A man under authority

A story of Jesus I find fascinating is contained in Luke 7 and it is the story of the Roman centurion whose servant is gravely ill and close to death. The Centurion had heard of Jesus and all he had done and could do. So the Centurion sends a message to Jesus and asks for Jesus to heal the servant.

The story is powerful because it shows us many important things. It shows us how we need to be concerned with the well-being of those around us. The Centurion was concerned with the well-being of his slave but also with the Jewish community “he loves our nation and has built our synagogue” the Jewish elders tell Jesus.

Although the Centurion has not met Jesus, he has heard of him and has faith that Jesus can help heal the servant. The centurion then is a model of compassion, a model of how to bridge the gap between people of different faiths and nationalities and most of all a model of faith in Jesus. Based on these things, for me the Centurion is one of the unsung heroes of faith in the Gospels.

But there is more to the story. A Centurion was a powerful figure. He was the commander of one hundred soldiers and he was backed by all the authority of Rome. With such authority, he was accustomed to doing things by simple command. 8 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.’

The Centurion knew then what it was to have power. And he believed that Jesus’ power was such that if Jesus commanded the servant to be well the servant would be well. But Jesus’ power, Jesus authority, is such that he doesn’t have to command anything. For Luke tells us that the servant was healed purely on the basis of the centurion’s faith. Jesus did not have to say anything or do anything.

Like the Centurion I am a man under authority. One of the promises I made at my ordination was to accept the discipline of the Methodist Church. In other words, to accept the authority of the Methodist Church. For the most part this isn’t too onerous but occasionally I am reminded that I am a man under authority.

Just before I went to America I had a meeting with the Chairman of the Bristol District of the Methodist Church. He informed me of a difficult situation in the neighbouring Chippenham Circuit and asked me to consider whether I would move there. The request did not come as a complete surprise and I must admit that I had wondered whether this might happen in the summer of 2014. But I was surprised that the Chairman wanted me to move at the end of February 2014.

Over the summer I thought and prayed about this and I kept being assured that this was something God wanted me to do. And certainly when I visited the main church I’ll have oversight of in Chippenham, it just felt right.

Coming back from the USA knowing this was in the offing made it very difficult to settle back in. On one of the first Sundays back I mentioned in a sermon that I knew God had plans for me (though I didn’t say I had an inkling what they were.) But I did ask for prayers from members of the congregation. A couple of weeks later a lady gave me a note in which she said she could tell I’d been “inwardly stirred by my new experience.”)

I am sorry to be leaving Swindon 18 months earlier than I had planned. But as I have shared with people many times, I have Jeremiah 29:11 on the wall of my study “For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord.” And God’s plan is for me to minister to the people in Chippenham.

PS A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from a distant relative who had been researching the Gray family tree. And it seems that from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century the Grays lived in Mere or West Knoyle in Wiltshire. So maybe by heading further into Wiltshire I’m going back to my roots!