When he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully." He said to him, "I will come and cure him." The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth." And Jesus said to the centurion, "You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you." And at that very hour (his) servant was healed. Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him. When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: "He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases." (Mt 8:5-17)
Jesus came into the world to be with the people. He emptied himself taking the form of a slave. Jesus wanted to be one like anyone in the world. Yet he had the healing power of God in him. He was willing to go to the house of the centurion. But the man had such a regard for him that he was not willing to disturb the master.
Centurion, a man of authority and who has used his authority over his servants was ready to accept his emptiness. He realized that authority is not inborn or authority is not attached permanently to a person. Authority is timely (for a period of time) and it is exercised at a particular situation over few people. Authority is not eternal but he was ready to accept the person Jesus for what he has or what he is.
Jesus healed many people. On the very same day he healed the mother in law of peter and the very same evening he cured the sick and exorcised the demon possessed. All the activities of Jesus only proved that he fulfilled the scripture in his life. Man does not have authority over the others but he has to fulfil the word of god in his life and that too to help the others to be better persons (complete, whole, integral persons).
