Bible Studies for Life Free Samples Adult Ministry Personal Study Guide, Spring 2014 | Page 6

Matthew 8:5-9
Ever tried to contest a phone bill? If you ask for a refund, credit, or discount, you might hear something
like, “I’m sorry, but I’m not allowed to do that.” Try asking the person taking your tickets at the game to
stop the rain. Or ask the drivers next to you on the highway to make the traffic go away.
There are some things in life we have no power or authority over. The reality is that there are some things
only God can do. There are some things only God can forgive, some grace only God can extend, some
acceptance only God can provide, and some problems only God can fix. Yet often times we try to do
it ourselves.
Jesus encountered another man in Matthew 8. This man was quite different from the leper; he was a
centurion with the Roman military. A typical centurion had about one hundred men under his command.
So this centurion knew how to be in charge. He knew how to lead others. He knew how to get things
done. But when his servant became sick, the centurion could do nothing about it.
We don’t know what the centurion tried on his own. Whatever the details, coming to Jesus would have
been a hard step: Not only would this centurion have been considered an unclean Gentile, but he was
despised all the more because his job was a reminder to the Jewish people they had been conquered.
Having been stationed in the area, the centurion had surely experienced the disdain of the Jews.
Orthodox Jews hated the Romans.
Would this one Jewish rabbi exhibit the same attitude? The centurion swallowed any pride and
acknowledged his unworthiness in the eyes of the rabbi. He submissively called Jesus “Lord.” The
unspoken question underneath the centurion’s request for healing reflected the words of the leper:
would Jesus be willing?

Since Jesus’ authority is our only hope, why do we
look for hope in other things or people?

Question

© 2013 LifeWay

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