.

Application. Obeying Jesus is the response of love, not the price of His love (John 14:15). Name one area where you have been slow to obey Him, and ask Him for help today.

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